Press Contact: Jeremy Cherson, Director of Communications
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
(HOUSTON, TX) — On March 5, incumbent DA Kim Ogg lost her primary election. The Bail Project offered the following comment in response:
“Ogg’s ouster as District Attorney serves as an object lesson in how unpopular shifts in policy can draw the ire of constituents and threaten political careers. The people of Harris County put their faith in a DA that would pursue policies upholding the promise of bail reform. When Kim Ogg turned her back on bail reform, Houstonians turned their backs on Ogg.
When Kim Ogg began her tenure, crime was at an all-time low across the country; yet still, our nation’s jails were crowded and falling apart, replete with reports of inhumane and dangerous conditions. Ogg, alongside advocates and practitioners, all recognized that cash bail and unnecessary incarceration created lasting harms for those who were subjected to it. People lost jobs, homes, access to children, and their physical and mental health deteriorated while in jail. Research shows that just 48 hours in jail increases a person’s likelihood of becoming justice-involved again in the future because of how destabilizing it is. Incarcerating people simply because they were too poor to pay bail, advocates and Ogg said, undermined the presumption of innocence.
Ultimately, Ogg seemed to favor politics over policymaking, as made evident by how divorced her own analysis and perspectives on Harris County bail reform were from those of a university-affiliated independent court monitor. Her dissent alarmed supporters, and ran counter to the evidence. Through misinformation, manipulation, and outright lies, DA Ogg threatened Harris County’s legacy on bail reform – a legacy which should in fact serve as a model for other jurisdictions to follow. Bidding farewell to the Ogg Administration’s regressive anti-bail reform practices and policies , Houstonians have restored the promise of cash bail reform in Harris County.”
Thank you for your valuable attention. The urgency and complication of the cash bail crisis requires meaningful participation to create real change – change that is only achieved through the support of readers like you. Please consider sharing this piece with your networks and donating what you can today to sustain our vital work.
