Bail Reform

The Revolving Door at the Courthouse and Rising Crime Rates

According to the Wall Street Journal, Houston has one of the highest overall crime rates of any U.S. city. Houston’s overall crime rate is 92% higher than the overall crime rate in Texas. Property crime is much higher in Houston than it is nationwide. Burglary and auto theft are prime examples of the skyrocketing crime rates in Houston. Both rates are more than double compared to national rates. Violent crime is no exception considering our rates are well above the national average. For example, at 1.072 offenses for every 100,000 people, the violent crime rate in Houston is well above the national violent crime rate of 379 offenses per 100,000 people.

Cities all over the country are reporting a spike in violent crimes and homicides since COVID-19. The Wall Street Journal recently ranked America’s 50 most dangerous cities. Not surprisingly, Houston was ranked 21st. Dallas on the other hand was ranked 42nd. Chicago which is generally perceived as one of our nations most violent cities came in 33rd. This disturbing trend halts the decrease in violent crime for the past several years. Certainly COVID-19 has played a role but other factors including the revolving door at the Courthouse are also contributing to the rapidly rising crime rates in Houston.

My research indicates 81 people have been killed/murdered in Harris County in less than 2 years with at least 50 victims in 2020 as a direct result of well intentioned, but poorly implemented bail bond reforms. Last week a defendant was charged with another murder after he had been released on an unprecedented low bond for first degree murder: $25,000. The week before another defendant who had been granted multiple felony bonds, failed to report to Harris County Pre-Trial Services and violated his electronic monitoring conditions on a daily basis for over two weeks now stands accused of the murder of his ex-girlfriend. These are just a few examples of what I have been seeing on a routine basis. The ramifications of criminal justice and felony bond reform are indeed a major factor regarding the increasing crime rates in Harris County.

Crime Stoppers wants to make it perfectly clear: We support Misdemeanor Bond Reform. What we don’t support is when public safety is placed at a higher risk when career habitual offenders are continuously released back to the community only to reoffend time after time again. We support the efforts of Senator’s John Whitmire and Paul Bettencourt this upcoming legislative session regarding the issues of multiple felony bonds and establishing a statewide standardized system that sets bail upon risk to the community. These changes will result in significant improvements to the pretrial release system in Texas by ensuring equitable treatment of individuals accused of crimes and reducing the likelihood of violent repeat offenders being released back to the community.

Sadly, Houston ranks fourth in the country in homicide rates. We have ballooned from 258 documented homicides in 2018 to over 400 at the end of 2020. Houston had thirty-one murders in a two- week period from November 21 – December 4th: That’s over 2 a day. Let’s not forget the Bloody Monday of November 9th in which there were seven homicides. Houston’s murder rates are the highest it has been in at least 15 years.  Keep in mind the above numbers are strictly for Houston. When you include the homicide numbers for Harris County, we are roughly around the 500 mark.

Crime Stoppers believes all of us who live and work in Harris County should be on the same page on behalf of public safety. Increasing crime rates detrimentally affect all of us. Improving public safety has to and must be a non-partisan issue.

As the leading public safety organization bridging the gap between citizens and law enforcement for forty years, we look forward to having a critical public safety conversation as all of us seek to enhance public safety through positive reform.

Regards,

Andy Kahan, Director of Victim Services & Advocacy

Press Release: Standing for Victims, Crime Stoppers CEO Rania Mankarious Supports Director of Victim Services Andy Kahan and the Community Amidst Concerning Commissioner’s Court Session

HOUSTON (November 10, 2020) – For more than 40 years now, Crime Stoppers of Houston has worked tirelessly to solve crime in our community and advocate for the many victims who have been impacted by crime in our area. In late 2019, Crime Stoppers’ Director of Victim Services, Andy Kahan, noticed a concerning pattern with defendants charged with murder: many of them had been released on multiple felony bonds, bond forfeiture and/or a personal bond. He began studying the issue and in mid-March of this year began tracking the issue based on data from court records.

In each case Andy tracks, the victims were killed by a Harris County suspect who:

• was a defendant who had been released on multiple felony bonds; or
• had a bond forfeiture reinstated; or
• had a motion to revoke bond denied; and/or
• was released on a PR Bond.

On Tuesday, October 27, 2020, Andy Kahan appeared before Commissioner’s Court with the intention of sharing this critical data and offering support. We thought the information would be relevant to maintaining public safety while navigating critical changes to felony bail reform. Andy was invited as a guest and in doing so, represented himself, Crime Stoppers of Houston, and the countless victims impacted by crime in Harris County.

