August 2007 in the News
Those With Pot May Avoid Jail; 8/23/2007
STAR-TELEGRAM: If a police officer in Texas catches you with a few ounces of marijuana you're going to jail, right? Maybe not. Beginning Sept. 1, police officers will have the discretion to issue citations similar to traffic tickets rather than hauling the offender to jail. House Bill 2391, which passed with virtually no opposition during the 2007 legislative session and was signed into law without fanfare by Gov. Rick Perry, does not change the penalty for pot possession. But supporters say the discretion may only be used when the person is in possession of four ounces of marijuana or less and lives in the county where the stop was made, and only when the suspect is not considered a threat to public safety.
Targeting Human and Other Costs of Recidivism; 8/18/2007
Texas Democrats and Republicans found common ground on one significant issue during the last legislative session: how to improve the state's criminal justice system. Enough of them agreed that the state can't continue walking the path it's been on, especially when it's facing the possibility of building eight prisons at a cost of $250 million by 2011. Lawmakers ended up passing legislation this session to ease overcrowding, reduce probation for nonviolent/nonsexual offenders and fund rehabilitation programs for substance abusers. Criminal justice reform advocates are praising the reforms, even though they believe much more needs to be done. "These are 'smart on crime' policies – not 'tough on crime' policies – that will result in change," said Ana Correa, executive director of the Criminal Justice Coalition. "The current system is tearing families apart."