History
ProTex: Network for a Progressive Texas was organized in 1999 in response to a growing need to coordinate the efforts of advocacy organizations seeking systemic change in the Texas criminal justice system, health care system, and taxation system. One of ProTex's strongest programs was its criminal justice program, then called the Texas Criminal Justice Reform Coalition.
Many families and individuals had been victimized by the criminal justice system but lacked an effective means of supporting reform. Meanwhile, an increasing number of civil rights groups were becoming aware of the criminal justice crisis and began calling for greater scrutiny of criminal justice practices. However, due to our state being as large as it is, there was little or no communication between activists and organizations working on the same issues. Eventually, activists saw the benefit of a network through which they could share information and strategies, as well as the need for a forum through which they could collaborate for change. They also began to recognize that, as supporters of reform – most of them unpaid volunteers – they needed opportunities to build their advocacy skills and improve their organizational capacity. The Coalition filled this vacuum.
The original vision for the Coalition, now called the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, was as a background participant: We would not speak for partner organizations but instead would convene and facilitate the advocacy efforts for these partners. This was a strategic decision, one that was mindful of our intent to build the capacity of existing organizations, rather than create another advocacy organization.
In 2004, ProTex closed. However, the Coalition felt the need to sustain its efforts and took over ProTex's 501(c)(3) status. The Coalition's Boards of Directors also decided that the TCJC staff should assume a more public role on certain issues – for instance, where sufficient capacity doesn’t exist within our partner groups, or where there are benefits to centralized advocacy.
Throughout our ten years of existence, our organization has provided many benefits to our participants and community partner organizations. In some instances, TCJC has simply been a locus for central coordination to ensure that local groups do not duplicate efforts. In other instances, TCJC has taken a more significant role by providing substantive resources to aid those working on one particular issue. Likewise, we have provided substantive staffing in other instances to coordinate educational advocacy on a given campaign. As a final benefit, we create e-updates, newsletters, and a host of other public education materials to keep all those interested in criminal justice issues abreast of advocacy developments, opportunities, and events.