AUSTIN – The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Effective Justice will host the policy panel “A Second Act for Criminal Justice Reform” at the 12th Annual Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature on Thursday, January 9 at 2:00 p.m. at the Sheraton Austin Hotel at the Capitol. 

“The 2007 reforms to Texas criminal justice policy that strengthened alternatives to incarceration for holding nonviolent offenders accountable have been wildly successful, and made Texas a national model in this sphere,” said Marc Levin, Director of the Center for Effective Justice, “Nevertheless, more work needs to done to ensure that we are maximizing public safety, empowering victims of crime, reforming, offenders, and not being too tough on taxpayers.” 

Panelists include: 

  • Marc Levin (TPPF moderator) is the director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Levin is an attorney and an accomplished author on legal and public policy issues and has served as a law clerk to Judge Will Garwood on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Staff Attorney at the Texas Supreme Court.
     
  • Representative Tan Parker represents House District 63, which includes the cities of Flower Mound, Roanoke, Argyle, and Bartonville. For the 83rd Legislative Session, Parker was selected to be the Chairman of the House Committee on Corrections.
  • Representative Abel Herrero is serving his fourth term representing the people of District 34. During his time in the Texas House of Representatives, Herrero has served on committees that include the Committee for Appropriations, Human Services, Defense Affairs, and now serves as Chairman of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.
     
  • Adam Gelb is director of the Public Safety Performance Project at Pew Charitable Trusts, which helps states advance policies and practices in adult and juvenile sentencing and corrections that protect public safety, hold offenders accountable, and control corrections costs.
  • The Honorable Bill Hammond is President and Chief Executive Officer of Texas Association of Business & Chambers of Commerce (TAB/TABCC) and has led the state’s most influential business and chamber organization since April 1998.

For twelve years, the Foundation’s Policy Orientation has been one of the nation’s top policy conferences, selling out each year while bringing together lawmakers, policy experts, and engaged citizens from across the political spectrum to discuss critical issues facing the Lone Star State and America. Last year’s Policy Orientation attracted approximately 1,100 attendees including 100 state legislators and hundreds of legislative staff from both sides of the aisle.

This year’s program includes more than 25 panel discussions and debates on the major issues affecting Texas’ future.  The program will be updated with additional events and speakers in the coming weeks. Members of the public and media who wish to attend may register and view the agenda here: http://bit.ly/TVGJeN.

 

Marc Levin is the Director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Effective Justice. 

The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin.

Primary website: www.TexasPolicy.com

Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/TexasPublicPolicyFoundation

Twitter feed: www.Twitter.com/TPPF