Former judge and Texas Congressman Ted Poe has published an op-ed in the Texas Tribune urging state lawmakers to leave bail decisions in the hands of elected judges. The congressman calls for better information sharing between magistrates, and warns against dangerous, revolving door release policies that leave victims without justice and criminal defendants without accountability.
“Let the men and women we elect to administer justice decide how best to administer it. Don’t tie their hands by outsourcing that decision to an algorithm. And don’t ask them to make pretrial release decisions blindfolded, without the full picture of a criminal defendant’s background, as is the case currently.
This will get defendants through the process more quickly, ensure those who are truly dangerous aren’t released into our communities arbitrarily and hold individuals who commit crimes accountable for their actions.”