Prisons and Jails

The order came as part of a federal lawsuit over long wait times for Texas detainees who need their mental competency restored in a state hospital before trial.

A judge says Texas has to speed up putting jail inmates who are incompetent to stand trial in mental health facilities. KERA's Toluwani Osibamowo reports the order is part of a ten-year-long lawsuit against the state. Last week, Governor Greg Abbott launched a new teacher-led state commission to shape public education. The Texas Classroom Commission is tasked with developing recommendations ahead of the next legislative session on how to support teachers and improve educational outcomes.

A state law passed after July 4th floods in the Texas Hill Country requires camps to have redundant internet access in order to receive an operational license. Texas Public Radio's Marian Navarro reports The Texas Department of State Health Services has reached an agreement with these camps over fiber optic requirements. Texas prisons saw a 2,400 percent increase in drug overdose deaths over the past seven years. As KERA's Toluwani Osibamowo reports, officials say it's the result of an influx of contraband into state correctional facilities.

Lawyers for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice say the state's prisons have made strides in getting more air conditioning. Plaintiffs say the state's still not addressing heat-related deaths.

The City of Lubbock has announced spring and summer irrigation restrictions in effect now through Sept. 30. Our Mia Shephard explains the guidelines and you can find more at mylubbock.us/irrigation. A trial over a lack of air conditioning and excessive heat in Texas prisons will continue this week in a federal court in Austin. KUT’s Andrew Weber reports the trial will determine if state prisons are subject to the same regulations as county lockups and federal prisons.

The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Centers of Lubbock and of El Paso are among the nine schools that received funding for the program, increasing the total number of accredited forensic psychiatry fellowships.

In Texas, a long-forgotten series of prison albums offers a rare way to hear what incarceration sounded like decades ago. Maurice Chammah, a staff writer at The Marshall Project is rescuing and reporting on the music recorded behind the walls.