Category: Bail System
Texas’ controversial cash bail system has been undermined by a series of recent court rulings. This month, Galveston was ordered to change its rules when a federal judge said defense lawyers should be at bail hearings for poor defendants. A federal district judge issued a temporary injunction in the latest phase of a 2018 lawsuit….
Harris County, the most populous place in Texas, has bowed to pressure to reform its bail practices and settle a federal lawsuit. County officials agreed with the move in late July, in a case Commissioner Rodney Ellis said was “as big as Brown v. Board of Education,” the Texas Tribune reported. Harris County has been…
Bail reform in Texas has been widely discussed after federal judges branded the system in Dallas and Houston unconstitutionally. The Texas House passed a reform bill to address the problem this month. The legislation would improve training for people who make bail decisions. Critics say it doesn’t go far enough. The Texas House approved a…