The data presented by Andy was just that – untainted data from court records. More importantly, Andy had information regarding the over 60 victims who lost their lives (three of which were pregnant) as a direct result of county’s push to continually release defendants, including many violent defendants, under the notion that bail holds them unfairly.

Andy presented his findings on the Zoom session but was then muted leaving him with no opportunity to reply. He was labeled an “interested party” with an “axe to grind” who was only sharing data to engage in “fear mongering.”

“As the largest public safety nonprofit in our city, we were extremely disappointed with how Andy and Crime Stoppers were treated. Common sense indicates that public safety is at a higher risk when career habitual offenders are continuously released back into the community; our community members see this and they are talking about it. By muting Andy and maligning his intentions, our organization’s efforts were dismissed, the voices of the many victim families Andy was there to represent were muted, and the rising concerns stemming from the very large community we serve were disregarded.” said Crime Stoppers of Houston CEO Rania Mankarious.

Crime Stoppers CEO sent Commissioner’s Court a letter in response to the October 27th meeting. To view the letter, click here.

Crime is up, with some residents saying it has never been as bad as it now. The increasing crime rates detrimentally affect all of us. Andy and Crime Stoppers will continue to work around the clock on this public safety issue and take proactive measures to make our community safer.

Today, we are releasing Andy’s report that outlines the over 60 men, women and children who have been killed by suspects released on a variety of bonds, including felony and personal bond(s) from Harris County. View report here. This report includes victim names and photographs, as well as the location of where they were murdered by Precinct.

Crime Stoppers will continue to aggressively work with partners and citizens, law enforcement and victim families, media and colleagues, to ensure the utter most safety of everyone who calls Harris County home. We encourage the community to get involved and follow the work of Andy @akahancrimesto1 and Crime Stoppers @CrimeStopHOU.

To learn more about Crime Stoppers of Houston, including their Victim Services and Advocacy Program, visit crime-stoppers.org.

Crime Stoppers’ Victim Advocacy Program

My mantra has always been crime victims are the only unwilling participants in the criminal justice system. Everyone else chooses their roles: from law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, parole, probation and most of all the defendants. From my perspective, the very least government can do is to ensure victims rights are protected and that rebuilding their lives is on equal footing as the rights of the perpetrator. Defendants rights and rightfully so are protected and codified in the United States Constitution. Victims rights to date remain a mere courtesy with little teeth to ensure enforcement and practically no ramifications if victims are not apprised of their rights. Hence the crux of the problem.

In June 2018, Crime Stoppers of Houston became the first of its kind nationally to enact a victim services and advocacy program. One of our main objectives is to ensure victims and survivors have a voice in our criminal justice system. I routinely meet with victims and their families to discuss how Crime Stoppers can help bring attention to their case, attend trials and court proceedings and how to empower them to rebuild their lives. In plain words, I am going to do whatever it takes to make our justice system work on behalf of victims of crime.

One of the unique services our program offers that no one else does is to regularly meet with the parole board along with victims to assist in requesting the offender remain in prison. In addition, our organization conducts numerous victim related events throughout the year, including an event for National Day of Remembrance and our Annual Holiday Memorial Tree Ceremony to bring attention to the issues surviving family members of homicide have to endure. Due to COVID-19, I am hoping to reschedule our National Day of Remembrance event to sometime in November 2020. Our organization also coordinates other events for Domestic Violence and Missing Persons.

      

In Harris County we are fortunate to have over 25 different victim service related organizations to help combat and assist victims of child abuse, human trafficking, domestic violence, drunk driving, missing persons, sexual assault and homicide victims. Crime Stoppers is proud and honored to partner with all the agencies that assist victims of crime. Crime Stoppers hosts a quarterly meeting of law enforcement victim advocates to ensure everyone is on top of the issues currently facing crime victims.

At Crime Stoppers, we believe that instead of yelling and screaming about the injustices in our criminal justice it is more prudent to seek solutions and remedies via legislation to enhance public safety and victims’ rights. In the last Legislative session, I pursued a statute that became the first of its kind in the country titled ‘The Sir Romeo Law’. The new law enacted in September 2019; allows families whose children were the victims of attempted murder to apply for relocation expenses from the State’s Crime Victims Compensation Fund administered by the Texas Attorney General’s Office. I named the new law after 4-year-old Sir Romeo Milan who was the victim of random gun violence while watching TV with his Grandmother.

