Key Groups
Advocacy and policy research organizations across the political spectrum have bolstered the passage of “smart on crime” policies by providing research showing that reforms could improve safety and reduce costs to taxpayers.
- Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Effective Justice
- Community Justice Assistance Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Texas Probation Association
- Restorative Justice Ministry Network
- Winner’s Circle Peer Support Network
- Texas Christian Life Commission
- Texas Catholic Conference
- Association of Substance Abuse Programs
- Texas Association of Addiction Professionals
- National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors
- Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable
- Texas State Conference of NAACP Branches
- League of United Latin American Citizens
- American Civil Liberties Union of Texas
The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Effective Justice provides key research into the fiscal implications of new criminal justice policies and the positive impact on taxpayers and public safety. From over-regulation resulting in closed markets and closed opportunities for people who want to work to detailed studies of the public safety impact of new incarceration policies, the Texas Public Policy Foundation provides strong advocacy from conservative principles on all aspects of criminal justice policy.
The Community Justice Assistance Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice offers expert advice and on-the-ground experience with respect to reforms designed to protect the public, help rehabilitate offenders, and serve the victims of those offenders. CJAD develops sound public policy that leads to effective, community-based programs and services, including polices based on experience with new diversion funding provided by the 79th Legislature to strengthen community supervision by reducing caseloads, utilizing progressive sanctions models, and providing more community supervision options for residential treatment and aftercare providers who regularly treat and help drug addicts become productive members of society.
The Texas Probation Association works tirelessly to develop and promote standards and goals for professional practitioners in the field of probation and bases recommendations for reform on the best practices used by these professionals.
The Restorative Justice Ministry Network of Texas promotes treatment programs that produce more positive results than incarceration and pushed for the development of community treatment programs, as well as treatment programming within the correctional systems. Restorative Justice Ministry brings key religious values into the public policy debate and connects church leaders to the managers of the criminal justice system – ministers speak with judges and prosecutors, prison ministers dialogue with prison wardens – in order to move government policy away from retributive justice and toward restorative justice.
Winner's Circle Peer Support Network is a support group for formerly incarcerated people going through 12 step programs.
The Texas Christian Life Commission works to provide information and leadership on a variety of criminal justice issues and are an unwavering partner advocating for humane criminal justice policies.
The Texas Catholic Conference compassionately advocates for the betterment of people in prison, programs that divert addicts to treatment instead of incarceration, policies that break the cycle of incarceration, and policies that give hope to the formerly incarcerated and their families.
The Association of Substance Abuse Programs brings to the discussion of drug policy and drug law incarceration the voice of treatment
The Texas Association of Addiction Professionals provides professional expertise on effective treatment options for drug and alcohol addiction related crimes.
National Association of Drug Court Professionals promotes education, research and scholarship for drug court and other court-based intervention programs. The National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors translates research and knowledge about effective alcohol and drug abuse prevention and treatment into better public policy in Texas, and assists in the collaboration between advocates, lawmakers, and treatment professionals, especially with respect to best practices and sensible funding solutions.
The Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable provides consistent, educated, and grounded advocacy about barriers to re-entry for ex-offenders and the most effective policy solutions to reduce high recidivism rates for offenders under community supervision. The Reentry Roundtable brings together professionals and local and state elected officials in a dialogue about local, county, and state reforms that will combine to build a more effective criminal justice system.
The Texas State Conference of NAACP Branches - For 90 years, the NAACP – through political pressure, marches, demonstrations, and effective lobbying – has served as the voice of African Americans. It is the nation's largest advocacy organization and has been part of a prolonged agitation for peaceful change. Today, after years of unrelenting struggle, they affirm their commitment to the true American Dream – an integrated society rich in diversity and open equally to all. They invite all Americans to stand with them: Native American, black, white, and Hispanic, young and old, Jew and Gentile, male and female.
The League of United Latin American Citizens informs their membership about necessary reforms to the criminal justice system, including among its top priorities the reduction of discrimination against Latinos and immigrants. LULAC is the leading Latino advocacy group in Texas.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas conserves America's and Texas’ original civic values - the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.