Texas Tough may be taking a back seat to Texas Smart when it comes to crime and punishment. An unlikely coalition of reformers, think tanks, and business groups are uniting under a new banner of "Smart-on-Crime" to take aim at what they say are the broken parts of our justice system.
Their chief aim is changing how we think about nonviolent drug offenders, increasing treatment and diversion to reduce the numbers in prison. The group also wants to make sure offenders don't end up as professional criminals with more reentry programs and supports to help people get their lives together.
Guests:
- Ana Yañez-Correa, executive director of the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
- Vikrant Reddy, senior policy analyst, Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation
*This is the second segment in the September 11 edition of The Source, which airs at 3 p.m. on KSTX 89.1 FM.
