Pretrial & Defense

Criminal Justice Candidate Forum for Travis County Commissioners Court

Criminal Justice Candidate Forum for Travis County Commissioners Court

This week, local justice advocacy groups will host a virtual candidate forum for the Travis County Commissioners Court election. Participating will be candidates for Precinct 2 Commissioner Bob Libal and Brigid Shea (incumbent), and candidates for Precinct 4 Commissioner Margaret Gómez (incumbent) and Susanna Ledesma-Woody.

How Harris County’s Successful Pretrial Reforms Suffered a Misinformation ‘Pandemic’

How Harris County’s Successful Pretrial Reforms Suffered a Misinformation ‘Pandemic’

In 2019, a federal judge ruled that Harris County’s misdemeanor bond system was unconstitutionally keeping people stuck in jail before trial simply because they couldn’t afford to pay for their freedom. The county revamped its misdemeanor system to create a presumption of release for most low-level cases. In response, reform opponents unleashed a full-fledged attack in the press.

Read the rest of this article from the National Partnership for Pretrial Justice.

State committee tasked with improving Texas’ criminal justice system sits unfunded, unused for over a decade

State committee tasked with improving Texas’ criminal justice system sits unfunded, unused for over a decade

Lawmakers don’t have enough information to manage Texas’ criminal justice system, and they should create a legislative committee to study the system’s most pressing problems and create reports with guidance and improvements — that was the assessment of a state review in 2006. Texas legislators heeded that recommendation. The next year, in 2007, they created the Criminal Justice Legislative Oversight Committee. 

County staffers update commissioners on the jail plan resolution

County staffers update commissioners on the jail plan resolution

Last Tuesday’s Commissioners Court session focused on the future of the women’s jail. The Planning and Budget Office reported on the June 15 resolution, which asked county staff for strategies to reduce the number of incarcerated women and enhance jail services with diversion programs and other reforms.

Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Releases 2021 Bill Analysis Guide

Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Releases 2021 Bill Analysis Guide

Today, the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition (TCJC) released a guide analyzing positive justice legislation that became law during Texas’ 2021 regular session. The majority of bills go into effect on Wednesday, September 1.

Read the rest of this press release here.

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