Please release me, let me go

by Nancy Sims
The Associated Press

Newsflash: Our county government is broke. Can you guess what department is most over budget? It is the Sheriff’s Department. This particular department includes the county jail.

The County Commissioners Court faced tough fiscal decisions this year. One of them included ordering the Sheriff to try and get his budget in balance.

What makes the Sheriff’s budget go so far over the allotted amount? Good law enforcement.

Let’s be honest, in Texas we put everyone in jail. We are TOUGH ON CRIME! You should certainly be aware of that when you cross our state line. We execute more people for their criminal actions than any other place in the world.

I’m not saying this isn’t a good thing. It is right to arrest those who break the law.

But what has happened in our jail system is much more complicated. County jails hold those awaiting trial, serving sentences not worthy of the state jail system and those who cannot make bail for minor offenses. You may spend a week in one of our jails if you are arrested for traffic violations and are unable to make bail.

Harris County jail hosts criminals arrested in all jurisdictions throughout the county including Houston, Pasadena, Jersey Village, La Porte and on and on. Our county has about 4 million residents. When you think about it, that’s a lot of criminals, too!

In the U.S. Judicial system, you are considered innocent until proven guilty. However, you are placed in jail once you have been arrested. In order to leave, you are usually required to post bond, even for minor offenses. The problem lies in the fact that many people find it difficult to post bond. Thus, they stay in jail until their trial. Even if they are found to be innocent of the charges, they may have spent more time in jail than necessary. This is one of the causes of overcrowding among our jail population. It is just easier to serve the time than to pay for the bonds required to leave.

We also arrest people for many crimes. Possession of less than an ounce of marijuana or other illegal substances will land you in jail. It is certainly wrong to use illegal drugs as it is, without question, a violation of the law. However, most people found with small amounts of drugs are not a major threat to society. The dealers of those drugs are our major threat. Bottom line – the minor offenders may be convicted and serve time in jail while the accused dealer will make bond and walk free. These minor offenders are being evaluated as potential cost-cutting criminals. Should we let them go to save the budget?

Are there certain people in the county jail that could be released early in order to save on budget and space? Our District Attorney and the Sheriff are currently evaluating the options.

We have a decision to make on crime and law enforcement in our region. If we want to continue to be the toughest state on crime, we will have to agree to pay for more officers, jail staff and cell space. If we want to accept that certain crimes might not require as much time in jail, then we can eliminate costs through early release programs.

Are you willing to pay more?