This upcoming Legislative session I will be seeking the following Bills to be enacted into law:

• Enhanced penalties for ‘Celebratory Gunfire’ offenders
• Criminal charges for offenders/defendants who knowingly tamper/remove/destroy their ankle monitor
• Allow the Parole Board discretion on all cases upon denying parole not to review again from 1-5 years. For example, if there is not a deadly weapon finding on the judgement by statute the parole board must review offenders annually when parole eligible.

I would be remiss not to discuss one of the most pressing issues plaguing Harris County: The ramifications of Felony Bond Reform. While Crime Stoppers supports Misdemeanor Bond Reform, we don’t support continually allowing career habitual offenders to repeatedly being granted bonds on multiple felony charges, including murder. To date, at least 61 people have been killed by defendants released on multiple felony bonds, bond forfeiture and or PR (Personal Recognizance) Bonds in Harris County since 2018. Nine of the 61 victims are a result of domestic violence. It is imperative we address this issue next legislative session to curtail what I call the ‘Bond Pandemic’

As the Director of Victim Services and Advocacy for Crime Stoppers of Houston, I firmly believe in the following adage: I can’t go back and change what happened to you and your family, but by advocating on your behalf to make positive changes in our criminal justice system to enhance victims’ rights you will leave lasting legacy.

Remember, what we do in life echoes in eternity and I fully embrace that mantra day in and day out. I am truly blessed and honored to be able to work on your behalf as a Victim Advocate and I am enormously grateful for the opportunity Crime Stoppers has bestowed upon me.

– Andy Kahan, Crime Stoppers Director of Victim Services

Press Release: Crime Stoppers of Houston Urges Harris County Delegation to Take Action this Upcoming Legislative Session on the Issue of Bond Reform to Protect Victims and the Community

HOUSTON (August 20, 2020) – Over 50 people have been killed in Harris County over the last two years as a result of well intentioned, but poorly implemented bail bond reforms. Ashton Broussard had four prior felony convictions and was granted two PR bonds in the days leading up to an altercation where he is alleged to have taken a gun from a security officer before being shot by a Houston PD Sergeant. Cedgadrick Harris was released on a PR bond after allegedly assaulting Kimberley Robinson. He then failed to appear for a routine court hearing, but was still granted a second PR bond. He then allegedly tampered with a government record and was granted a felony bond despite having obviously violated his previous PR bonds. After being released on two PR bonds and a felony bond, Harris kicked down Robinson’s door and shot her to death, injuring her 4-year old daughter in the process. Angel Cardenas was released on a PR bond following his arrest on capital murder and tampering with evidence charges after an alleged accomplice died of gunshot wounds suffered during a shootout following a gun store robbery.

Due to these cases and many others, Crime Stoppers of Houston supports the efforts of Senator Paul Bettencourt to prevent people from being released from jail on multiple personal bonds and Senator John Whitmire’s ongoing efforts to reform the bail bond system and establish a statewide, standardized system that sets bond based on risk. These changes would result in significant improvements to the pretrial release system in Texas by ensuring equitable treatment of individuals accused of crimes and reducing the likelihood of violent repeat offenders being released back on to the streets.

Time and time again, we’re seeing the same defendants released on multiple bonds, continually being arrested for additional felony crimes and yet are still getting out of jail on new bonds. The last statistical data Crime Stoppers received six months ago from local law enforcement officials indicate over 4,000 defendants have been granted bonds for violent and sexually related offenses. Public safety is at a higher risk when career habitual offenders are continuously released back to the community. All of us who live and work in Harris County should be on the same page on behalf of public safety. Increasing crime rates detrimentally affect all of us. Improving public safety has to be a non-partisan issue.

Crime Stoppers of Houston urges the Harris County delegation to the Texas Legislature to take action this upcoming legislative session to protect victims and the community by making public safety a central component of any bond reform legislation considered during the upcoming legislative session. We cannot continue to release dangerous individuals on to the streets. As Kimberley Robinson’s mother, Janet Robinson, said: “when you keep letting these people out are you thinking about the person that’s supposed to be protected?”

For additional information or to schedule a media interview, please contact Crime Stoppers Director of Victim Services Andy Kahan at akahan@crime-stoppers.org.

Ramifications of Criminal Justice and Bond Reform

Daniel Musterman was a devoted son and caretaker to his 87-year-old mother who suffered from Alzheimer’s. Caitlynne Rose was a young mother and was 8 months pregnant. Gregory Brooks had a wonderful sense of humor but he prided himself in taking his education seriously and was proud to be one of the first in his family to go to college. Reginald Larry was on his way to his Grandmother’s house when he stopped to get a drink at a corner store.

