A bright national spotlight has targeted the issue of pretrial detention after the biker gang shootings in Waco overwhelmed the local court system, which is sluggishly releasing 170 bikers from jail.

But before the incident, top Texas court leaders were already pondering the adverse societal effects that arise from unnecessary pretrial detention. On June 12, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht announced the creation of a Criminal Justice Committee to study state law and policies about pretrial confinement and to recommend changes to help the criminal justice system, criminal defendants and the public.

“We are detaining people who can't afford the pretrial release programs that exist when we don't need to be. These are nonviolent crimes. These people are not a threat to society; they have not been arrested because they were a threat to society. But they can't afford to get the release programs that exist, and so they are sitting in jail; they are losing their jobs. That's a hardship on their families,” Hecht said. “We're not accomplishing anything on the criminal side, and we are doing a lot of harm on the societal side.”