And nine Republican state lawmakers from the Houston area urged the federal court to deny the sheriffs request to release some felony defendants. Last year, the Texas prison system unwittingly started a controlled experiment. The housing unit, instead of having correction officers that would do periodic checks every thirty minutes and count heads in a smaller unit, they would be stationed in the middle of that housing unit, explains Sheriff Navarre. Gov. Breaking crime news in the Tampa Bay area, including courtroom proceedings, police and sheriff arrests and breaking news updates, from the Tampa Bay Times. The first rule is public safety. For example, Klein said, under the order someone charged with a minor, nonviolent misdemeanor would be ineligible to be let out of jail on a personal bond if they had been convicted of a low-level assault 30 years ago. Were not going to ask for a levy, so peoples taxes wont go up, Byers says. [ c`[ =2DE ;FDE:46] w6 H2D 36:?8 96=5 2E E96 vC2?E r@F?EJ y2:= H:E9@FE 3@?5]k^Am, kAm$96:=2 y] r@7:6=5[ df[ =2DE