Carvana Cloud

What training, experience, and characteristics qualify you for this position?

I am a attorney with over 19 years of criminal litigation experience familiar with working with defendants and ensuring victims receive justice as a former prosecutor, Division Chief, and Bureau Chief with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. In 2009, I opened The Cloud Law Firm and practice criminal defense law. Together, my training and experience and growing up in an underserved community, have allowed me to develop a wide perspective to make decisions that will impact many lives.

What, if any, alternatives to incarceration do you support? Please discuss program options, as well as when and how such alternatives can be used.

I support supervised pretrial as an alternative to incarceration. Pretrial diversion is a viable alternative for low-risk offenders. Defendants can be released and supervised by our pretrial department. Shorter probation periods could also allow a probationer to complete the terms of their probation without being revoked. I am also willing to consider waiving revocation based on an inability to pay.

the pretrial diversion versus cash bail is a viable alternative for low-risk offenders.

In setting bail amounts, how will you balance Texas’s constitutionally mandated bail requirements with other conditions of release including minimizing any public safety threat the defendant may present to community? Please discuss both first time and repeat offenders.

As a judge, my job is to follow the law with regard to bail requirements. Pretrial release is an option that is underused within the criminal justice system, especially for nonviolent offenders. If a person is not a risk or danger to society and they qualify for bail, I will consider pretrial release. Based on my training and experience, I will set bail for violent and high-risk cases by considering case facts, the victim(s) injuries, and any mental health or trauma the offender has experienced.