Bexar County (San Antonio) is the state’s fourth-largest driver of people into state prison and home of the state’s third-largest county jail population. Furthermore, youth of color are disproportionately impacted by the school-to-prison pipeline in San Antonio.
During 2017 and 2018, TCJE began working alongside advocates in San Antonio, informally lending our policy expertise and continuing our efforts to bridge organizing and statewide policy change, specifically as it relates to safe reductions in justice system involvement and elimination of the associated racial disparities.
In early 2020, TCJE formally expanded our office to San Antonio, hiring Justin Martinez as our Bexar County Justice Project Advocate. Justin has participated in coalitions and has advocated for change in the local justice system, addressing issues like bail reform, policing, alternatives to incarceration, youth justice, and more.