AUSTIN, Texas — Hundreds of Texas families rallied at the Capitol Monday demanding lawmakers fix what they say is a broken criminal justice system.
- Hundreds rally for prison reform
- Several bills introduced at the Texas legislature
At the steps of the Capitol, demonstrators chanted "No justice! No peace!"
Dianna Williams said she's had an up close view of how the criminal justice system in Texas works.
"My son was incarcerated, he got a 15 year sentence for aggravated robbery," Williams said.
She said her problems aren't with her son serving his time, but rather about what happened while he was behind bars. She said he filed grievances that would go unanswered, and wrote complaints that somehow got lost in the shuffle of paperwork.
"There were issues that came up that I did not feel were handled in the best interest of my loved one," she said.
One of the proposals the group is supporting calls for an independent, third-party entity to monitor the state's prison system.
"What we're just simply asking for is for someone outside the system to come in and assist with oversight," Williams said.
Senator John Whitmire, the chair of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, agrees the system is broken in many ways, but said only lawmakers should be responsible for checks and balance on the inside.
"That third-party would only be as good as someone who appoints them, so I like the current system of 150 House members, 31 Senators, the state leadership being held accountable," Whitmire said.
Prison reform advocates also want lawmakers to take a good look at a the so-called “Second Look” Bill. The bill would allow minors serving life sentences to get a parole review after 20 years, as opposed to the current 40 year policy.
"We just want to be sure that our loved ones, while incarcerated, are getting a fair shake," Williams said.
Williams said she will continue to push for criminal justice reform, an issue that's increasingly getting bipartisan support.
