Will This Battered Woman Be Set Free? Parole Board Set To Decide
The case of Tondalo Hall, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for failing to protect her children from abuse — while the actual abuser got only two years — will go before the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board later this month. The case, part of a BuzzFeed News investigation, has received attention from a national advocacy group.
Texas May Stop Jailing Truant Students
A reform plan was sent to Gov. Greg Abbott that would make truancy a civil matter instead of a criminal one and end the practice of locking up students for missing school. The move follows a Buzzfeed News investigation into widespread jailing of teens.
Students With Disabilities Pushed Out Of School, Advocates Say
A complaint filed Wednesday with the Texas Education Agency says districts have illegally used truancy court to force students with disabilities out of school and that the state has failed to prevent the practice.
Vermont Kills Failure-To-Protect Law
State lawmakers nixed a proposed statute that would criminalize parents who don't protect their children from abusers. Similar laws in other states have lead to the imprisonment of battered women.
Texas Truancy Bill Opposed Over The Cost Of Providing Children Attorneys
As the Texas legislature considers decriminalizing truancy, emails obtained by BuzzFeed News show opposition from counties to a provision that would allow judges to appoint an attorney when “it is in the best interest of the child.”
Vermont House Balks At Failure To Protect Law
The Vermont House of Representatives has turned down a Senate measure that would allow the prosecution of parents who fail to protect their children. Some citing a recent BuzzFeed News investigation, worry it would lead to the imprisonment of battered women.
Texas School District Suspends Truancy Policy After BuzzFeed News Investigation
Fort Bend Independent School District, outside Houston, has announced that it will stop sending truant students to court. The announcement comes days after a BuzzFeed News investigation revealed that students in that county had been jailed, sometimes for more than a week, causing them to miss more school and sometimes get kicked out.
The Number Of Teens Being Jailed For Truancy Shocks Texas Lawmakers
"You've gotta be kidding me." Lawmakers react to a BuzzFeed News report showing that more than a thousand teens have been sent to adult jail on charges stemming from skipping school. The Texas legislature is debating a host of possible changes to the law.
She Skipped School And Couldn't Pay Her Fines — So Texas Sent Her To Jail
More than a thousand Texas teenagers have been ordered to lockup on charges that stem from missing school, often because they have unpaid court fines. The costs to their education are high. Some, like Serena Vela, drop out.
Mississippi Cops Are Using College Kids As Drug Informants
A small-town narcotics unit has built a team of confidential informants by arresting low-level-offender college students and pressuring them to flip.
Judge Backs Out Of Parole Board, Won't Decide Battered Woman's Case After All
Judge Kenneth Watson has backed out of his appointment to Oklahoma's pardon and parole board. Watson had freed a battered woman from a decades-long prison sentence, and on the parole board was set to help decide the fate of another battered woman.
Protesters Demand Release Of Battered Woman In Oklahoma
A small group gathered Monday to demand freedom for Tondalo Hall. Hall is in prison on a 30-year sentence for failing to protect her children from her boyfriend — despite evidence Hall was also violently abused by him.
Protesters To Demand Release Of Battered Woman In Oklahoma
The national advocacy group UltraViolet plans to demand the release of Tondalo Hall at a rally in Oklahoma City on Monday. Hall is in prison on a 30-year sentence for failing to protect her children from an abuser who was set free eight years ago.
Vermont Debates Protection For Battered Women In New Child Abuse Bill
Vermont’s lawmakers are considering whether to create a criminal law against parents who fail to protect their children. A BuzzFeed News investigation exposed how such laws have led to long prison sentences for battered women in other states.
Judge Who Freed One Imprisoned Battered Woman Will Help Decide Another's Fate
Kenneth Watson, the judge who recently freed a battered woman from a decades-long sentence for failing to protect her children from her violent boyfriend, has just been appointed to Oklahoma's parole board. That means he'll consider the fate of Tondalo Hall, another battered woman who is behind bars.
Documents Suggest Ebola Con Man's Cleanup Firm Claimed Training It Didn’t Have
Bio-Recovery Corp. employees didn’t get the training on dealing with hazardous waste the company claimed they had until after they cleaned up Ebola in New York City, documents suggest. The latest in a BuzzFeed News investigation into the company and con man Sal Pane.
Long Island Officials Investigating Whether Con Man Sal Pane Bribed Medical Examiner Workers
An anonymous letter alleges that Bio-Recovery Corp., the company linked to con man Sal Pane, paid Long Island medical examiner workers for tips on newly deceased bodies. A BuzzFeed News investigation exposed other Pane antics last fall.
"Enabling Child Abuse" And Why Oklahoma Imprisons So Many Women
An Oklahoma law that has put battered women in prison — sometimes for longer than their abusers — is part of why the state puts more women per capita behind bars than any other. So says a Harvard fellow hired by Oklahoma's governor to examine its criminal justice system. The latest in a BuzzFeed News investigation.
Company Associated With Ebola Con Man Takes Down Website After BuzzFeed News Story
MailMySharps.com claimed to sell medical waste equipment, but much of its website was apparently copied from a competing company. MailMySharps.com is associated with Bio-Recovery, the controversial company hired to clean up Ebola in New York City. A follow-up to an ongoing BuzzFeed News investigation.
Con Man Falsely Claimed That Ebola Cleanup Firm Was Working With The Army
“We’re working directly with the U.S. government and the Army Corps of Engineers and the Army,” said Sal Pane, the subject of a recent BuzzFeed News investigation. The Department of Defense has said it has no record of any such work.