Texas to release 226 juveniles whose sentences were improperly extended News
Texas to release 226 juveniles whose sentences were improperly extended

[JURIST] The Texas Youth Commission (TYC) [official website] will release 226 inmates from its juvenile prison system after an investigation revealed that their sentences were improperly extended. Commission Special Master Jay Kimbrough, appointed [press release] early this month by Texas Gov. Rick Perry [official profile] to investigate the TYC, formed a six-member panel in March to review extended sentences [JURIST report] after inmate advocates and their families complained that sentences are extended in retaliation for filing grievances.

Kimbrough said the other inmates' sentences will be reviewed on a regular basis. He is also investigating physical and sexual abuse allegations [JURIST report] at commission facilities. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Georgia became first US state to ban lynching

On December 20, 1893, Georgia became the first state in the Union to pass a law against lynching, making the act punishable by four years in prison. The statute was not particularly effective—read the text of the 1899 pamphlet Lynch Law in Georgia by anti-lynching activist Ida Wells-Barnett.