| Dallasboy/WikiCommons. |
| Dallas, Texas. |
Get caught with a joint in Dallas this afternoon and you’ll find yourself being chauffeured to Lew Sterrett in the back of a squad car. Get caught with a joint in Dallas this January and you may well escape with a ticket and a stern admonition to show up in court. The Dallas Morning News reported over the weekend that Dallas County will pilot a cite-and-release program next year allowing those caught with less than two ounces of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor, to avoid a trip to jail.
Before you hail Dallas County as a paragon of criminal justice reform, however, keep in mind a handful of caveats.
Before you hail Dallas County as a paragon of criminal justice reform, however, keep in mind a handful of caveats. This is essentially the lowest-hanging fruit of criminal justice reform. Weed aficionados will still face up to a $2,000 fine and 180 days in jail (though most will get off with probation or be eligible for a diversion program), but Dallas County won’t be out the $63 it takes to house an inmate for a day, and police won’t have to waste precious hours ferrying potheads to jail. Plus, the county could have been doing this since 2007, when the legislature allowed local jurisdictions to implement cite-and-release, and Dallas Police Chief David Brown told us earlier this year that he planned to continue locking up pot users until the legislature orders him to do otherwise.
More on this non-decriminalization that will likely be touted as decriminalization over at Unfair Park.
