Grits for Breakfast
@gritsforbreakfast.bsky.social
Nom de plume of Scott Henson, Austin, TX. Cancer survivor, househusband, recovering policy wonk (justice systems, civil liberties; innocence). Retirement focus: TX negro-league baseball, female lion tamers. Zines: https://www.gfbpubs.com
Pinned
State prisons in US grew deadlier and more violent amid guard shortage, review finds
The US locks away more people than any other nation, including about 1 million people in state-run prisons. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.
www.straitstimes.com
DOJ: The death rate among state prisoners increased 47% between 2019 and 2024 ... The deaths include homicides, suicides and violence, and the report concluded that understaffing and high turnover “likely contribute” to the increase
We're just eliminating basic reference materials at this point, this, BLS data, etc..
they got rid of the CIA world factbook?????
February 4, 2026 at 11:42 PM
We're just eliminating basic reference materials at this point, this, BLS data, etc..
Amazon spends about $25 million per year to pay Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit to announce on Thursday night football but just laid off the Washington Post's entire sports department who collectively get paid a fraction of that. smdh
February 4, 2026 at 10:49 PM
Amazon spends about $25 million per year to pay Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit to announce on Thursday night football but just laid off the Washington Post's entire sports department who collectively get paid a fraction of that. smdh
Transparency for the Epstein files is accomplishing more than prosecutions ever would. Prosecutors in neither party wd ever have gone after the powerful ppl named, but a lot of them are getting a much-deserved comeuppance from the file dump who would have never darkened the door of a courtroom.
Among the emails was a 2009 missive in which Mr. Ross responded supportively when Mr. Epstein told him he was contemplating funding an art exhibition, tentatively titled “Statutory,” that would showcase underage models dressed to look older than they were.
Former Whitney Chief Resigns From Art School After Epstein Email Release
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:13 PM
Transparency for the Epstein files is accomplishing more than prosecutions ever would. Prosecutors in neither party wd ever have gone after the powerful ppl named, but a lot of them are getting a much-deserved comeuppance from the file dump who would have never darkened the door of a courtroom.
Seriously, what a disgrace. Wilbon and Kornheiser should do their whole half hour on it today.
Pouring one out for WaPo sports, which directly gave us Pardon the Interruption, Around the Horn, and one of the baddest to ever do sports reporting, @clintonyates.bsky.social
The WaPo sports section was so seismic in its work that it closing down should be considered an institutional injustice.
The WaPo sports section was so seismic in its work that it closing down should be considered an institutional injustice.
February 4, 2026 at 8:57 PM
Seriously, what a disgrace. Wilbon and Kornheiser should do their whole half hour on it today.
Ppl laying fiber optic cable need specialized skills but also work "10 hours a day outdoors in nearly all weather" and must be willing to constantly relocate. W/ proposed data centers requiring millions of miles of new cables and 120k workers nearing retirement, there aren't nearly enough of them.
High-Speed Internet Boom Hits Low-Tech Snag: a Labor Shortage
There aren’t enough linemen and other skilled workers to lay all the fiber-optic cable needed to achieve nationwide broadband internet.
www.wsj.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:38 PM
Ppl laying fiber optic cable need specialized skills but also work "10 hours a day outdoors in nearly all weather" and must be willing to constantly relocate. W/ proposed data centers requiring millions of miles of new cables and 120k workers nearing retirement, there aren't nearly enough of them.
Michele has forgotten more about oversight of detention facilities than anyone currently working at ICE will ever know.
ICE is apparently planning to convert a 1M sq ft warehouse in a small town outside Dallas to a mega-detention facility for 9500 people. For @wfaach8.bsky.social, I weighed in on the problems with this plan, including both humanitarian concerns & environmental issues.
www.wfaa.com/article/news...
www.wfaa.com/article/news...
'Wrong place for human beings' | Jail expert raises alarms over proposed ICE facility in North Texas
A Texas detention expert says turning a Hutchins warehouse into an ICE facility would fail basic standards and raise major environmental and infrastructure concerns.
www.wfaa.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Michele has forgotten more about oversight of detention facilities than anyone currently working at ICE will ever know.
Hutchins, TX city council opposes proposed ICE detention facility there. www.star-telegram.com/news/politic...
Hutchins rallies against reported ICE detention center
“Nobody up here on this dais is on board with what they’re trying to put here.”
www.star-telegram.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Hutchins, TX city council opposes proposed ICE detention facility there. www.star-telegram.com/news/politic...
The police contract allows the city to renege on raises that haven't gone into effect yet if voters rejected the tax increase to pay for it -- which they did -- but city council has NOT rolled back those wage hikes. IMO this is such a brazenly irresponsible decision, somebody must be on the take.
