Correcting the Texas justice system
Texas’ index crime rate has dropped 21 percent, exceeding the nationwide decline.
Texas’ index crime rate has dropped 21 percent, exceeding the nationwide decline.
Recent rulings at the U.S. Supreme Court on gay marriage and Obamacare are high-profile reminders that there is not much the left and right agrees on in this country.
We face significant challenges reforming the nation’s sprawling criminal justice system, but fortunately, conservatives have shown in the states that there’s a better way to do business.
First and foremost, America’s pretrial justice policies and practices must do no harm.
We must not allow pretrial incarceration to grow in scope like so many other government programs, which often begin with a core function and then metastasize over time.
“Tough on Crime” legislation led to steeply increased prison populations. But the state had a different response in recent years, one that is referred to by many people as the Georgia Model. This model has saved taxpayers millions of dollars and has not hindered, if not contributed to, the lowered crime rates in the state.
Too many Americans are being deprived of their liberty, held in jail when they shouldn’t be, and the result is out-of-control local government spending on ineffective criminal justice systems—funds that could be better put to use elsewhere.
While jails will always be necessary for public safety, only as a last resort should we trap defendants indefinitely behind the front door of the criminal justice system.
It may come as a surprise to some, but Texas is widely viewed as one of the nation’s leaders in criminal justice reform. The reinvestment strategies pioneered in the Lone Star State have been held up by national organizations as model reforms, so it’s no surprise that Texans are enjoying the lowest statewide crime rates since 1968. Never content to rest on its laurels, the Texas Legislature has already shown great interest in furthering these successes in the current session. After several high-profile abuses both nationally and within the state in recent years, the Legislature has signaled interest is protecting citizens from rampant excesses related to civil asset forfeiture.
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Media from RightOnCrime's Leadership Summit