#ICYMI: A transgender prisoner held in solitary confinement reports on the growing usage of Tasers against the most vulnerable of the incarcerated in #Texas. https://www.texasobserver.org/an-inside-look-at-taser-use-in-texas-prison/

Dispatch from the inside: A prisoner in solitary watches as guards use Tasers on a naked, mentally-ill woman in a shower, and reflects on their increasingly brutal use in the #Texas correctional system. https://www.texasobserver.org/an-inside-look-at-taser-use-in-texas-prison/

“This is the Trump administration desperate to meet the goals that it’s set to carry out its mass deportation agenda. But he’s having trouble reaching those numbers, because he doesn’t have the manpower and the infrastructure to actually rip away people who have years and years of life in our communities and are deeply entwined.” https://www.texasobserver.org/local-state-police-ice-287g-task-force/

“In solitary confinement, many prisoners suffer from mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar, and psychosis that are exacerbated by prolonged isolation. Those suffering from schizophrenia and other mental diseases are target practice for the Tasers on a daily basis.” https://www.texasobserver.org/an-inside-look-at-taser-use-in-texas-prison/

New today: A prisoner watches as guards use Tasers on a naked, mentally-ill woman in a shower, and reflects on their increasing use inside #Texas prison walls..
https://www.texasobserver.org/an-inside-look-at-taser-use-in-texas-prison/

Death penalty update: On March 11, the Court of Criminal Appeals stayed David Wood’s execution. The court has not yet announced whether it will send the case back to the trial court to review the evidence of Wood’s innocence.
https://www.texasobserver.org/david-wood-execution-desert-killer/

Our top story: “One thing that is abundantly clear is that #border enforcement, and in particular the construction of detention facilities ... is big business. It’s a huge business. It’s incredibly lucrative for a very small number of people who have every incentive to make this system as big and as bloated as possible.” https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-operation-lone-star-contractors-bonanza/

“Somehow this little town, Los Fresnos—it’s become a part of this huge conversation that I don’t think anyone really expected. Maybe this is a chance for people to really look at what’s happening.”

Earlier: In Cameron County where 8.5 percent of the population is undocumented, controversial raids at this popular eatery have rocked an already divided community. https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-raids-abbys-bakery-valley-los-fresnos/

He Was Convicted Based on Allegedly Fabricated Bite Mark Analysis. Louisiana Wants to Execute Him Anyway.
—

Nine prisoners have walked free after evidence presented by members of a forensics team turned out to be wrong — yet one man still awaits execution based on their testimony.
https://www.propublica.org/article/louisiana-jimmie-duncan-bite-mark-analysis-death-row-junk-science?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

“They were accusing me of every unsolved crime on the planet.”

Despite numerous oversights and concerns with his case highlighted by his attorneys, David Wood is scheduled to be executed on Thursday. https://www.texasobserver.org/david-wood-execution-desert-killer/

#DeathPenalty #CriminalJustice #politics #USpol #news #Texas #prison #HumanRights

Featured story: “The evidence linking James Rodden to the online accounts in question is strong, with significant biographical consistencies spanning over a decade. … The depth of the investigation leaves little room for doubt.” https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-prosecutor-dallas-white-supremacist-x-account/

Jailhouse snitch testimony is considered a red flag by many legal experts. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, 256 people who have been exonerated of felonies in the United States since 1989 were convicted in a case using jailhouse informant testimony. Sixteen were from #Texas. https://www.texasobserver.org/david-wood-execution-desert-killer/

“What we are witnessing is the deliberate abduction of individuals as they are being uprooted from their lives. #Trump’s deportation machine knows no bounds, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.” https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-raids-abbys-bakery-valley-los-fresnos/

“It changes your life when you get arrested and you see everything that you ever had about to go away because you were trying to provide a living. A lot of these people provide work for people because nobody else wants to do the job.” https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-raids-abbys-bakery-valley-los-fresnos/

Court filings reveal a bombshell: A former cellmate of one of the informants said he knows that the story the state used to convict Wood—the purported jailhouse confession—was made up with the help of El Paso police.
https://www.texasobserver.org/david-wood-execution-desert-killer/

“I’ve been trying for 30 years to tell people I didn’t do this.”

New from Michelle Pitcher: For over a decade, the state has rebuffed attempts by David Wood's attorneys to have additional evidence tested for DNA. His execution is set for March 13. https://www.texasobserver.org/david-wood-execution-desert-killer/

When exercising this newfound authority as part of Trump's taskforce, local officers must seek guidance from an #ICE supervisor—but are allowed to do so “as soon as is practicable” ... after exercising the authority.
https://www.texasobserver.org/local-state-police-ice-287g-task-force/

“Because of Rodden’s explicit bigotry and racism, he cannot be trusted to properly exercise his discretion.”

#ICYMI, three U.S. House members demanded an investigation after the Texas Observer revealed a top ICE lawyer also runs an explicitly white supremacist X account. https://www.texasobserver.org/investigation-ice-prosecutor-racist-x-account/

“Prosecuting people for migration is big business.”

Our top story: Over the past four years, the Texas Legislature has allocated more than $11 billion to fund the sprawling tentacles of the Operation Lone Star. https://www.texasobserver.org/abbott-operation-lone-star-contractors-bonanza/