Emily Munoz Detoto

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

I have dedicated my entire career to the Criminal Justice system. As a third year law student I participated in the criminal law clinic and tried cases under the guidance of a mentor. I am a former Briefing Attorney at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, a former prosecutor with the Harris County DA’s office. I’ve been licensed for 27 years, am board certified in criminal law, have taught trial skills all over the country. I’ve tried over 100 jury trials, ranging from DWI’s to capital murder.

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

In drug cases I strongly support in-patient treatment and intensive outpatient treatment. In some cases, I support community supervision with an educational component, where one must obtain a GED, and/or obtain a skill or trade. I support intensive supervision probation, (ISP), with daily reporting to include drug and alcohol testing. I also support halfway houses, home confinement and GPS monitoring.

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.

Understanding that everyone is presumed innocent, I support a bail schedule similar to what Harris County used to use wherein bonds were set based upon an accused’s prior criminal history. I believe bonds should be balanced between the severity of the offense, the accused’s prior criminal history, whether it is a victim related offense, whether there was a weapon involved in the commission of the offense. I support bond conditions including GPS monitoring and in some cases home confinement.