James “Jim” Bethke is the director of Bexar County’s Managed Assigned Counsel Office. He previously worked in Harris County, and is a past executive director of the Texas Indigent Defense Commission. He’s running in the crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring District Attorney Joe Gonzales.

Hear from the candidate

1. Please tell voters about yourself.

I am Jim Bethke. I’m 52 years old. I have been married for 35 years. Our son, his wife, and our granddaughter all live in San Antonio. I’m a U.S. Army veteran who served in the 101st Airborne Division. For more than 30 years, I have worked to make Texas’s criminal justice system fairer, more effective, and more accountable.

Today, I serve as the Executive Director of the Bexar County Managed Assigned Counsel Office, leading a team that helps ensure people receive quality legal representation when their liberty is on the line. Previously, I served as Executive Director of Harris County Justice Administration and Interim Director of Harris County Pretrial Services, where I led major reforms focused on public safety, efficiency, and transparency.

I earned my law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law and my undergraduate degree from UT Tyler. I believe reform should be practical, measurable, and driven by results.

2. Tell us about how long you’ve been practicing law, areas of expertise and prosecutorial experience, if any.

I have been licensed to practice law since 1992. I started as a City Prosecutor in Lubbock, where in my first year I tried about 25 jury trials, handled hundreds of bench trials, and closed more than 1,000 cases. I learned early that prosecution requires judgment, fairness, and accountability.

For the next three decades, I focused on making the justice system work better, not just in the courtroom, but behind the scenes where outcomes are shaped. For 15 years, I served as Executive Director of the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, helping strengthen statewide standards and expand quality public defense across all 254 counties. I bring legislative experience, major project management leadership, and a record of protecting constitutional rights and preventing wrongful convictions.

I build systems that perform, reduce bottlenecks, and use data to protect public safety without wasting resources or trapping people in cycles that do not make us safer.

3. This office has been under stress in many ways, in terms of understaffing, case backlog and crimes committed by repeat offenders. Talk about your plans to make change in the first 100 days. 

Day One: Share my vision: One office, one mission: safer communities, fair outcomes, and a justice system worthy of public trust.

First 100 Days: 10 Point Plan

  1. Establish a Backlog Strike Force Team to triage and move the oldest cases fast.
  2. Prioritize violent crime and repeat offenders with dedicated staffing and supervision.
  3. Launch early case screening so weak cases are declined quickly and strong cases move
    immediately.
  4. Fast track firearms and family violence cases with consistent plea and trial standards.
  5. Reduce unnecessary resets with firm readiness checklists and clear discovery timelines.
  6. Implement a Victim Communication Guarantee with a single point of contact and timely
    updates.
  7. Create a Repeat Offender Initiative targeting the small number driving the most harm.
  8. Expand smart diversion for low level cases to free resources for serious crime.
  9. Launch office wide training on ethics, trial readiness, and victim communication.
  10. Establish a Law Enforcement and Prosecution Partnership Council with standing
    monthly briefings and real-time case feedback.
    I will also prepare and submit a responsible budget to Commissioners Court focused on staffing,
    training, and victim services, and publish measurable performance goals the public can track.

4. Talk about your philosophical approach to balancing the public’s desire to see all types of crimes prosecuted with the rehabilitative justice policies that provide a path forward for some offenders?

Public safety requires accountability, but it also requires judgment. My approach is to focus resources on serious and violent crime, while using evidence-based alternatives when they will better reduce harm and prevent future crime.

That starts with individualized decisions made early, guided by risk, facts, and outcomes. It means rejecting one size fits all approaches. For low level cases that do not require treatment or supervision, the most effective approach is often early case screening and a decision not to prosecute. For more serious nonviolent cases, diversion and deferred prosecution can create structure and accountability while connecting people to treatment, jobs, and stability. Those outcomes reduce repeat offenses and make communities safer.

In the end, success is measured by results: preventing crime, reducing violence, and earning public trust. Justice should mean fewer victims, fewer repeat offenses, and a system that is fair, efficient, and worthy of the community it serves.

5. In a crowded field of candidates, what differentiates you from the others running?

Being Bexar County District Attorney is executive leadership work. It requires steady leadership, clear expectations, and the discipline to keep the office running every day. I have led major offices and managed complex budgets. I have built data dashboards that make it clear what is working, what is not, and where we need to act. I know how to keep the work moving without cutting corners or compromising justice.

I know how to build alignment across the justice system, from courtrooms to neighborhoods, and get real progress from people who do not always agree. That means reducing delays and delivering consistent outcomes, with fairness for everyone involved and real accountability for the people who repeatedly put our community at risk.

I have done this work in Texas, and I delivered real results.

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This article was assembled by various members of the San Antonio Report staff.