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Texans are again calling for bail reform after Crime Stoppers of Houston revealed that tens of thousands of PR bonds were issued to suspected felons by unelected magistrates right here in Harris County.
According to Crime Stoppers, nearly 29,000 of these Personal Recognizance Bonds have been issued by magistrates who have virtually zero oversight and aren't accountable to the voters that they're putting in harm's way.
Crime victim advocate April Aguirre spoke to KTRH about this, saying, "When they do make a mistake that costs somebody else their life, who do we hold accountable? A lot of times their names aren't even in the court filing."
She also pointed out one of the biggest concerns surrounding PR bonds: as the name suggests, they're based solely on personal recognizance, meaning the suspect doesn't have to pay any money to secure their release.
Aguirre blasted the practice of issuing PR bonds, saying, "What I like to call it is a 'Get Out Of Jail Free Card.' Why would we trust them, with no monetary imposition, to follow the law and show up for court?"
She went on to say we need major reform of not just the bail system in Texas but also in how magistrates are appointed. She suggests having the magistrates directly appointed and overseen by a judge, so that, "We can go back and say, 'Oh well, judge X, Y, and Z appointed magistrates A, B, C, and D. And A, B, C, and D are not doing their job.' Therefore it reflects poorly on that judge during his next election cycle."
