On May 8th, the Texas Public Policy Foundation hosted a primer titled “Right-Sizing Texas Corrections.” The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is under Sunset Review this year, and the commission will need to identify the core functions of the department which serve its mission most effectively in terms of costs and results. The Foundation’s primer looked at several policy options for enhancing public safety and controlling costs. Among the options discussed were better prioritizing prison space to focus on dangerous offenders and achieving operational efficiencies in areas such as correctional health care.

Marc Levin of Right On Crime, and the Director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Effective Justice, moderated the panel, which featured the following speakers:

The Honorable Joan Huffman
Texas State Senator

The Honorable Jerry Madden
Texas State Representative

The Honorable Ray Allen
former Texas State Representative

Peggy McGarry
Director, Center for Sentencing and Corrections at the Vera Institute for Justice

Listen to audio of the primer by clicking here.