What do Daniel, Caitlynne, Gregory and Reginald have in common? All four of them were murdered. The suspects were all released on multiple bonds by Harris County Judges in the past year. And sadly, there are many more.

Crime Stoppers of Houston wants to be perfectly clear: We support Misdemeanor Bond Reform. We recognize and support the need for Criminal Justice Reform. What we don’t support is when public safety is placed at a higher risk when career habitual offenders are continuously released back to the community despite being charged with multiple violent crimes.

In another disturbing note, Crime Stoppers has had to issue rewards on suspects charged with crimes after they have been released on multiple bonds.

Misdemeanor Judges are bound by a Federal Court ruling basically removing cash bail for most misdemeanor charges. District Judges who handle felony cases are not. When a defendant out on felony bond is arrested on a new felony charge, the judge then has discretion whether or not to revoke the original bond or grant him/her a new bond giving them the chance to return to the community once again.

From our perspective, that’s the crux of the problem. Time and time again, we’re seeing the same defendants released on multiple bonds, continually being arrested for additional felony crimes and yet are still getting out of jail on new bonds.

What’s the problem with that? Ask the families of Daniel, Caitlynne, Gregory and Reginald and many others whose loved ones have been murdered by defendants out on multiple bonds, people who have shown their propensity to thumb their nose at the law

The last statistical data I received six months ago from local law enforcement officials indicate over 4,000 defendants have been granted bonds for violent and sexually related offenses.

This is of grave concern to Crime Stoppers and leads to a series of questions that deserve answers:

• How many felony defendants are out on repeat multiple bonds and for what types of offenses?
• How many felony defendants are in bond forfeiture and have been declared fugitives?
• How many defendants committed crimes after a Motion to Revoke the original bond was denied?
• How many defendants have actually had their bonds revoked after being charged with another crime while out on bond?
• How many of our citizens have become crime victims as a result of offenders violating their conditions of bond?

The defendant charged with Capital Murder in the slaying of Byron Handy was on Felony Probation and yet managed to be granted three separate bonds for offenses, all involving the use of a firearm. His bond was not revoked and inexplicably was allowed to remain on probation.

The defendant charged with the slaying of Matthew Franklin was out on bond for three charges of Aggravated Robbery with a Deadly Weapon and Aggravated Assault.

The defendant wanted for the murder of Reginald Larry was released on multiple felony bonds including murder and two aggravated assault charges. He was on deferred adjudication while all this occurred, yet was allowed to remain in the community.

The defendant charged with two counts Capital Murder in the deaths of Kevin Kelly and Sylvernia Edwards was out on multiple felony bonds at the time of their killings.

I could go on and on with examples like the above in which our citizens paid the ultimate price for criminal justice and bond reform.
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As a victim advocate, it is difficult to explain to families why their loved one was killed. It simply defies logic. What do I tell the family of an 11-year-old boy who was shot by a defendant already out on multiple bonds for murder, evading arrest and unlawfully carrying a weapon? How do I try to put into context what is happening to our criminal justice system to families who are grieving and searching for answers as to why their loved one was murdered?

Public safety is at a higher risk when career habitual offenders are continuously released back to the community. The problem is we have no way of knowing how many offenders fit into this category because Harris County does not keep such vital statistical information.

Everyone who supports criminal justice and bond reform should be demanding to have as much information as possible to determine which measures are working and which are putting the public at risk. All of us who live and work in Harris County should be on the same page on behalf of public safety. Increasing crime rates detrimentally affect all of us. Improving public safety has to be a non-partisan issue.

My mantra as a Victim Advocate for over 28 years is to seek solutions. It would behoove all of us, instead of yelling and screaming about the injustices regarding our criminal justice system it’s time for all of us who have a vested interest in making Harris County safer to get together as a cohesive group and work on positive changes.

Shame on all of us if we fail to take proactive measure to make our community safer: The citizens of Harris County deserve better.

Regards,

Andy Kahan, Director of Victim Services & Advocacy

Related News:

Advocates say partners in Harris Co. are being killed after offenders get bond

Another Murder Blamed On The Activist Judges In Harris County Courts

Crime Stoppers and HPD address safety issue on push for bail reform in Houston area

Suspect in Katy-Area Mom’s Murder Out on PR Bonds at Time of Shooting