“Today’s Houston Chronicleinvestigation exposes a harsh reality: while state leaders scapegoat HarrisCounty judges for ‘too lenient’ bail, it’s the for-profit bail bond industrythat truly benefits. According to the Chronicle, bail agents net millions annually,charging 10% of bond amounts with virtually no risk of forfeiture.
Justice and public safetyshouldn’t depend on your bank balance. Our pretrial system must focus on whoposes a real threat—not who can write a check. Yet every time we roll backreform, we line the pockets of bail-bond profiteers at the expense of working-classfamilies, especially in Black and Brown communities.
Under the O’Donnell v.Harris County settlement, we demonstrated that fair, risk-based assessmentskeep communities safe without punishing poverty. Post-reform data from theQuattrone Center shows no uptick in recidivism—and even a 6% drop in new caseswithin 12 months. Meanwhile, the bail-bond industry continues to thrive onoutdated policies that trap low-income Texans in a cycle of debt and detention.
I call on legislators toreject any measures that resurrect a wealth-based bail system. We must build asystem based on safety, not on wealth. Rolling back reform doesn’t make ussafer—it makes us less just.”