Tag Archives: jails

An overview on bail reform

Posted on March 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From Mother Jones, a look at how bail reform is progressing in Harris County. I’m going to focus on the part about the second bail-related lawsuit, which covers felony arrests. A federal judge in Harris County is currently considering a … Continue reading →

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A lawsuit against bail reform

Posted on February 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That would be a No from me. A Harris County judge has sided with lawyers for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and a slate of new Democratic judges vying to loosen misdemeanor bail rules this weekend, rather than grant a … Continue reading →

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Commissioners Court rejects Ogg’s request for more prosecutors

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I fully expected that Commissioners Court going from 4-1 Republican to 3-2 Democratic after the last election would signal big changes in how business was done in Harris County, but I didn’t expect this to be the first milestone on … Continue reading →

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How many prosecutors do we need?

Posted on February 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Opinions differ, but it’s a big question in Harris County right now. Hanover is one of many prosecutors Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said are overburdened — the reason she has asked Commissioners Court for a budget that would … Continue reading →

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Trying again for bail reform at the Lege

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A very worthwhile pursuit. State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, and state Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, announced Monday at the Capitol that they have again filed legislation that would implement a risk-assessment tool for judges to use when making bail decisions, … Continue reading →

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Bail reform settlement looks to be a go

Posted on February 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent news. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Lee H. Rosenthal on Friday offered initial support for new bail rules proposed by Harris County, signaling the three-year lawsuit challenging the county’s cash bond system soon may reach its conclusion. The settlement … Continue reading →

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Joint processing center opens

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This was a long time coming, but it should be worth the wait. More than a decade after city voters approved a bond measure to fund it, Houston and Harris County opened a joint inmate processing center Thursday that officials … Continue reading →

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Bail lawsuit 2.0

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This one will be tougher to tackle, but the principle remains the same. A hard-fought battle to reform Harris County’s bail system has prompted a second civil rights action. The legal team that successfully challenged the county’s bail practices for … Continue reading →

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We really are about to do away with the old cash bail system

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. The new slate of Democratic judges has approved a drastic revision to Harris County’s bail system that could serve as a model for a settlement in the historic lawsuit in which a … Continue reading →

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Appeal of bail injunction dropped

Posted on January 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Elections have consequences, and thank goodness for it. Less than a week after the new jurists were sworn into office, Harris County’s misdemeanor judges on Monday withdrew their appeal in the landmark lawsuit over local bail practices that a federal … Continue reading →

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Dallas County gets the Harris County treatment in its bail lawsuit

Posted on September 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We have a precedent, even if everything is still a work in progress. Taking a cue from the rulings on Harris County’s bail-setting practices, a U.S. district judge in Dallas issued a temporary order Thursday evening saying the county’s post-arrest … Continue reading →

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You know, there is a cheaper way to do this

Posted on September 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Why are we still outsourcing inmates? County commissioners next week will consider a proposal to outsource inmates to the Fort Bend County Jail, which would allow Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez to slow — but not stop — the flow … Continue reading →

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The city has its own bail lawsuit

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not going well. Houston city officials intentionally destroyed evidence, wiping crucial data from the computer drives of top police commanders that is potentially relevant to a lawsuit about the detention of suspects beyond the 48-hour deadline for a magistrate … Continue reading →

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Bail practices lawsuit hearing

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We so need to be done with this. More than a dozen Harris County misdemeanor judges contend that public safety would be imperiled if they followed an “untenable” new pretrial release order by a Houston federal judge who has found … Continue reading →

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Revised final bail order

Posted on July 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We go from here. The federal judge in a landmark bail lawsuit against Harris County set new ground rules for law enforcement and judges about pretrial release for thousands of low-income people arrested on low-level offenses in a revised injunction … Continue reading →

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Once more with the bail order for Harris County

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Getting close to the end. The federal judge presiding over the landmark bail lawsuit against Harris County said she planned to issue revised instructions within two weeks for how pretrial release should operate for thousands of poor people arrested on … Continue reading →

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Final instructions in bail practices lawsuit

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We may finally be nearing a conclusion in this matter. A year after a landmark ruling that upended Harris County’s bail system, a federal appeals court Friday issued final instructions for a Houston judge to craft a revised plan for … Continue reading →

