Texas Republican Lawmakers Take Aim At Local Bail Practices This Legislative Session
January 12, 2023
Texas lawmakers aim to amend bail practices in Texas but experts agree the new proposals make it nearly impossible for people to.bond out again if they've even arrested for another offense while out on bail.
Howard Henderson, director of the Center for Justice Research at Texas Southern University, said the push by Republicans like Abbott for bills solely aimed at keeping people in jail is a backlash to efforts to make the system more equitable, as in Harris County.
"Whenever we move back toward rehabilitation, and treating people fair, and making sure that people have alternative sanctions, and prison is not the end-all-be-all, then the conservatives have a tendency to want to pull us back to the far right and become more focused on tough punishments, harsh on crime," Henderson said.