Yet another Republican policy failure: Texas jails

[RandomGuy]

In Texas, 3 Out of 4 County Jail Inmates Haven’t Been Convicted of a Crime

Pretrial detainees — legally innocent people who have been charged but not convicted of a crime — now occupy more beds in jails than any other group.


https://www.texasobserver.org/in-texas-3-out-of-4-county-jail-inmates-havent-been-convicted-of-a-crime/


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Thankfully, the solution is also a Republican one that Democrats can get behind. This might actually get fixed, but it will require some prodding at the state level.

[Blake]

I haven't read the article but I'm guessing some of those people can't afford bail.

[boutons_deux]

I haven't read the article but I'm guessing some of those people can't afford bail.

Safe guess, cash bail is the police state's predatory, punitive scourge on the poor, nationwide

As USA continues to urbanize, rurals depopulate, the rural tax policy is to fleece any and every one they can catch. And of course shit hole Wild West TX is one of the worst

You can make cash bail? Then you're out and paying private company many $10s / month for monitoring, but you can't pay, so interest piles up and/or back to jail

Tried and acquitted? Tuff shit, lost your job, lost your apt or house, $1000s in debt, will probably never recover

[KenMcCoy]

Poor people like being in jail...

https://www.kcci.com/article/iowa-man-says-he-wanted-three-hots-and-a-cot-so-he-set-fire/22601240

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20160728/police-blotter-homeless-man-celebrates-three-hots-and-cot

[tlongII]

How is this a Republican policy? I'm not that familiar with Texas jails so I honestly would like to know.

[SnakeBoy]

How is this a Republican policy? I'm not that familiar with Texas jails so I honestly would like to know.

cuz Texas

even though the article says it's a nationwide problem

[Chris]

Thread backfire in less than 5 minutes :lol

Even Blake is shitting on it :lol

[Blake]

Thread backfire in less than 5 minutes :lol

Even Blake is shitting on it :lol

No I'm not, dumbass.

[RandomGuy]

How is this a Republican policy? I'm not that familiar with Texas jails so I honestly would like to know.

State government says what?

[Winehole23]

even conservative groups like the TPPF are for bail reform, and, if memory serves, bail reform is in the GOP platform for the upcoming lege:


Because cash bail is agnostic as to an individual’s risk, even those who pose an ongoing threat to the community can still post bond and be out on the streets.https://www.texaspolicy.com/blog/detail/a-better-bail-system-for-texas

[RandomGuy]

even conservative groups like the TPPF are for bail reform, and, if memory serves, bail reform is even in the GOP platform for the upcoming lege:

https://www.texaspolicy.com/blog/detail/a-better-bail-system-for-texas

As noted in the OP.

This is one of those no-brainers. It is a happy story.

[Winehole23]

the cash bail system wasn't instituted by the Texas GOP, but I see what you mean

[RandomGuy]

the cash bail system wasn't instituted by the Texas GOP, but I see what you mean

With great power comes great responsibility. It is the fault of both parties, but Republicans in Texas control everything, and have for years. Further, they fall all over themselves to be "pro-business" even when that business is predatory, and the corruption keeps it that way.

The "blame the poor" for poverty theory that seems to underpin Republican policy thinking engenders a monstrous callousness towards the impoverished, coupled with the outright corruption of lobbying money makes the likelihood that any GOP dominated government fixing it remote, unless you can reframe it in their terms. Thankfully this is one such case.

I have hope that conservative avarice and hatred of government can be harnessed to produce good public policy, for once.

[TeyshaBlue]

So, in other words, your OP is incorrect. Got it

[RandomGuy]

So, in other words, your OP is incorrect. Got it

Nope.

The origins are bipartisan.

The current problem has to be owned by the party that has, for over a decade now, controlled all three branches of the Texas state government.

Not sure where else you would lay blame. Sorry. Plausible deniability doesn't work anymore in a one party state.

[TeyshaBlue]

So it was a bi-partisan failure and the "one party" seems tilted to be correct it. Good to know that we can now ascribe legacy actions to current parties. Echo chamber approves.

[hater]

Yet another failed Randomguy thread: this one

[Chris]

:lol

[RandomGuy]

So it was a bi-partisan failure and the "one party" seems tilted to be correct it. Good to know that we can now ascribe legacy actions to current parties. Echo chamber approves.

(sigh)

How long has the Republican party controlled the state of Texas? (governor + lege)

[Winehole23]

all governors since 1994, majority in the Texas Senate since 1996, majority in the Texas House since 2002

[Winehole23]

Today Republicans hold all statewide offices and enjoy majorities in both houses of the Legislature. The November 2010 elections brought staggering victories to Republicans across Texas.


23 of 32 U.S. Congressional seats
19 of 31 State Senate seats
101 of 150 State House seats
234 New Republican Elected Officials at the County level
Over two dozen Democrat elected officials have switched to the Republican Party since November 2010

https://www.texasgop.org/overview-and-history/

[RandomGuy]

all governors since 1994, majority in the Texas Senate since 1996, majority in the Texas House since 2002

That was what I found.

So the Republicans have controlled the state for about 2 decades, and could, should they so have wished, addressed just about anything.

We got a bathroom bill. Yay.

[Winehole23]

that's hardly the worst thing or the best thing, but I guess that's what stands out for you.

[TeyshaBlue]

Because R

[Winehole23]

cursed or magic or neither, just depending

[boutons_deux]

So the Republicans have controlled the state for about 2 decades, and could, should they so have wished, addressed just about anything.

We got a bathroom bill. Yay.

and we got a bunch more dead poor women

being non-white and poor and pregnant in racist REPUG / Christian TX


Maternal deaths are increasing in Texas, but probably not as much as officials thought

That increase and

“the large and persistent

racial and ethnic disparities,

warrant concerted actions by clinicians and

policy makers,” :lol

https://www.texastribune.org/2018/01/04/maternal-deaths-are-increasing-texas-probably-not-much-officials-thoug/

Repug / Christian Taliban / pro-birther so-called "policy makers" have forced the closure of many TX women's clinics,

greatly reducing poor women's access to perinatal care, contraception, STD / AIDS / cancer testing,

because Jesus hates non-white women.

[boutons_deux]

Proportion of traffic stops at which Texas DPS troopers used force against a driver in 2018: 17.02 per 10,000 stops.*

Proportion of traffic stops at which Austin police officers use force against a driver: 77.2 per 10,000 stops.*

Number of Texans in 2018 who sat out their Class C fines and fees in jail (https://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2019/01/texans-incarcerated-thousands-of-years.html) because they couldn't afford to pay: 524,628.**

Number of Texans for whom judges waived Class-C fines for indigency in 2018: 54,794.**

Percentage of Texans who, according to an Office of Court Administration poll (https://www.tmcec.com/files/9715/3860/4324/THE_BRIEF_Oct_18.pdf), disapprove of jailing people over fines and fees when defendants could not afford to pay: 66%.

Percentage of Texans who believe "the wealthy enjoy substantially better outcomes (http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2018/11/texans-think-justice-system-skewed.html) in the criminal justice than poor and working-class people": 81%.

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2019/03/class-c-misdemeanor-arrests-and.html (http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2019/03/class-c-misdemeanor-arrests-and.html)