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Harris County got rid of cash bail for minor crimes. GOP lawmakers want to walk that back.
March 6, 2021
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Recent reforms that let more people accused of minor offenses be released without posting cash bonds appear to be working, new research shows. But Houston area lawmakers want to roll them back.Kathy Willens, STF / Associated Press
Eager to resolve a federal civil rights lawsuit, Texas most populous county over the past two years has stopped requiring most people accused of low-level crimes from putting up cash to get out of jail on bond.
Tens of thousands of people accused of misdemeanors not involving some specific circumstances, like domestic abuse or previous bond violations, have been freed without cost while awaiting trial.
Harris County s bail reforms were put into place after federal courts rejected its largely cash-based system as unconstitutional. Credit: Evan L Roy/The Texas Tribune
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Eager to resolve a federal civil rights lawsuit, Texas most populous county over the past two years has stopped requiring most people accused of low-level crimes from putting up cash to get out of jail on bond.
Tens of thousands of people accused of misdemeanors not involving some specific circumstances, like domestic abuse or previous bond violations, have been freed without cost while awaiting trial.
<figcaption> Harris County's bail reforms were put into place after federal courts rejected its largely cash-based system as unconstitutional. <cite>Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune</cite>
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HPD homicide division to get more investigators, resources as murders spike
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Houston Police chief Art Acevedo talks to reporters on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020, in Houston.Godofredo A. Vásquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer
Faced with a spike in murders, Police Chief Art Acevedo announced Thursday that the department would be committing new resources to its homicide division, including new investigators, additional overtime dollars and other resources.
Putting more pressure on the division, murders are up sharply this year. With about three weeks left in 2020, Houston police officials expect to surpass 400 by year’s end. There were 281 murders in 2019, according to department records.