PROJECTS

ChangeWaco is working to get a Cite and Release ordinance/policy implemented in McLennan County by gathering support from members of the local government and the community. A Cite and Release ordinance would mandate that Waco PD issue citations (instead of arrests/detention) for the low-level nonviolent offenses that the State of Texas has deemed eligible for citations. This ordinance would reduce jail population, and keep community members in their homes while awaiting their court date, rather than unnecessarily detained at a cost to taxpayers. This would in turn have a positive impact on local families’ financial stability, reducing the number of people forced to pay unnecessary bail amounts just to be able to get back to work and their families. A cite and release ordinance creates more financial and racial equity in our community, as families of Color are the most impacted by over-policing and economic poverty.

A Criminal Justice Committee on Equity is a group of representatives set up to evaluate local data and identify systemic issues to improve McLennan County's criminal justice system. Having access to criminal justice data can shed light on inequities, unconscious biases, and systemic racism within this system. Without timely and equitable access to that data, anecdotes and assumptions too often drive the decisions made in our courtrooms, our legislature, and our public sphere. It builds trust when we have more accountability and transparency in our local systems, especially ones that can drastically impact a person and family's lives. There are currently CJCE's in several areas across Texas, including Harris and Hays County, that have begun to see a meaningful reduction in inequities within their criminal justice system through adopting practices recommended by these committees. Only through raising awareness of and identifying the problems that plague us can we begin to chart a path toward eliminating the inequities within our criminal justice system. The establishment of a Criminal Justice Committee on Equity is the first step towards the creation of a more equitable criminal justice system in McLennan County!

A group of community members who are also apart of ChangeWaco’s have researched how to start a bail fund to reduce the harm of bail practices in our county. This initiative will bring community members home to their families so they do not have to wait in jail pre-trial due to the simple inability to pay. This program will serve as a stepping stone to greater criminal justice and economic justice work of ChangeWaco. The Bail Fund committee will be a representative group of community members who work to coordinate and make decisions on the use of the bail fund.