Tickets instead of Jail for Nonviolent Offenses?

A new Texas state law allows police officers to write tickets for certain minor crimes rather than taking offenders to jail. Some jurisdictions are already taking advantage of the new law, and it appears that Dallas may be next.

“Our patrol officers want this. They see it as a valuable tool that will allow them to stay on their beat more,” said Assistant Chief Ron Waldrop.

Implementing the Program

Law enforcement officials are working on a program that would enable the local court system to handle citations written under the new law, but they don’t know how long it will take to fully implement the program. 

The program is expected to improve officer response times to more serious crimes since officers will be spending less time booking offenders on nonviolent criminal violations. Last year, approximately 3,400 arrests were made for minor offenses.

Additionally, officials at Dallas County Jail are hoping the program will ease its overcrowding problem and save the county money on housing inmates. According to jail officials, housing an inmate costs the county about $41 a day.

(Source: The Dallas Morning News)

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