Last year before Edmund Gillory turned 19, the Harris County District Attorney's office says they asked that he serve out the rest of his 17-year sentence for the shooting death >> Good morning. >> of Anthony Merchant in 2022 in adult prison. >> A 19-year-old previously sentenced for a fatal shooting was released on probation instead of being sent to adult prison. He was ordered to wear an ankle monitor. Court records show he cut it off. Three days later, police say he was involved in a violent robbery and an escape that left a jailer unconscious. Thin blue lies, baby. This happened in Harris County, Texas and it raises a bigger question, not just about one case, but about how the system makes decisions like this in the first place. Because in the same county, facing the same types of violent cases, different judges are making very different calls. In Texas, when a juvenile reaches a certain age, a judge has to decide what happens next. They can end the sentence, release the person on probation, or transfer them to adult prison. In this case, prosecutors say they asked for a transfer to adult prison. The court chose probation instead. >> 13 investigates how often judges are releasing violent youth offenders. Young people convicted of serious crimes as children and then aging out of the juvenile justice system. Our investigation found not all judges are created equal. We started looking into this after a district court judge released a teen convicted of murder instead of transferring him to adult prison when he became of age. Police charged him with a violent crime not long after being released. ABC 13's Jessica Willey is back with how Harris County juvenile courts measure up when it comes to holding teens accountable. There are three juvenile courts in Harris County. One of the judges' jobs is to decide whether a teen already found delinquent, as it's called, of a crime should be transferred to the adult system before his or her 19th birthday. Recently, we learned one judge released a teen on probation who served only a fraction of his sentence for murder and there were violent consequences. And is it a hard decision? It can be a very hard decision, especially when you're considering the seriousness of the offenses that are before you. >> Last year before Edmund Gillory turned 19, the Harris County District Attorney's office says they asked that he serve out the rest of his 17-year sentence for the shooting death >> Good morning. >> of Anthony Merchant in 2022 in adult prison. >> We thought this young person was a threat to our community based on his recent criminal behavior. We're all right. >> District Judge Leah Shapiro of the 315th Court let him out on probation. Required to wear an ankle monitor, court records show in January he cut it off. Three days later, Sugar Land police say he and three other teens beat a jailer unconscious and escaped after they were arrested for robbing a CVS at gunpoint. Veteran prosecutor John Jordan says they tried to warn the court. >> There were other victims now that didn't have to be there. >> And here's where it gets interesting. Over a 3-year period in Harris County, one judge transferred 64% of violent cases, another transferred 78% and another transferred 96%. Same county, same types of crimes, very different outcomes. So, here's the real question. Is this justice or is it a system where outcomes depend on who's sitting on the bench? So, just how are cases involving violent juvenile offenders being handled by Harris County's three juvenile court judges? In data released by the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department at ABC 13's request, over a 3-year period Judge Shapiro transferred the fewest juvenile cases to the adult system. Just 64% of violent crimes like murder, robbery, and sexual assault. Compare that to Judge Natalia Coca-Cola's Oaks who transferred 78% and Judge Michelle Moore who transferred nearly all, 96% of the violent cases in her court. >> Former judges say this isn't unusual. Judges are human, different philosophies, different priorities. Some focus more on rehabilitation, others focus more on public safety. But here's the problem. When the gap is this wide, it stops feeling like a system and starts feeling like a gamble. And if that gamble goes wrong, it's not the judge who pays for it. When you >> Mike Schneider is a retired juvenile court judge. >> Judges are obviously human, have different biases, different interests, different um different philosophies. So, you are going to see um reasonable people can make extremely different uh decisions. >> The Texas Code of Judicial Conduct prevents judges from commenting on specific cases, but judges Shapiro and Moore, who are both up for re-election in November, also did not take us up on our offer to explain their track records. Because juvenile records are sealed under Texas law, a lot of what we know about Gillory and his juvenile past is only because he is now accused as an adult, making those records public. >> court >> Schneider says in the juvenile system, often times the focus is on rehabilitation rather than punishment if appropriate. >> One of the responsibilities judges have is to look at the relevant information and try and figure out a way that balances what's in the best interest of that child versus the best interest of the community. We also wanted to know what kinds of crimes that teens are committing that are and are not being transferred to the adult system. Seems like a simple request. The Harris County Juvenile Probation Department sent us the data but prefaced that it might not be accurate. Contacts inside the juvenile justice system tell me that's problematic and the department didn't answer questions about why they don't keep accurate records. Prosecutors say they warned the court this individual was a risk and after the release, they say new victims didn't have to exist. At the same time, juvenile records are sealed, meaning the public often can't fully evaluate these decisions. And then there's this. ABC 13 requested detailed data on what types of crimes are actually being transferred to adult court. The department provided data but said it may not be fully accurate. Sources inside the juvenile justice system say the lack of reliable records is concerning. And when asked why more precise records aren't being maintained, the department didn't respond. So, even the data used to evaluate the system might not be reliable. And if the data isn't reliable, how do you measure accountability? So, what happens when decisions vary this much, records aren't reliable, and the public can't see the full picture? Is that discretion or is that a lack of accountability? Thin blue lies, baby. Hey, if you're still here, that tells me two things. One, you actually care about accountability and two, YouTube hasn't scared you off yet. So, here's the deal. If this video brought you value, do the YouTube things. Like it, share it, subscribe. That's how this channel keeps exposing nonsense without corporate filters. If you want to support the work directly, there's a know-your-rights guide and other resources linked below at kofi.com/thinblueliesmedia. And for the few of you who've asked, there's also official merch linked below. No hype, no drop, it's just there if the message resonates. However you support the work, watching, sharing, reading, wearing it, or just sticking around, I appreciate you being here. Thin blue lies, baby.