Each year in Texas 30,000 people go to prison for having small amounts of drugs on them and it's costing tax payers millions of dollars. Now, one lawmaker and a criminal justice organization are trying to change that.

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A recent report by the State of Texas Legislative Budget Board projects that incarceration rates for adults and the juvenile population will “remain stable” through the year 2020, with residential populations expected to remain at or below capacity.

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Imagine a political cause that is so powerfully moving that it can bring together people and organizations that normally campaign against each other, and have them call with one voice for something meaningful to be done.

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Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán's brazen escape last week from a maximum-security Mexican prison prompted anger from U.S. officials. 

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Wise observers of the Texas Legislature have learned to temper their expectations before each session. Yet there was a secret hope that the twin engines of liberal and conservative supporters could push important criminal justice reforms over the finish line.

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In October 2014, Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson partnered with local law enforcement to establish the First Chance Intervention Program, a rehabilitative diversion program for individuals with first-time, Class B misdemeanor marijuana possession offenses.

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Drug policy in the U.S. is changing. After more than 40 years of a War on Drugs that did little to curb supply or demand of illegal highs, jurisdictions across the nation are reconsidering their approach to drugs and drug users, with special emphasis on finding alternatives to incarceration.

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The 1.3 percent decline in Texas’ prison population last year was slightly higher than the national drop of one percent, says the Texas Tribune.

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Brooke Crowder found her calling in graduate school when she saw a video of young girls being pulled out of a hole in the floor of a brothel in India. 

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AUSTIN - Stealing is still a crime in Texas, but as of Sept. 1, you may be able to steal more and pay less if you’re caught.

Read the rest of this article at the Corsicana Daily Sun.