Watching them watching us

Somebody pointed me to this comment I hadn't seen from the Texas Prosecutors' Association website describing ACLU's and LULAC's criminal justice reform agenda. Except for his unfounded "decriminalization" slap, they're not far off on the wish list.

ACLU & Company. Those of you who’ve been watching the Lege for awhile might have noticed that the criminal defense bar (as a group) has become less active over the past few sessions. That void is increasingly being filled by the Texas chapters of the ACLU, LULAC, and others. Since they’re usually kind enough to publicize their legislative agenda, I thought I’d give you a taste of their “wish list” this session, which includes:

• State seizure of prosecutors’ discretionary funds to pay for counseling and treatment programs in local communities
• De-criminalization or reduction of the penalties for drug offenses
• Shorten probation terms (3-5 years max.) and end revocations for technical violations
• Prohibit consent searches and arrests for Class C offenses
• Eliminate regional drug task forces and prohibit officers from making arrests outside their geographic jurisdictions
• And more …

[last updated: January 7, 2005]