Imprisoned Battered Woman Gets One Step Closer to Freedom
Oklahoma’s parole board voted Monday to grant Tondalo Hall a full clemency hearing, the first step in her bid to leave prison early. Hall is pleading for mercy on her 30-year sentence for failing to protect her children from a violent abuser. The man who actually harmed her child got just 2 years.
Women's Rights Group To Rally For Battered Woman To Win Clemency
UltraViolet, the national women's rights group, is organizing a gathering outside the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board on Monday as it considers Tondalo Hall's case.
Texas Governor Signs Law To Stop Jailing Kids For Skipping School
Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill that will make truancy a civil offense rather than a criminal one. A BuzzFeed News investigation had found that more than 1,000 Texas teenagers had been ordered to jail after skipping school.
These Six People Will Decide Whether A Battered Woman Walks Free
Tondalo Hall faces a long and difficult battle for clemency, but a crucial first step will take place this month. Ultimately, her decision rests with five parole board members and Gov. Mary Fallin.
Meet Four People Who Pushed Texas To Stop Jailing Kids For Skipping School
BuzzFeed News interviewed some of the people who were instrumental in getting a proposal before the Texas governor that would end the Lone Star State's practice of jailing truant kids. Here are their stories.
Will Texas Governor Greg Abbott Sign Bill To Stop Sending Kids To Jail For Skipping School?
Gov. Abbott has up to two weeks to determine the fate of a proposal that would end the practice of locking up students for missing school. The proposal has strong backing from the conservative “Right on Crime” project.
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.