The Left

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A sheriff's Deputy in Harris County , Texas, responded to a fire in a chemical plant

Democrats Beto O'rourke lost his Senate bid in 2018, but his failed campaign led to a General overhaul of the Criminal Justice System in Texas, the largest city writes The Marshall project, Keri Blakinger.

The candidacy of O'rourke, a young and charismatic Congressman, attracted Democratic voters in this Deep Red state and swing, a slow-building blue wave in Harris County , where Houston sits.

The new packs victorious Houston-area Democrats -including 59 judges and the circle of the top executive, and the hot-button issue of bail reform and the debate about How To ensure that poorer people are represented by lawyers in Criminal Court .

Some of the new judges recently, many years of courtroom culture have changed by the completion of the fixation of juvenile suspect and fining prosecutors to show restraint.

Conservative Republicans, law enforcement officials, and the bail bonds industry, according to condemned, but the Changes are not able to undo.

The change in Harris County is part of a broader engagement with the Criminal Justice System in the United States.

Long-time advocate against mass incarceration of celebrities like Kim Kardashian , the so-called "progressive prosecutors" join is gaining steam, as you roll, to punish new approaches, executions are declining and the two Federal States and the Federal government rolls back to tough drug sentences.

The County under the supervision of a Democrat Rodney Ellis is leading more people than in any U.S. state except for Texas

"For a very long time in Texas the death penalty capital," says Rodney Ellis , a longtime Democratic politician, who is Now Commissioner runs on the five-person board of The County . "Harris County was the epicenter, and it legendary were press stories about sleeping lawyers representing people on death row. "

Since the US brought back the death penalty in the 1970s, which sent The County has 129 women and men, the death chamber, More Than the whole state, except the rest of Texas.

fifteen years ago, almost a quarter of new prisoners in The State System came from Harris County . The Number of cards in the meantime, the half and only one in eight new prison.

at The same time, The State and county demographics have shifted. Texas is Now one of the few majority-minority States in The Nation - which means that More Than half of The State 's population from minority groups.

Cash bonds are sold directly across The Street from a district court in Texas by A Texas sheriff's Deputy, a campus of the University guards during a political event in 2007,

, both In the Houston area and Texas as a whole, growth in the Latino population that tends to vote for more democracy - has the growth in the white population.

in the Midst of these Changes , but "in front of Beto," Kim Ogg, her 2016, the offer of the Harris County 's top Prosecutor won. You made some progressive moves, such as limiting marijuana arrests and send fewer people to prison. But The Local courts were still largely controlled by Republicans, many of whom, in contrast to compromise cash Deposit requirements.

This became an important theme in the 2018 race, as The County rank with a class-action lawsuit originally filed in the name of a young mother, had held in prison for driving without a license and could not cancel it afford in the amount of $2,500(£2,000). The lawsuit argued that The County was the reliance on cash bail unconstitutional because it amounted to a "wealth-based detention scheme", where rich people could pay for their release, while Poor People would have to stay in prison.

The County and the 16 judges for petty crimes name as a defendant against whom an action in the Federal Court .

What is a cash Deposit?

happened Then in the year 2018, Beto and his momentum wore down the vote. As a result, Democrats on the judicial benches swept and won control of The County government.

in The Past year, The District and the new petty crimes, the judge agreed to a settlement that largely eliminates cash Deposit for low-level arrests.

Judge Franklin Bynum describes himself as a "socialist,"

"When I ran for office, I was really to be executed, the defendant in the suit," said Judge Franklin Bynum, a self-socialist described is who is the court supervised a violation of the law. To argue, "instead of the suit and the expenditure of all the money and hiring all these experts say there is no Problem , that we suddenly all that there is a Problem . "

is Now released of those arrested in about 85% of the petty crimes automatically, without having to pay, and The County is beginning, with the other bail-lawsuit focuses on felony cases.

Under the new judge in The County , the juvenile courts, The Number of Houston-area children in youth prisons decreased dramatically, from 149 in The First 10 months of 2018 to 54 in The First 10 months of the year 2019.

at The same time, there was a sharp increase in The Number of criminal cases thrown out of court, as a judge and judge new cases to investigate are more frequent, determining there is enough "probable cause" evidence to move forward. In the year 2019, More Than 3200 cases, due to a lack of probable cause, a More Than 70%, More Than four years previously, were dismissed.

Police trade unionist, Joe Gamaldi gets some bail reforms "essential", but criticised other Changes

Some of the Changes , including The Local bail practices - have already been criticism from The Police Union, whose outspoken leader, has sparred with the new judge and Prosecutor in The Past .

"There were parts of the bail reform, which were necessary to have," said Joe Gamaldi, the Houston Police union President. "But you're so in love with, 'Hey, we can do it!', that you don't stop to think if they should. "

the Changes Are in the Houston Criminal Justice System -stick? You could snow ball into more reforms?

the answers could come later this year, if the Prosecutor is up for re-election. She is currently faced with a Challenger from The Right , the rollers back to the things - and from The Left , pushing for more change.

This article was published in partnership with The Marshall project, a nonprofit news organization, which the U.S. Criminal Justice System .

united states, texas, capital punishment, criminal justice system

Source of news: bbc.com