Criminal Justice Reform

“The way our current criminal justice system works in the county is wasteful to taxpayers and inefficient.  Everyone in our justice system knows this.  But it’s not enough to acknowledge problems.  We need to solve them.  I am ready to work with county leaders, like our new sheriff, to start making our criminal justice system more fair, more accountable and more responsible to the taxpayer.”

–Gordon Quan

As County Judge, Gordon will tackle the overcrowding problem in our jails by pushing for the reforms recommended by the Justice Management Institute. We can reduce overcrowding by diverting inmates to mental health and drug centers, as well as re-thinking our central processing center, public defender system, and DNA lab.

Gordon also recommends the use of ticketing instead of confinement for minor offenses, an option provided by the Texas Legislature.  And, with an 80% repeat offender rate in Harris County, he knows we must address the root causes of criminal behavior, instead of just building more jails.

But, Gordon understands that, even as we work to make our criminal justice system more accountable and less costly, we must continue to keep our citizens safe.  To often over the past year, Commissioner’s Court has descended into petty disputes among themselves and with the sheriff’s office when discussing policing and public safety matters.  Gordon Quan will never let the safety of our citizens become a political issue.

Harris County is the third largest county in the nation.  A significant portion of our country’s trade income moves through out port.  We are also the home to petro-chemical and energy industries, which are considered high value targets.  Gordon Quan recognizes the need to ensure our county law enforcement agencies have the necessary resources and tools to keep our communities safe.

In short, Gordon Quan wants to help Harris County’s criminal justice system focus on fairness, accountability, efficiency and safety.