Harris County Residents Think the County Has a Serious Crime Problem, Harris County Judges

54% consider the crime problem In Harris County to be very serious, 63% think Harris County judges aren’t tough enough on criminals, and a majority believe Black and Latino people are treated worse than others when sentenced.

A new report by the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center at Texas Southern University analyzes the opinions of Harris County registered voters on crime, criminal justice, and public safety in Harris County. With over 5 million residents, Harris County has a larger population than 26 states.

While 46% of Harris County residents feel very safe when outside and alone in their neighborhood during the day, only half as many (22%) feel very safe when outside and alone in their neighborhood at night. Conversely, while only 14% feel either somewhat or very unsafe when outside and alone during the day, 34% feel somewhat or very unsafe when outside and alone at night.

More than half (54%) of Harris County residents consider the problem of crime in Harris County be very serious compared to only 11% who consider the problem of crime in their neighborhood to be very serious. Similarly, while only 12% of Harris County residents feel that the problem of crime in Harris County is either not too or not at all serious, more than half (55%) feel the problem of crime in their neighborhood is either not too or not at all serious. Dr. Michael O. Adams, the founding director of the Barbara Jordan Public Policy Research and Survey Center at Texas Southern University noted that this countywide-neighborhood gap also exists in regard to perceptions of whether crime has increased or decreased over the past year, with “a majority of Harris County residents simultaneously believing crime has increased in Harris County and stayed the same in their neighborhood.”

Nearly three-fifths (63%) of Harris County residents think Harris County judges are not tough enough on criminals and 31% that they are about right in their treatment of criminals, with just 6% thinking they are too tough. Dr. Adams however commented about nuances in public opinion on sentencing, highlighting that “while residents believe Harris County judges are too lenient in their sentencing of most criminals, with more than three out of four saying judges are too lenient in sentencing for violent crimes and non-violent property crimes, only one-third think they are too lenient in sentencing for drug crimes, with a plurality of 44% thinking that they are too harsh.”

The report also underscores the perception among Harris County residents of dramatic socio-economic and ethnic/racial differences in the sentencing of some people compared to others who are convicted of similar crimes in Harris County, with more than half thinking Low-Income (69%), Black (63%) and Latino (55%) people are treated worse than others convicted of similar crimes and with more than half thinking High-Income (76%) and White (57%) people are treated better.

Among Other Findings:

• 95% of Harris County residents believe immigrants living in the country illegally who commit violent crimes should be deported, with 60% of the opinion that those committing non-violent property crimes should also be deported.
• 93% of Harris County residents support SJR-5, a constitutional amendment that if approved by voters in November would allow judges to deny bail to violent offenders.
• 77% of Harris County residents are either very concerned (36%) or somewhat concerned (41%) about crime affecting either them or a member of their family.
• 54% of Harris County residents feel there are too few police officers patrolling their neighborhood, 42% feel there is the right amount, and 4% that there are too many.
• 38% of Harris County residents believe local police in Harris County should always cooperate with federal immigration authorities, 39% believe they should cooperate in some cases, and 23% believe local police should never cooperate.

The full report can be found via this link. The representative survey of Harris County registered voters upon which the report is based was conducted between June 24 and July 3 2025, in English and Spanish, and has a sample size of 1,600 and a margin of error of +/- 2.45%.