Subject:

Criminal Law

  • News

    July 21, 2011

    The Unexpected Guest

    Suave, with impeccable but false credentials, "Dennis Shaw" moved easily through River Oaks society.

  • News

    October 21, 2010

    Grinding Justice

    Operation Streamline costs millions, tramples the Constitution, treats migrants like cattle and doesn't work.

  • News

    February 4, 2010

    Crash Reports

    Running a red light and killing someone does not automatically mean you're in trouble in Harris County.

  • Blogs

    October 5, 2009

    Domestic Violence Cases Spike In Harris County

    ​Harris County is seeing a big spike in domestic-violence cases this year, District Attorney Patricia Lykos' office announced today. They also announced they've taken a variety of steps to handle it.Jane Waters, chief of the DA's Family Criminal Law Division, reported that 4,900 family violence ch ... More >>

  • News

    May 28, 2009

    For Their Own Good: A Chance at Rehabilitation

    Teens could go to TYC till they're 19, then have another hearing to determine parole or prison after that.

  • News

    May 28, 2009

    For Their Own Good

    Harris County juveniles certified as adults are jailed in isolation 23 hours a day — without being convicted of a crime.

  • Blogs

    March 12, 2009

    DA's New DNA Policy Still Might Not Find Past Mistakes

    Photo courtesy patlykos.comA non-working DNA lab and lack of proper policies were among the biggest contributors to the wrongful incarceration of Ricardo Rachell, District Attorney Pat Lykos said today at a press conference in the Criminal Justice Center.Lykos and Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt a ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 11, 2009

    Another Slap On The Wrist For The Child-Fondling Doctor

    Photo courtesy Jefferson County Sheriff's OfficeHere's today's criminal justice system tip: If you're going to plead guilty in Harris County to repeatedly fondling young girls -- some of whom you're related to -- make sure you're a doctor. And we're not talking podiatrist, here.Hair Balls suggest yo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 5, 2008

    Change Comes To The Harris County Courthouse

    Photo courtesy Jefferson County Sheriff's OfficeHere's today's criminal justice system tip: If you're going to plead guilty in Harris County to repeatedly fondling young girls -- some of whom you're related to -- make sure you're a doctor. And we're not talking podiatrist, here.Hair Balls suggest yo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 17, 2008

    No Death Penalties This Year For The Death-Penalty Capital Of America (That's Us)

    Photo courtesy Jefferson County Sheriff's OfficeHere's today's criminal justice system tip: If you're going to plead guilty in Harris County to repeatedly fondling young girls -- some of whom you're related to -- make sure you're a doctor. And we're not talking podiatrist, here.Hair Balls suggest yo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 10, 2008

    Prosecutors Dismiss Assault Charges in J Prince Gym Beating Case

    Photo courtesy Jefferson County Sheriff's OfficeHere's today's criminal justice system tip: If you're going to plead guilty in Harris County to repeatedly fondling young girls -- some of whom you're related to -- make sure you're a doctor. And we're not talking podiatrist, here.Hair Balls suggest yo ... More >>

  • News

    July 8, 2004

    The Last Word

    They've fought for justice for nine years, but time is running out

  • News

    June 17, 2004

    Strings Attached

    Will Linden move on to become a music mecca or fall beneath the weight of a racist past?

  • News

    July 17, 2003

    Prison Break?

    Critics wonder if massive TDCJ cuts will be a prelude to privatization

  • News

    June 19, 2003

    Bench Blues

    The judiciary starts scrambling after state cuts in visiting judges

  • News

    June 5, 2003

    Screwed!

    Robert Casey told on Constable Perry Wooten. Wooten fired him. Now Casey and two other people are suing to get their jobs back.

  • News

    May 15, 2003

    Passive Aggressive

    A court slaps down the D.A.'s bid to broadly expand its antipollution powers

  • News

    January 30, 2003

    The Bradford Game

    A mid-trial meltdown scorches the district attorney

  • News

    January 23, 2003

    On the Defense

    Internal feuds and investigations cripple the agency representing accused convicts

  • News

    July 4, 2002

    Innocence Lost

    The D.A.'s policy cuts into an inmate advocacy program

  • News

    June 20, 2002

    Old Ways Die Hard

    A state law can't break up a juvenile courtroom gang

  • News

    March 21, 2002

    Nice Guy, Wrong Color

    How Ken Bentsen got run over by a rainbow

  • News

    January 31, 2002

    Dumped On

    Houston was supposed to be cracking down on polluters. So why has it spent five years cleaning up on little guys like Walter Bazarsky?

