Police Misconduct Attorney Houston – The Texas Senate Passes a Purportedly Weakened Sandra Bland Act
On Thursday, May 11, 2017, the Sandra Bland Act was unanimously passed by Texas Senators. The bill addresses criminal justice reform issues related to the death of Sandra Bland, who was found dead, hanging in a Waller County, Texas, jail cell three days after an arrest resulting from a routine traffic stop. An investigation was done, and her death was declared a suicide. The bill is 55 pages long and details numerous reforms. The bill was composed by Democrat Representative Garnet Coleman of Houston, and the companion bill was filed in the senate by Democrat Senator John Whitmire of Houston. According to Whitmire, in 2015, 26 people died by apparent suicide in Texas county jails. Some reforms were put into place, and the number fell to 16 in 2016. Not enough is being done, Whitmire said.
Coleman said the big impact of this bill is that it can provide encouragement to continue trying to make meaningful change.
Law enforcement officers and jailers will be required to have more training in mental illness, if this bill also passes in the House and is ultimately signed by Governor Abbott, to become law. More about the bill follows:
- It makes room for counties to provide programs so that mentally ill individuals and the homeless will have facilities instead of jails to go to.
- It mandates that people with substance abuse and mental health issues be diverted by county jails toward treatment.
- The bill makes it easier for defendants with an intellectual disability or with mental illness to receive a personal bond.
- The bill requires that all jail deaths be investigated by independent law enforcement agencies.
Crucial sections of the bill have been removed, which Coleman expressed his disappointment about. Consent searches and pre-text stops were removed from the version of the bill that passed the Senate. He says other bill are specifically addressing those issues, however.
In this continuing series, learn about sections of the bill that were removed and the response from members of Bland’s family.
–Guest Contributor
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