Democracy Toolbox

This. Makes. Sense!

THE JUSTICE REFORM "SOLUTION CIRCLE" - I am posting this in response to a question I was asked on Facebook this week. How can we trust the DA's office or know that it will help the community? Here's my answer. We need to look at problems, come up with potential solutions, objectively test and evaluate those solutions to see if they are working, tweak and improve the ones that work, and then expand and roll out the best ideas that REALLY lead to better outcomes for people and the community. This is exactly the approach I took with DIVERT Court. I saw the problem of minor drug offenders going to jail instead of getting treatment. I tried DIVERT, hoping it would work. I then let SMU do two independent evaluations that showed the program was reducing recidivism and saving taxpayer dollars. We need the same approach to every policy and program coming out of the District Attorney's Office. We need to see problems clearly, find solutions that really work through testing and evaluation, then share those ideas. That's what makes Dallas County great. That's what makes us leaders here and elsewhere.