SAN ANTONIO – Governor Greg Abbott has signed into law a sweeping bail reform package aimed at tightening pretrial release rules and keeping violent offenders in jail.
The reforms, which Abbott listed as a legislative emergency item, include three key bills:
- Senate Bill 9: bans personal bonds for certain violent offenders and allows prosecutors to appeal bail decisions
- Senate Bill 40: prohibits state funding for nonprofits that post bail
- House Bill 75: requires magistrate judges to provide written explanations for their bail decisions, increasing transparency in the process
“The idea of transparency regarding bail decisions is always a good thing,” Bexar County 379th District Court Judge Ron Rangel said.
Rangel said he supports most of the changes but emphasized the importance of prosecutors presenting clear evidence when a defendant poses a threat to the community.
“The concept of folks that are a serious threat to society — having the ability for prosecutors to present that type of evidence to keep someone from getting bail — is not necessarily a bad thing,” Rangel said. “So, as long as the DA’s office does their job in providing these sorts of folks to the judges, then the judges can do their role.”
Another component of the reform effort is Senate Joint Resolution 5, a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow judges to deny bail in more types of criminal cases, including murder and aggravated sexual assault. Texas voters will decide whether to approve the measure this November.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said he supports the goal of keeping the public safe, but cautioned that the changes could have consequences for jail overcrowding.
“Yes, we all want to lock away dangerous criminals — no debate on that,” Salazar said. “But also realize that it comes with a price tag attached to it, and we’ve also got to be cognizant of that.”
Most of the new laws are scheduled to take effect Sept. 1.