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Issues affecting Bexar County and county court at law no. 5
Criminal Justice Reform
Bail Reform
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Andrea believes low level, nonviolent criminal offenders should not be penalized and remain jailed for their inability to pay bond. She supports Personal Recognizance bonds on low level, nonviolent misdemeanor offenses.
Pre-File and Pre-Trial Diversion Programs
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Andrea believes in meaningful intervention at an early stage of the criminal case process for first time, low level, nonviolent offenders. She believes that specifically for misdemeanor cases, this early intervention can deter future criminal activity. Andrea supports the need and creation of such programs.
Specialty Courts
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Andrea supports the institution of specialty courts and champions their success. Andrea believes that those offenders who suffer from alcohol abuse, substance abuse, trauma, and/or mental health issues should receive quality evaluations and assistance to address the offender's problems and reduce future criminal activity.
IMprove Court Efficiency
Reduce Case Backlog
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County Court at Law No. 5 has one of the highest case backlogs of all 13 criminal misdemeanor county courts in Bexar County. The COVID 19 pandemic has further compounded this issue. The backlog would be Andrea's first priority and she would tackle the issue head on. Given the opportunity, Andrea would have court dockets daily, with weekly trial dockets, she would hear pretrial motions in a timely manner, and push cases older than 180 days to trial.
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See Judicial Management Reports for CC#5:
Increase Disposition Rate
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County Court at Law No. 5 has one of the lowest disposition rates. Andrea would similarly tackle this issue with her approach stated above.
Family Violence Backlog
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Bexar County has a large backlog of family violence cases. Andrea would gladly accept family violence cases to assist with the backlog. Andrea believes that all misdemeanor county courts should accept all types of misdemeanor cases.