Interim Report to the 86th Texas Legislature HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JURISPRUDENCE January 2019 HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JURISPRUDENCE T EXAS H OUSE OF R EPRESENTATIVES INTERIM REPORT 2018 Report & Recommendations for the 86th Texas Legislature Rep. Joe Moody Chair Ellic Sahualla Rachel Wetsel Bray Bergstrom Ellie Fossier Policy Director Committee Clerk Legal Intern Legal Intern C OMMITTEE ON C RIMINAL J URISPRUDENCE T EXAS H OUSE OF R EPRESENTATIVES J OE MOODY TODD HUNTER Chair Vice Chair January 23, 2019 The Honorable Joe Straus Speaker, Texas House of Representatives and Honorable Members of the Texas House of Representatives Texas Capitol, Rm. 2W.13 | Austin, TX 78701 re: Criminal Jurisprudence Interim Report 2018 Dear Mr. Speaker & Members: The House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence for the 85th Texas Legislature is proud to submit this interim report for the 86th Texas Legislature’s consideration. Respectfully, JOE MOODY Chair TODD HUNTER TERRY CANALES V ice-Chair BARBARA GERVIN-HAWKINS COLE HEFNER MIKE LANG TERRY WILSON C LERK: R ACHEL W ETSEL PO B OX: 2910 A USTIN, TX 78768 T ABLE OF C ONTENTS Preface ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Committee & Charges --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Charge 1—Hurricane Harvey ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 Hearing -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Background --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Discussion ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Recommendations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Charge 2—Death Penalty ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9 Hearing -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 Background --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 Discussion --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 Recommendations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 14 Charge 3—Marijuana Enforcement --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 Hearing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 Background -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 Discussion --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 Recommendations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 19 Charge 4—Attorneys & Systemic Issues --------------------------------------------------------------- 20 Hearing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 Background -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 Discussion --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 Recommendations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 24 Charge 5—Sexual Assault --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 Hearing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 Background -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 Discussion --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 27 Recommendations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 30 Charge 6—State Jails --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32 Hearing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32 Background -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 32 Discussion --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33 Recommendations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 36 Charge 7—Pretrial Release & Fees ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 38 Hearing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38 Background -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38 Discussion --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40 Recommendations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 44 Charge 8—Oversight --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47 Hearing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47 Background -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47 Discussion --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 48 Recommendations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 51 Charge *1—Protective Orders ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 54 Hearing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 54 Background -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 57 Discussion --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 59 Recommendations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 63 Charge *2—Safe Storage ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 65 Hearing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 65 Background -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 68 Discussion --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 68 Recommendations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 70 Letters from Members ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 72 Endnotes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 75 3 5()$&( This is a report by and for people who care about criminal justice. Of course, that should include everyone—justice has been a core component of virtually every moral, religious, and political credo since the dawn of civilization. Our current justice system is both a reflection of who we are and a promise about who we want to be. And if abstract ideals don’t interest you, then we’re talking about public safety and an astronomical amount of taxpayer money. So, whatever the reason, it’s worth getting right. That’s why our approach in this report favors pragmatic, nonpartisan, evidence-based policies. The interim work of the committee was built on its efforts during the 85th Legislative Session, so we’d like to acknowledge the contributions of session-only committee staff members Emily Bresnahan and Julia Connor, whose work was invaluable. We also appreciate the attention and feedback of the dedicated men and women who’ve staffed each member of the committee during both session and the interim; we couldn’t have tackled these topics without them. The support structure undergirding the committee and the House itself is also ever-amazing, especially House Committee Coordinator Stacey Nicchio and her office, the too-often-unsung heroes at the Texas Legislative Council, and Speaker Straus’s policy team (including Shelton Green, who provided fantastic feedback for our committee before his recent move to the Legislative Budget Board). Lastly, the entire committee extends its sincerest gratitude to the numerous agencies, experts, and (especially) members of the public who shared information and insights with us throughout the interim. (Oh, by way of warning, the citations in this report will generally follow the Greenbook and the Bluebook—this is a criminal law committee, so apologies to non-attorney readers.) &ULP-XU,QWHULP & 200,77(( & +$5*(6 House Speaker Joe Straus appointed the following members to the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence for the 85th Legislative Session: Joe Moody—Chair Todd Hunter—Vice Chair Terry Canales Barbara Gervin-Hawkins Cole Hefner Mike Lang Terry Wilson1 The House Rules gave the committee the following organization