ICYMI - Judge cites 'tainted' arrestees who heed Black Lives Matter as problem Among 31 Harris County judges who systematically rejected releases, records show

State District Judge Michael McSpadden speaks to Alexandria Vera, 24, a former Aldine ISD teacher, in court Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016, in Houston. She is accused of having a long-term sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy. The judge rejected a request from prosecutors that Vera's bail be revoked for a curfew violation. Vera is free on a $100,000 bail but has to wear a GPS ankle monitor, stay away from schools and have no contact with the teen who allegedly impregnated her. less State District Judge Michael McSpadden speaks to Alexandria Vera, 24, a former Aldine ISD teacher, in court Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2016, in Houston. She is accused of having a long-term sexual relationship with a ... more Photo: Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle Photo: Melissa Phillip, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close ICYMI - Judge cites 'tainted' arrestees who heed Black Lives Matter as problem 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

For more than a decade, most of Harris County's felony court judges directed magistrates to deny no-cash bail to all newly arrested defendants, in apparent violation of state judicial conduct rules, according to internal documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle.

The documents include charts with explicit court-by-court instructions from 31 district judges to reject all requests for no-cash bonds when defendants made initial appearances in court.

MORE: Harris County judges told hearing magistrates to deny no-cost bail

Records and testimony show that misdemeanor judges also routinely told magistrates for years to decline personal bonds, which allow a person to gain pre-trial release from jail without posting cash bail.

State District Judge Michael McSpadden, a long-serving jurist in Harris County, among those with a no-bond policy for magistrates, said he didn't trust the lower-level jurists not to make errors.

"Almost everybody we see here has been tainted in some way before we see them," he said. "They're not good risks."

RELATED: Harris County magistrates sanctioned for not considering personal bonds

The judge, who told magistrates not to grant cash-free releases for at least 12 years, said he was concerned defendants would be released on bond only to be arrested on another offense. Many had casual attitudes about showing up for court, he said.

"The young black men - and it's primarily young black men rather than young black women - charged with felony offenses, they're not getting good advice from their parents," he said. "Who do they get advice from? Rag-tag organizations like Black Lives Matter, which tell you, 'Resist police,' which is the worst thing in the world you could tell a young black man ... They teach contempt for the police, for the whole justice system."

RULING: Harris County bail system unconstitutional, federal judge rules

Others who handed down these instructions over two decades include former Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson, her late husband, Mike Anderson, who she replaced as district attorney, state Sen. Joan Huffman, and Ryan K. Patrick, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas.

The previously undisclosed bail and bond instructions, which surfaced during disciplinary hearings against three Harris County magistrates, appear to corroborate longstanding complaints from criminal justice activists that the county's bail system deprived defendants of a fair chance at pre-trial liberty.

Gabrielle Banks covers federal court for the Houston Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter and send her tips at gabrielle.banks@chron.com.