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.
Local Government
Will Voters Decide to Leave Austin?
Last year, the Texas Legislature passed a limited disannexation measure, House Bill 3053, that allows people unfairly captured by large cities during a particular time period to hold an election on the question of staying or leaving municipal control. The law was passed after concerns were raised that some cities had accelerated their involuntary annexation...
February 12, 2024