February 4, 2026 at 5:35 PM
The police contract allows the city to renege on raises that haven't gone into effect yet if voters rejected the tax increase to pay for it -- which they did -- but city council has NOT rolled back those wage hikes. IMO this is such a brazenly irresponsible decision, somebody must be on the take.
This wd have been an excellent journalism project to take on BEFORE the city gave Austin police a 28% pay hike they cdn't afford w/o a tax increase or massive cuts to other services.
Instead, the Statesman gave bad faith arguments for the contract and poo-pooed all budget concerns. I'm still mad. 🤬
Instead, the Statesman gave bad faith arguments for the contract and poo-pooed all budget concerns. I'm still mad. 🤬
Some Austin police officers earn double pay thanks to overtime
Austin police officers use a significant amount of overtime that can double their base salary. Police officials say it's due to a persistent officer shortage at the Austin Police Department.
www.statesman.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:31 PM
This wd have been an excellent journalism project to take on BEFORE the city gave Austin police a 28% pay hike they cdn't afford w/o a tax increase or massive cuts to other services.
Instead, the Statesman gave bad faith arguments for the contract and poo-pooed all budget concerns. I'm still mad. 🤬
Instead, the Statesman gave bad faith arguments for the contract and poo-pooed all budget concerns. I'm still mad. 🤬
More on Texas' cite and summons legislation. gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2007/04/cite...
Cite and summons for low-level offenses could free up jail space
Good news for local officials managing understaffed and overcrowded jails - the 80th Texas Legislature's best chance to assist counties wit...
gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:06 PM
More on Texas' cite and summons legislation. gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2007/04/cite...
Back when Texas still had small government Republicans, some of them passed a bill to give cities discretion to issue citations instead of arresting ppl for 7 common misdemeanors, including pot possession. Now wd be a good time for towns that didn't utilize that authority to rethink their stance.
For a wide range of misdemeanors, police can issue a summons rather than making an arrest. That option is becoming the final firewall against increasingly aggressive DHS efforts to gain access to local jails.
Citation In Lieu of Arrest
With community-police relations in the spotlight and key policy groups recommending the increased use of citation, now is an important moment to consider the use and impact of citation policies, to me...
www.theiacp.org
February 4, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Back when Texas still had small government Republicans, some of them passed a bill to give cities discretion to issue citations instead of arresting ppl for 7 common misdemeanors, including pot possession. Now wd be a good time for towns that didn't utilize that authority to rethink their stance.
Reposted by Grits for Breakfast
I quit working for TDCJ in 2003, and we had been "studying" this issue back then. They know heat is a real problem inside these prisons, many of which aren't remotely designed for heat mitigation. They just don't care.
Arguably also related (except TX stopped keeping records so we couldn't 100% tell). Because of very long sentences, many Texas inmates are older, often disabled, and thus particularly susceptible to the heat. TDCJ doesn't start heat mitigation till temps hit 105F. www.kut.org/crime-justic...
Many Texas prisons are regularly topping 90 degrees. The state is about to defend itself in court.
A new comprehensive analysis of state data shows Texas prisons get so hot in summer that temperatures there would routinely violate state standards for other types of lockups. The state will be back i...
www.kut.org
February 4, 2026 at 4:24 PM
I quit working for TDCJ in 2003, and we had been "studying" this issue back then. They know heat is a real problem inside these prisons, many of which aren't remotely designed for heat mitigation. They just don't care.
Reposted by Grits for Breakfast
This passed unnoticed: New Pew poll finds 64% oppose mass detention of migrants while their cases are decided.
That directly repudiates MAGA. Trumpism treats the release of migrants awaiting hearings as a mortal blow to the nation. The broader public does not. 3/
newrepublic.com/article/2060...
That directly repudiates MAGA. Trumpism treats the release of migrants awaiting hearings as a mortal blow to the nation. The broader public does not. 3/
newrepublic.com/article/2060...
February 4, 2026 at 12:47 PM
This passed unnoticed: New Pew poll finds 64% oppose mass detention of migrants while their cases are decided.
That directly repudiates MAGA. Trumpism treats the release of migrants awaiting hearings as a mortal blow to the nation. The broader public does not. 3/
newrepublic.com/article/2060...
That directly repudiates MAGA. Trumpism treats the release of migrants awaiting hearings as a mortal blow to the nation. The broader public does not. 3/
newrepublic.com/article/2060...
I've seen him connected to Palantir, but not Geo Group. Doesn't matter, though, that'd be about the 1,946th most evil thing about him. www.pogo.org/investigates...
Stephen Miller’s Financial Stake in ICE Contractor Palantir
Over a dozen Trump appointees in the White House and Department of Homeland Security have owned stock in the controversial company raising privacy concerns across the political spectrum.
www.pogo.org
February 4, 2026 at 1:47 PM
I've seen him connected to Palantir, but not Geo Group. Doesn't matter, though, that'd be about the 1,946th most evil thing about him. www.pogo.org/investigates...
