45 Days in a Texas Jail

In Hays County, Texas, arrests for low-level offenses like marijuana possession lead to overcrowded jails and damaged lives. The county’s “cite and release” program, which gives officers the option to issue a citation instead of making an arrest, is meant to reduce the number of arrests for minor crimes, but local police officers rarely issue these citations. In 45 Days in a Texas Jail, criminal justice reformer Faylita Hicks recalls her time in jail for a bounced check and explores how similar arrests have impacted the fast-growing central Texas community.