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Harris jail crowding forces stop to arresting traffic violators

Here's an example illustrating why I opposed Harris County's most recent jail building plan. They're using the jail to incarcerate low-level offenders who aren't a threat to anyone, and as long as jail capacity is available, officials won't change the policies that cause jail overcrowding. Without that extra capacity, however, policy change must occur first. Toward the end of last week the rubber finally met the road, reported the Houston Chronicle ("County jail woes spur HPD to alter arrest policy," April 18), when:The Houston Police Department stopped arresting people for minor traffic violations late Thursday, hours after Sheriff Adrian Garcia told the city to slow down the flow of arrestees into the county's booking center. ?The impact is limited mainly to traffic violations...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on April 19, 2010 (boomark / email).