Private prison company now doing electronic surveillance and "physical observation" of ppl in ICE's "non-detained docket." What could go wrong?
February 4, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Private prison company now doing electronic surveillance and "physical observation" of ppl in ICE's "non-detained docket." What could go wrong?
DOJ prosecutors are starting to sound like red-state public defenders.
I have zero sympathy: If you're a DOJ attorney and have not quit by now, you are complicit, and IDGAF about your sleep schedule or how bad you feel about repping for fascists.
I have zero sympathy: If you're a DOJ attorney and have not quit by now, you are complicit, and IDGAF about your sleep schedule or how bad you feel about repping for fascists.
“Your honor, can I just be like, fuckin’, real with you for a second?”
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
February 4, 2026 at 1:26 PM
DOJ prosecutors are starting to sound like red-state public defenders.
I have zero sympathy: If you're a DOJ attorney and have not quit by now, you are complicit, and IDGAF about your sleep schedule or how bad you feel about repping for fascists.
I have zero sympathy: If you're a DOJ attorney and have not quit by now, you are complicit, and IDGAF about your sleep schedule or how bad you feel about repping for fascists.
It's a weird and antiquated business, though. They're struggling to find a workforce willing to staff it, nearly everywhere.
February 4, 2026 at 1:00 PM
It's a weird and antiquated business, though. They're struggling to find a workforce willing to staff it, nearly everywhere.
Some of this may have structural roots: Because many prisons are located in rural areas, the precipitous decline in rural hospitals disproportionately impacts prisoners. www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2025/10...
Almost half of all incarcerated people are in rural jails and prisons and at risk of losing access to hospitals
The Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill Act will result in the closure of many rural hospitals, leaving people in the surrounding communities — including ...
www.prisonpolicy.org
February 4, 2026 at 12:56 PM
Some of this may have structural roots: Because many prisons are located in rural areas, the precipitous decline in rural hospitals disproportionately impacts prisoners. www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2025/10...
Also NY: suicides increasing, esp in solitary
Suicides have skyrocketed in state prions, data shows — Queens Daily Eagle
Suicides in state prisons have soared in the last several years, and solitary confinement is a leading contributor, a new report claims.
queenseagle.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:56 PM
Also NY: suicides increasing, esp in solitary
New York: the state blames last year's strike, but the healthcare issues described here are related to state funding and priorities, and ofc the death increase in state prisons is a national trend.
How Lack of Health Care Led to Preventable Deaths in New York Prisons
More than 30 people with dangerous but treatable ailments — infections, obstructed bowels and asthma attacks — died in the past decade.
www.themarshallproject.org
February 4, 2026 at 12:56 PM
New York: the state blames last year's strike, but the healthcare issues described here are related to state funding and priorities, and ofc the death increase in state prisons is a national trend.
Massachusetts www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
Surge of suicides in state prisons raises accountability questions
In September, there were two deaths in a week.
www.wgbh.org
February 4, 2026 at 12:44 PM
Massachusetts www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...
New Jersey newjerseymonitor.com/2025/12/18/d...
Death rate in New Jersey prisons has climbed, state watchdog finds • New Jersey Monitor
As NJ's state prison population shrunk, the number of in-custody deaths held steady, meaning the overall death rate rose, a new report found.
newjerseymonitor.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:41 PM
New Jersey newjerseymonitor.com/2025/12/18/d...
Incarceration is now rising again in Texas after declining significantly since 2007, allowing the state to close 12 units in the 2010s. But even in states where incarceration is falling, deaths are rising. www.stlpr.org/show/st-loui...
Missouri’s prison population fell sharply since 2018. But deaths in custody are up 12%
The “mortality” of Missouri prisoners is not a performance standard for the state’s health care contractor, the MDOC director said this month.
www.stlpr.org
February 4, 2026 at 12:39 PM
Incarceration is now rising again in Texas after declining significantly since 2007, allowing the state to close 12 units in the 2010s. But even in states where incarceration is falling, deaths are rising. www.stlpr.org/show/st-loui...
Arguably also related (except TX stopped keeping records so we couldn't 100% tell). Because of very long sentences, many Texas inmates are older, often disabled, and thus particularly susceptible to the heat. TDCJ doesn't start heat mitigation till temps hit 105F. www.kut.org/crime-justic...
Many Texas prisons are regularly topping 90 degrees. The state is about to defend itself in court.
A new comprehensive analysis of state data shows Texas prisons get so hot in summer that temperatures there would routinely violate state standards for other types of lockups. The state will be back i...
www.kut.org
February 4, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Arguably also related (except TX stopped keeping records so we couldn't 100% tell). Because of very long sentences, many Texas inmates are older, often disabled, and thus particularly susceptible to the heat. TDCJ doesn't start heat mitigation till temps hit 105F. www.kut.org/crime-justic...