Texas Sentencing is a tool for all Judges and Lawyers to use when seeking to represent clients and to administer justice. Adding to the complexity of sentencing law is the concept that any legislative changes are applicable only to offenses committed on or after the effective date of that change. As the criminal justice system has been adjusted, there have been numerous small changes made (such as whether probation is automatic for state jail felonies, involving 4 different sets of rules) each of which is applicable only for offenses committed while that law was in effect. This means that we are currently operating under several sets of sentencing laws. A judge and lawyers often spend a morning in court dealing with two or three sets of laws that apply to the same offense, depending on the date of its commission. Texas Sentencing will simplify and clarify sentencing for both the Judge and lawyer alike.
John Bradley has been a prosecutor since 1987.
Mr. Bradley worked for Judge Charles Campbell at the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin. In 1989, he moved to Georgetown and began working as a felony prosecutor in the Williamson County District Attorney's Office, eventually serving as the First Assistant District Attorney for five years.
Mr. Bradley also has worked for the Texas Legislature, helping to rewrite the Penal Code as a member of the staff for the Punishment Standards Commission, and subsequently served as general counsel for the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. He also served on Governor George W. Bush's Committee to Rewrite the Code of Criminal Procedure and remains active in the legislative process. He is very active on mental health and child abuse issues, serving on several state and local committees and on the board of directors of several nonprofit organizations.
Mr. Bradley speaks regularly at continuing legal education seminars in Texas and is frequently invited to speak throughout the United States. Both the Texas District and County Attorneys Association and National College of District Attorneys have publicly recognized him for excellence in service through legal education. Mr. Bradley also has published numerous articles on criminal law and is the author of several criminal law books. TDCAA named him 2009 Prosecutor of the Year.
"This outstanding guide to Texas' sentencing laws belongs in your library, whether you're an experienced criminal practitioner or only occasionally handle criminal cases. No one knows the law better than John Bradley...in many instances, he wrote it! "
-Tom Krampitz, former Executive Director of Texas District and County Attorneys Association.
