In May, 2005, probation reform House Bill 2193 was carried triumphantly by both houses of the Texas Legislature.
The product of six consecutive years of study by the House Committee on Corrections, long-awaited HB 2193 drew tremendous
support across party and district lines.
After passing overwhelmingly in the Legislature, House Bill 2193 arrived at the Office of Texas Governor Rick Perry. It
is here that Chairman Madden's legislation, the hope of many for true criminal justice reform, died.
Via an open records request, SolutionsforTexas acquired all correspondence from Governor Perry's office
regarding HB 2193.
Some findings:
Over 100 citizens wrote to the Governor in support of HB 2193. This group included doctors, veterans, lawyers,
drug treatment counselors, probation officers, nurses, teachers, grandparents, families of the incarcerated, and volunteers
for prison ministries, among others.
Sixteen Texas organizations sent official letters endorsing HB 2193. These organizations include:
- Diocese of Austin
- Texas Public Policy Foundation
- Texas Justice Network
- Texas Board of Criminal Justice
- Calvary Commission
- LULAC
- From Pain to Joy Prison Ministries
- Winners Circle Peer Support Network (Restoring the Treatment Initiative)
- Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
- Restorative Justice Ministries Network
- Texas Inmate Families Association
- Texas State Conference of NAACP Branches
- MASS for the Advancement of Social Systems
- Ministry Advisory Council, Inc. (Community Resource Center)
- Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable
- Solutions for Texas
Only a fraction of the correspondence opposed HB 2193. The opposing group was dominated by state prosecutors,
and also included two judges.
