HOUSTON — Fewer people are being arrested in Harris County for misdemeanors and cases are being resolved faster, according to an independent monitor overseeing the county’s bail system.
The monitor was appointed after a 2019 settlement from a federal lawsuit, O’Donnell v. Harris County. Plaintiffs claimed keeping misdemeanor defendants in jail simply because they couldn’t pay cash bail was unconstitutional.
On Thursday afternoon, that panel held a public meeting sharing findings from its latest report and taking questions.
Monitor Brandon Garrett, a Duke law professor, said misdemeanor arrests have dropped from about 50,000 a year before the settlement to around 41,000 currently.
Panel officials said those defendants are spending much less time in jail with far more cases being dismissed, saving taxpayers money.
Garrett also said no-shows at first court appearances have dropped by 35% thanks to electronic notification.
“It certainly helps me when I get a notification about a prescription that I need to refill or a dentist appointment,” Garrett said. “It’s important for court too to be able to easily tell when you’re supposed to be there and when you’re not.”
Garrett said since the pandemic, there’s been a “remarkable” decrease in the court backlog.
He says the number of misdemeanor cases disposed of within a year has risen from around 45% in 2020 to nearly 70% currently.
The monitor will oversee Harris County’s bail practices for another three years.