COVID-19 and the Ongoing Battle Over Bail Reform

TEXAS -- The state's growing movement for bail reform has taken center stage during the coronavirus pandemic. Last month, the Texas Supreme Court sided with Gov. Greg Abbott after a judge halted his order restricting jail release.

 

What You Need To Know:

• Governor's order restricts release of inmates accused or convicted of violent crimes without bail
• Advocates claim order favors those inmates who can pay
• Attorney says middle ground to be found in governor's order

Abbott put the order in place in March to get ahead of judges who were weighing a wide release of inmates to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The order prohibits judges from releasing jail inmates accused or previously convicted of violent crimes without paying bail.

Bail reform advocates argue the governor's order favors those who can afford to post bail and makes release all but impossible for defendants who can't.

 

But Ken W. Good, an attorney on the board of the Professional Bondsmen of Texas, says the governor’s order is actually trying to find a middle ground. In an interview with Capital Tonight, Good said: “If you just release everybody without any supervision that is a recipe for disaster.”

 

Watch the full interview with Ken W. Good above.

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