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Texas Jail Project Through News Stories in 2021

December 31, 2021

2021 was an unprecedented year for Texas communities impacted by county jail incarceration. Here's a comprehensive round-up of news featuring stories, interviews, op-eds, and essays from TJP community members and…

Topics:   Cash Bail, Covid-19, Jail Conditions, Mental Health, Pretrial Policy

2021 was an unprecedented year for Texas communities impacted by county jail incarceration. Here’s a comprehensive round-up of news featuring stories, interviews, op-eds, and essays from TJP community members and staff in 2021.

The Marshall ProjectWhen COVID-19 Hit a Texas Jail, an Activist Demanded Change 
The AppealPregnant Women Allege Abuse in Texas Jails 
Fort Worth WeeklyHumanizing Life Behind Bars 
Arnold VenturesAn Inside Look at Texas Jails During the COVID-19 Pandemic 
NBC News“Animals At The Zoo Get Better Treatment” Inside Texas’ Frigid Jails 
Washington PostTexas Inmates Endure Freezing Temperatures 
TIMENearly 200,000 People Still Lack Power Amid Snow, Subzero Temperatures Across Texas. Here’s How To Help.
Washington Post Op-EdWhy Reimagining Safety Looks Different in Rural America
Authored by Executive Director Krish Gundu
Texas TribuneTexas Jails and Prisons See Brutal Cold And Overfilled Toilets In Winter Storm
Huffington PostPeople in Texas Jails are “Freezing,’ without Hot Food or Running Water
CBS NewsIt’s Like We’re Not Even Human: Texas Inmates Face Frigid Temperatures During Weather Crisis
Dallas ObserverAs COVID-19 Spreads, A Fight to Shutter Parts of Dallas County Jail 
Texas ObserverClogged Inside Snow Outside: How The Winter Storm Exacerbated Problems in Texas Lock-Ups
BreakThrough News A Nation in Chains: Mass Incarceration in Black America: Goldie VanZandt & Krish Gundu interview
Tyler Morning TelegraphPandemic adds new complications for jails struggling to help inmates with mental illness
CNNJails and Prisons were hit hard by Covid-19. Experts say they need to be prioritized for the vaccines
Texas ObserverHow Texas Jails Avoid Investigations of Deaths 
D MagazineA Story of Two Deaths at the Collin County Jail 
Mother JonesIt’s Terrifying, It’s Almost Crippling: Texas Jails and Prisons 
Vice NewsTexas Jails Were Freezing and Smelled Like Urine
NPR Short WaveHow the Pandemic Has Played Out Behind Bars 
Blue Tent PhilanthropyHow a Tiny Group of Activists Built a Criminal Justice Reform Organization 
The New Yorker A Fight to Expose the Hidden Human Costs of Incarceration
Dallas Morning NewsTexas Community Bail Funds Grow
Spectrum NewsWho Belongs Behind Bars: Texas Bail Reform Debated
KLTV News TylerEast Texas jail advocate speaks against bill that would make it harder for some to bond out
Houston Chronicle Op-EdDespite New Law, Texas still has far to go on bail reform
Authored by Jerome VanZandt, a formerly incarcerated combat veteran and TJP community member
KWTX News WacoArea county jail populations continue to climb amid pandemic
Tyler Morning TelegraphJailed Army Veteran To Be Moved to Medical Facility Following Protest
Texas Observer“Locked Up and Left to Die” How Deaths in Texas Jails are Ignored and Unresolved 
Dallas ObserverA Texas Man Begged for Mental Health Help. Instead, He Ended Up in Jail Time and Again
Dallas ObserverIn Texas Jails Some People End Up ‘Lost in the System’ for Months or More 
Houston ChronicleVague standards, weak enforcement endanger Texas jail inmates, government watchdog finds
Houston ChronicleOn July 4th, Texans’ Reflect on Lives, Fortune and Sacred Honor’ made in the Declaration of Independence
CBS 19Covid-19 Incites Tyler Advocate to Focus on Jail Conditions
Fort Worth WeeklyTarrant county finally uses cite and release
Tyler Morning Telegraph Smith County Commissioners Court continues to battle concerns over jail population and Covid-19 spread
Fort Worth Weekly Op-EdLeft Behind
Authored by then Texas Jail Project staff member Tamera Hutcherson
Fort Worth WeeklyHitting the Fort’ with Texas Jail Project
Dallas Morning NewsResponse to the Editorial Board
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