Neena Satija

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Neena Satija

Texas lawmakers are pushing for major changes in how cash bail is set, and they have a familiar target: Harris County. At issue is who decides how much money someone must pay in order to get out of jail as their case winds through the courts. Today, a group of more than a dozen appointed officials, called " criminal law hearing officers," or magistrates, make the vast majority of those decisions initially in Harris County.

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Neena Satija |Amelia Winger

In 2006, authorities charged Edric Wilson with capital murder and aggravated assault. Then, the cases languished in Harris County's overburdened courts system for the next 18 years. Meanwhile, he bounced back and forth between the local jail and state psychiatric hospitals - all on the taxpayer's dime. The case underscores the consequences of delayed justice and has shaken county officials who are struggling to get the local jail population under control.

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Neena Satija

Last spring, as local officials were taking a closer look at the thousands of inmates in the Harris County Jail, they discovered something shocking: a man who had been locked up for 18 years without a trial. Edric Wilson, who is now 47, was accused of murdering the great-aunt of Lakewood Church Pastor Joel Osteen back in 2006. He also faced a separate aggravated assault charge involving a different victim from earlier that year.

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Neena Satija

Harris County officials are reeling from the news that a man named Edric Wilson spent almost two decades in the Harris County Jail waiting for a trial, underscoring the consequences that can result from the region's overwhelmed criminal justice system. Officials say fixing the problem probably requires millions of dollars in investment. But it could also save money in the long run, given that the county spent $50 million last year just to "outsource" inmates from its overcrowded jail.

1 month ago | houstonchronicle.com | Neena Satija |Yilun Cheng

Si bien el presidente Donald Trump ha amenazado con castigar a las autoridades locales si no ayudan a llevar a cabo deportaciones masivas, algunos han dicho que todavía no cumplirán. Sin embargo, en Texas esa no ha sido una opción desde mediados de 2017.