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Reducing solitary confinement

Posted on May 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is good. Almost five years after images surfaced of a mentally ill inmate wallowing in a cell full of human waste and bugs, the Harris County jail has cut in half its use of solitary confinement. The decrease is … Continue reading →

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ACLU sues Galveston County over bail practices

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The ACLU of Texas, the ACLU and Arnold & Porter filed a federal class-action lawsuit today against Galveston County, Texas, for violating the constitutional rights of people arrested for misdemeanors and felonies. The lawsuit was brought against … Continue reading →

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Misdemeanor diversion

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Sounds good to me. Houston’s non-violent misdemeanor offenders will soon be cleaning up trash and invasive plant species plants along Buffalo Bayou in an initiative to help offenders clear up their criminal record, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced … Continue reading →

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ACLU goes after Judge McSpadden

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

As well they should. The ACLU of Texas is asking Harris County’s longest serving felony court judge to resign after making a statement to the Houston Chronicle on his views about black men’s attitudes toward the criminal justice system. The … Continue reading →

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More judges caught up in the bail scandal

Posted on February 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

More judges to vote out. For more than a decade, most of Harris County’s felony court judges directed magistrates to deny no-cash bail to all newly arrested defendants, in apparent violation of state judicial conduct rules, according to internal documents … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit largely upholds bail practices ruling

Posted on February 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The 26-page opinion by Judge Edith Brown Clement affirms the majority of Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal’s landmark ruling, including her finding that the county’s bail policies violated the due process and equal protection clauses of the … Continue reading →

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The next frontier in criminal justice reform

Posted on February 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We need to lock up fewer kids for bad reasons. Hundreds of juveniles are jailed in Harris County often for weeks at a time for infractions as minor as failing drugs tests, violating curfews, running away or failing to attend … Continue reading →

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One more judge for bail reform

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Once again, credit where credit is due. A long-serving Harris County Republican judge has broken with 14 Republican colleagues, withdrawing from the county’s appeal in a landmark federal lawsuit challenging its bail system for discriminating against poor, low-level offenders. Criminal … Continue reading →

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Project Orange

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good thing. This past Friday, January 12th, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez held a press conference along with Houston Justice representative Charnelle Thompson and Harris County Tax Office Communication and Media Relations Director Tracy Baskin, to announce … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over Dallas County bail practices

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it on, I say. On the heels of a federal ruling slamming Harris County for its bail practices, civil rights lawyers have now set their sights on a county with a similar system: Dallas. Six indigent misdemeanor and felony … Continue reading →

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More pre-trial diversion

Posted on October 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

DA Kim Ogg moves forward on more campaign promises. During a press conference Tuesday, Ogg laid out in broad strokes the policy recommendations written by the committees and emphasized that she is seeking participation from experts and Houston’s leaders. “We … Continue reading →

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More on the courthouse shuffle

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib takes a look at how things are going at the flooded-out Harris County Criminal Justice Center. Since Harvey hit Harris County in late August, one of the busiest criminal court systems in the country has suspended all jury … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit hears bail lawsuit arguments

Posted on October 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Big day in court. Amid a stream of pointed questions from the bench, lawyers for Harris County Tuesday asked panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to toss a lower court ruling that the county’s criminal justice system … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit sets bail hearing

Posted on August 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mark your calendars. Harris County will have another chance to defend its embattled cash bail system this fall in a lawsuit brought by indigent defendants who languished in jail for days because they couldn’t afford money bail. The Fifth U.S. … Continue reading →

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The Observer talks to Kim Ogg

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A good read: You decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Jeff Sessions has signaled that he seeks to ramp up the war on drugs. What power does the federal government hold over your policy decisions? I enjoy total … Continue reading →

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New county risk assessment system coming

Posted on July 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve been waiting. Harris County officials on Tuesday touted their revamped strategy for deciding whether tens-of-thousands of individuals should be jailed before their criminal trials, a process that critics and a federal judge say disproportionately affects the poor who are … Continue reading →

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Still a few bugs in the system

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A continuing story. While Harris County officials are complaining that a federal judge’s bail order threatens public safety, the county has failed to provide more than 100 low-level defendants with pretrial services aimed at ensuring they make their court dates. … Continue reading →

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