Category Archives: News

The Next System Project: Toshio Meronek and Erica R. Meiners; November 10, 2017 A key component of the current system is its reliance on imprisonment as a response to behaviors and populations which are understood as sources of actual or potential harm. Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, this carceral response seems to multiply and perpetuate harm rather thanContinue reading “Beyond The Carceral Logic of Civil Commitment: PART 1”

The issues are (1) whether the appeals court erred by finding the governing board of the Texas Civil Commitment Office, the agency responsible for treatment of sexually violent predator, has rulemaking authority; (2) whether the appeals court erred by finding Matzen’s claims barred by sovereign immunity; (3) whether the appeals court erred by finding McLane’sContinue reading “Gerard Matzen v. Marsha McLane, Director of the Texas Civil Commitment Office (9.29.2021)”

The Supreme Court considers whether “civil commitment” is just prison by another name. The Marshall Project: Maurice Chammah; 09/24/2017 ________________________________________________________________________ If someone finishes a prison sentence for a violent sexual crime, but might still be dangerous, should he be released? How do you know if he’s dangerous? And when does it violate his rights toContinue reading “What To Do With Violent Sex Offenders”

By Susan Zalatan We want them to be responsibleSo we take away all responsibility We want them to be positive and constructiveSo we degrade them and make them useless We want them to be trustworthySo we put them where there is no trust We want them to be nonviolentSo we surround them with violence WeContinue reading “Those in Prison”

Sources at neighboring hospitals dispute claims made by MTC staff and tell the truth about the denial of routine care. Men at the Texas Civil Commitment Center (TCCC) are four times more likely to die than to complete the program successfully. Marsha McLane said that the TCCC would not be a “warehouse for sex offenders”.Continue reading “Death Sentence“

Bill talks about the Sex Offender registry at 19:43, but the interview is worth a listen! Bill has been very supportive of the work that we do and a great resource for TACC. We appreciate him immensely! Activist and civil libertarian, Bill Dobbs specializes in causes that many see as too controversial. Honored by theContinue reading “Bill Dobbs, Activist – Civil Libertarian”

NARSOL is hosting a viewing of the film UNTOUCHABLE. It is available to everyone. This documentary brilliantly weaves together the voices of those who have suffered from sexual abuse, those who make the laws, those who suffer from the laws, and the evidence and facts about sexual offense. Film Availability: Saturday, December 4th @ 9:00Continue reading “NARSOL is hosting a viewing of the film UNTOUCHABLE”

The Washington Post: by Radley Balko; March 9, 2017 __________________________________________________________________ Much of the destructive, extra-punishment punishment we inflict on sex offenders is due to the widely held belief that they’re more likely to re-offend than the perpetrators of other classes of crimes. This has been the main justification for the Supreme Court’s authorization of sex-offenderContinue reading “Opinion: The big lie about sex offenders”

PRISON LEGAL NEWS: by Scott Grammer; December 10, 2019 In May 2019 the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) issued a report, titled “Recidivism of Sex Offenders Released from State Prison: A 9-Year Follow-Up (2005-14),” that examined 67,966 former prisoners over a nine-year period after their release in 30 different states in 2005. The report explainedContinue reading “BJS Report Finds Sex Offenders Among Former Prisoners Least Likely to Re-Offend”

typeinvestigations: By Toshio Meronek & Erica R. Meiners; May 23, 2018 Prison-like public hospital systems are disproportionately packed with gay men who remain locked up even after serving their time. At Coalinga State Hospital, located in a desolate, dusty part of California’s Central Valley, 200 miles north of Los Angeles, 37-year-old Cory Hoch stands out. He’s well likedContinue reading “Post-Prison Purgatory”