Every year, there are about one million bookings into Texas jails. Texas counties face significant expenses associated with pretrial detainees, who account for 60% of county jail inmates. Additionally, for any offense that carries the potential of jail time, such as possession of the smallest amounts of marijuana, counties are constitutionally required to bear the cost of providing counsel for indigent defendants.
Criminal Justice
Texas sets the standard in the fight against human trafficking
Originally published in the Dallas Morning News. New legislation stiffens penalties and provides for victims. A recent police effort underscored a disturbing but resolvable truth: Human trafficking doesn’t just happen in faraway places — it happens in our own backyard, and, too often, it targets our children. Through a coordinated effort by the U.S. Marshals...
October 30, 2025