A new state law and poor planning could result in the release of nearly 60 accused felons, including two accused of murder.

All criminal indictments are handed up by the half-dozen or so grand juries that meet at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center year round.

In 2011, the legislature doubled the term grand jurors serve from three months to six months.

Most Harris County grand juries empanelled in 2011 were dissolved on Dec. 31 to comply with the law.

The problem is that anyone arrested in connection with a crime must be indicted within 90 days of arrest or released on bond.

With no grand jury to hand up indictments, that means allegedly violent suspects, like capital murder suspect Abraham Amador, potentially would have to be released on bond.

KPRC Local 2 legal analyst Brian Wice said the judges who appoint the jurors should have seen this coming.

"Once the district judges knew what the possible fallout from the new statute was, they should have been ready to hit the ground running the first week of January by empanelling the grand juries."

Administrative Judge Belinda Hill said she and other judges did try to prepare and asked state officials and the law's authors to clarify if grand juries could be held over into 2012, but she said they got conflicting answers.

Hill and Harris County District Attorney Pat Lykos said violent suspects will not be put back on the streets.

"We can assure you nobody is going to be released," Lykos said. "New grand juries are starting in a couple of days."