HOUSTON — The ACLU of Texas is calling on the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct to investigate Harris County Juvenile Judge Glenn Devlin after he reportedly released nearly all of the children that appeared before him the day after he lost reelection. Judge Devlin is one of two Harris County judicial judges responsible for sending 1 in 5 of all children sentenced to state juvenile detention centers.
Sharon Watkins Jones, director of political strategies for the ACLU of Texas, had the following reaction:
“Judge Devlin’s mass release of children today, without any apparent concern for the children’s safety or for ensuring that they are released to their parents, proves his detachment from the needs of each child. Reducing mass incarceration and addressing racial disparities require judges to look at people as individuals.
“We call on the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct to investigate Judge Devlin for violating the canons of judicial conduct. It is improper for a judge to make orders motivated by partisan interests or spite as a result of his political loss.”
