Today, Council Member Dwight Boykins was proud to stand with District Attorney Kim Ogg as she unveiled her new Misdemeanor Marijuana Diversion Program alongside Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Pct. 1 Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, his City Council colleagues, and the local law enforcement.
Council Member Boykins has been a strong advocate for those in need of a second chance. In 2013, he created his annual 2nd Chance Job Fair to create a bridge between those who are ready and in need of a second chance and companies who are willing to hire them. Today’s announcement was a major step taken to continue assisting programs, such as Council Member Boykins, throughout the City of Houston.
Although the use of marijuana is illegal in the State of Texas, this is not a crime that is a major threat to public safety and the District Attorney has come up with a solution to spend taxpayer’s money responsibly. The goal of this program is to ensure that the resources needed for court and jail are being used to effectively increase public safety and acknowledge that those in possession of misdemeanor amounts of marijuana are not stigmatized by criminal records that limit their employment, education, and housing opportunities. With this particular program in place, those who are caught with a misdemeanor amount of marijuana and qualify for this program will be offered an opportunity to take a Cognitive Thinking course that cost $150 within a 90 day time frame. It will also offer no jail time and no criminal record of the event. This program ties in directly with Council Member Boykins’ 2nd Chance Program that he began in 2013.
Council Member Boykins will remain persistent in his mission of advocating for those in need of a second chance. He is currently working with the Greater Houston Partnership to work with large companies in an effort to ban the box and give those in need of a second chance the opportunity to explain their past while moving on with their future. District Attorney Ogg’s program will not only decrease the number of individuals with a misdemeanor on their record but it will make it easier for individuals to make it through the application process.
Below are charts to show the economic impact this diversion program will have on Harris County.
Council Member Boykins would like to commend District Attorney Ogg for standing up for those who are at a disadvantage and her commitment to giving people a second chance.
For further questions, please call our office at (713) 274-5916.
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