Our Texas bail system is broken. Too many Texans are falling victim to violent criminals who should be behind bars and off our streets.
Currently, our Texas constitution won’t allow it. Our judges cannot deny bail in most cases.
That means, if you have the money, you can get out of jail- commit another violent crime- and then get out of jail again- as many times as you can afford. If you don’t have the money, you’re stuck- even if you’re accused of a non-violent crime.
Opponents will say this threatens the presumption of innocence. But that’s not true: The U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that not every citizen has a right to bail if public safety is at risk. And many states deny bail pretrial to the most dangerous offenders- putting safety first.
This amendment has bipartisan support, and a new poll shows 81% of Texas voters – Republicans and Democrats- support it.
Texas deserves a bail system based on risk, not riches.
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Andy Kahan from Houston Crimestoppers sits down with ROC’s Texas Director and Chief of Staff, Nikki Pressley, for an in-depth conversation about fixing Texas’ broken bail system and how a constitutional amendment allowing judges the discretion to deny bail for the most dangerous repeat offenders would improve public safety.
Brian Phillips and guest co-host Ariana Guajardo tackle the heated debate on bail reform with Nikki Pressley from Right On Crime, exploring why Texas’ Constitution ties judges’ hands and what Governor Abbott’s push for reform means for public safety.
Our Texas bail system is broken. Under the Texas Constitution, our judges cannot deny bail in most cases. That’s why Texas lawmakers proposed a constitutional amendment to deny bail to the most violent offenders. This amendment has bipartisan support, and a new poll shows 81% of Texas voters – Republicans and Democrats – support it.
New polling shows agreement among Texans across the political spectrum: 81% of voters—Republicans and Democrats alike—support a constitutional amendment that would give judges the ability to deny bail in high-risk cases.
Nikki Pressley, ROC Chief of Staff and Texas Director, testified to Texas lawmakers in support of a constitutional amendment and bail based on risk – not riches
