At the request of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Harris County commissioners approved $7.5 million on April 10 in funding that will go toward labor and hiring costs related to the county’s domestic violence and mental health and diversion bureaus. All four county commissioners approved the motion, while Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo abstained from the vote.
The funding will be prioritized into several areas, according to Chandler Raine, who serves as District Attorney Sean Teare’s first assistant, including:
- Increasing resources in the domestic violence bureau
- Expanding mental health and diversion bureau
- Hiring and retaining experienced prosecution teams
- Increasing trial readiness to help move cases through the system
- Utilizing trauma-trained social workers in domestic violence cases
“We're focusing on increasing the efficiency of our entire intake bureau in order to make sure that we don't have officers sitting there earning overtime waiting for a warrant for a domestic violence case or for a murder or for an aggravated robbery,” Raine said.
The cost
While the district attorney's office originally requested $7.5 million for operational costs, Harris County Budget Director Daniel Ramos suggested $4.1 million instead for immediate staffing needs that he said would address both the needs of the department while also being a fiscally responsible decision.
“Our thought process was having an ineffective district attorney’s office costs the county money,” Ramos said.
Hidalgo suggested a motion that would approve $4.1 million initially and require the district attorney's office to request the remaining $3.4 million through the regular budget process. Her motion did not receive enough votes to move forward and instead commissioners voted in favor of the original $7.5 million request.
Raine said they brought in over 200 years of prosecution and criminal defense experience to the district attorney's office.
“There is nothing that is more fundamental to what we do than having prosecutors who have the ability to look at a case and make a decision quickly after thorough and thoughtful deliberation, and that’s one of the things that we did,” Raine said.
What they're saying
Precinct 3 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said he supported the motion because it’s a smart investment in public safety and domestic violence prevention efforts.
“Domestic violence is the most stubborn index in violent crime above all other violent crimes and that is absolutely ridiculous. I have been meeting with the domestic violence advocates, and they are absolutely singing your praises," Garcia said.
Officials with the district attorney’s office said they have seen a 30% increase in cases going to trail and a 6% decrease in jail population since Teare took office in January.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones said as the county spends $50 million in annual taxpayer money to outsource inmates to private prisons, she’d rather invest money in justice.
“This funding will allow the office to better support victims of crime, process cases more efficiently and deliver justice more effectively,” Briones said in a news release.