  • News

    January 31, 2002

    Law Breakers

    County prosecutors and the sheriff target a controversial judge

  • News

    January 31, 2002

    Getting Wasted

    Local officials say they are only after compliance and cleanups. Critics claim otherwise.

  • News

    November 8, 2001

    Sick Kids

    For many mentally ill teenagers in Texas, the only way to get treatment is to get arrested.

  • News

    October 25, 2001

    Bar Tabs

    The D.A. and county attorney dip into office funds to up the influence in judicial polls

  • News

    October 11, 2001

    Paying the Price

    Hospital district officials wanted a simple one-sentence policy on immigrant health care. What they got instead was a criminal probe and plenty of politics.

  • News

    September 6, 2001

    Drug Money

    Narcotics task forces in Texas spend millions of dollars each year busting low-level users and dealers. Is it money well spent, or are officers just addicted to easy cash?

  • News

    July 12, 2001

    Waivering Rights

    Are prosecutors circumventing the new law designed to preserve DNA evidence?

  • News

    May 24, 2001

    Rejected

    Thousands of inmates rely annually on a capricious parole board for their freedom. Most, like George Dismukes, return to their cells without ever knowing why they were denied.

  • News

    May 10, 2001

    Picking Up the Bill

    This time, a plan to bring drug courts here has real teeth

  • News

    April 19, 2001

    An Open Mike

    He wants to castrate pedophiles and purge the courts of politics. He has assailed fellow jurists, lawyers and lawmakers. He's maverick Mike McSpadden, a tennis ace with a tomahawk tongue.

  • News

    March 8, 2001

    Knowing Right from Wrong

    Did Johnny Penry's abusive childhood prevent him from developing a moral compass that might have stopped him from murdering Pam Carpenter? Or is he just another cold, calculating killer?

  • News

    December 7, 2000

    Rob Todd Unredacted

    Desperately seeking Susan

  • News

    September 7, 2000

    A Deadly Passion

    Sandra Orellana became known as the woman who had sex on a hotel balcony and fell to her death. Her family says that's a lie- she was murdered by her boss.

  • News

    July 20, 2000

    GOP Inc.

    How "Scary" Gary Polland turned his party apparatus into a political slot machine

  • News

    July 13, 2000

    Sand in Your Craw?

    Make yourself heard

  • News

    June 29, 2000

    A Yenne for Your Thoughts

    Brazoria's D.A. raises privacy issues over DPS emissions tests

  • News

    March 9, 2000

    Justice on the Block

    Is the D.A.'s office for sale to the highest bidder?

  • News

    January 20, 2000

    The Insider

    Report No Evil! UH threatens its top cop for reporting a star athlete's misdeeds

  • News

    January 13, 2000

    Love Hurts

    Six of her ex-lovers or associates are wounded or dead. Authorities wonder if old ways die hard for former Houston attorney Catherine Mehaffey Shelton.

  • News

    November 18, 1999

    Strong Convictions

    Hard-line leaders such as loopy Stephen Mansfield have taken their agenda to the Court of Criminal Appeals, where legal precedents--not prosecutions--get overturned

  • News

    September 2, 1999

    Law and Disorder

    In Janice Law's quests for a judgeship, the fourth time was a charm -- and now an alarm for the rest of the courthouse

  • News

    July 15, 1999

    Conspiracy Theory

    Arms dealer-turned-gadfly Al Johnson thinks everyone's out to get him. He's right

  • News

    July 1, 1999

    Bully on the Bench?

    Abrasive encounters with some Hispanics, cash-and-carry court appointments coupled with hefty campaign contributions. Critics wonder if Pat Shelton's speedy dockets are outrunning justice.

  • News

    March 25, 1999

    Queen of the Good Ol' Boys

    The macho world of trial law is ruled by tough, hard-driving men -- and by Katherine Scardino, a tough, hard-driving woman

  • News

    May 14, 1998

    Keeping the King Quiet

    The macho world of trial law is ruled by tough, hard-driving men -- and by Katherine Scardino, a tough, hard-driving woman

  • News

    August 7, 1997

    What Really Happened To Rodeny Hulin?

    Since his death, teenage inmate Rodney Hulin has become a national symbol of why it's wrong to send juveniles to adult prisons. His true story, though, paints a different kind of troubling picture.

  • News

    January 12, 1995

    Video Pulpit

    A Houston judge takes his quest for juvenile justice into national syndication

  • More >>

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