Robert Francis, the Texan judge closing America's jails

It is tough on crime Republican radical reform of the criminal justice system - rehabilitation programs

The motley crew of criminals bridge on the ground, quietly tail with three rows of seats. There are about 20 of them, men and women of all ages, most with a history of theft, violence and misuse of weapons, all serious drug problems. I spent biographies judicial above describes a man who spent 12 years in prison, 26 convictions of more than two decades and displays the "drug of choice" such as cocaine and heroin

While imprisoned comrades Felin Bell seems to have walked straight in the series of Hollywood crime caper, he is a great man with a plaid shirt smart can happen as a middle manager. Almost before he sits, who is elected by the judge as a shining star of the week, praised for his positive attitude and sent home as a reward. "You look surprised - it should not be," he said

It is clear that the court in Dallas for drug offenders is not normal cut. Procedures are developed, it seems that the therapy was crossed with a television. The judge wears a robe, is on the bench and rarely swears a lot. His name is Robert Francis, a fast-talking Republicans 52 years, a rock fan and an avid hunter who proudly showed me into his office before the procedure begins, the heads of large pigs slaughtered.

As troops of criminals, warns if someone lies or bullshit go "fucking ballistic." Then analyzed the difficulties of staying in a straight line while through their jobs, their families, their hopes for the future. It responds to the comments of dirty jokes, short homilies or serious threats. "Stay positive brother," said one man, while another warns: "You might think I'm crazy, but I'm the crazy bitch that can be returned to prison."

There are bursts of applause, cheers and then a young man who looked embarrassed, he reveals that he married two days before. The judge said a woman who began to help her mother in the house she makes them proud. "You must be proud, too," he said.

Until recently, these people were thrown into overcrowded prisons. After all, were captured in Texas - the worst state of a nation that has more criminals than anywhere else in the world, with more than one in 100 adults behind bars. Instead, counseling and housing assistance and employment, although they can be returned to prison if no testing, leak or recurrence. A woman addicted to crystal meth, told me that the hearings are like walking on eggshells. But there is little incentive for those who do well, such as gift certificates or $ 10 - the day of my visit - BBQ lunch with Francis. "These people must believe that we care and we want to succeed," he said later. "Once they believe in me can begin to change."

beneficiaries of a revolution that shakes justice in the United States, with an experience of enlightenment in Britain. It is a revolt led by hardline conservatives who said jail a sign of failure of the State. They say it is a misuse of taxpayers' money when the same people, often damaged by drink, drugs, mental health problems or chaotic environments, to return again and again.

Note that this revolution was triggered in "Hang 'Em High" in Texas, which prides itself on its toughness and still carries out more executions than in other states. But instead of building new prisons and prison more people in Texas, is to divert funds for sophisticated rehabilitation programs to reduce recidivism. The money was poured into the probation service, probation and drug specialists, women, the mentally ill and veterans. And it worked: the figures show violent crime fall more than double the national average, while reducing costs and reducing the prison population

In the process, right-wingers have allied with liberals who have long advocated such an approach, detoxifying one of the most toxic political debate at a time when partisan divisions U.S. n ' have never been more pronounced. "This used to be one of the most emotional and ideological divisions in the country," said Adam Gelb, the Pew Center on the States, a charitable organization that supports the socio-political initiative. "We start to see the triumph of science over the sound bites.

"There is no agreement on the causes of crime, or even the use of the death," Gelb continues, "but there is no agreement on solutions . Liberals and Conservatives come to the same destination in very different ways. "Now the Texans tactics being adopted in other" states dark red "Republican like Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma and South Carolina, while conservatives flock known to the defense including Newt Gingrich, Jeb Bush, Bobby Jindal and Grover Norquist. was once Nixon in China. "It started in Texas, has resonated throughout the country," said Gelb. "We heard repeatedly that if Texas can do it, can not be soft on crime. "

As in Britain, was an iron rule in American politics that candidates win elections by talking tough against crime. The result was a wave of harsh sentencing laws, as well as pumping "war against drugs" means that the prison population is growing 13 times faster than the general population. Consequently, a nation with 5% of global accounts population accounted for 25% of prisoners in the world - and it spent a year £ 43 billion to keep them there. criminal justice system is also accused of worsening inequality of races, with men of origin Hispanic three times more likely to be imprisoned than white men and black men about seven times more likely. According to a report by the Pew monument, one in nine black men between the ages of 20 and 34 is behind bars.

Texas

characterizes the trend. Just eight years, had the highest rate of incarceration in the world, with one in 20 adults in prison, on probation or parole. The biggest deficit in the history of the state has led to a decrease of probation, gives judges no choice but to increase admissions to prisons.

In 2006, however, a political earthquake started shaking conventional wisdom. It all started when the state budget has emphasized the need for the $ 2 billion for seven new prisons to accommodate a predicted 17,700 additional prisoners in 2012. When staunch Republican Jerry Madden was appointed chairman of the House Corrections Committee, the state government responsible for criminal justice and probation prison, asked to avoid building more prisons because they were too expensive.

Madden

white hair is an unlikely hero of prison reform. A fan of George W. Bush and Tea Party supporters, who readily describes himself as "a republican form of Texas -. I am very conservative when viewed nationally "He admits that when he took over the committee that he knew nothing about it and had no interest in what has become his mission life. But he trained as an engineer, and with an open mind, is dedicated to developing solutions. Maybe it helps at the end of his political career - when we meet, it is the packaging from his office in Austin, after announcing his retirement. "I'm not interested in things to feel good, I'm interested in what works," he said. "And since my work was not build more prisons, I had to look for alternatives. " new Fabelo Tony Madden, a former adviser to two Democratic governors, Republic of evidence to overcome the "lock 'em up and throw away the key" lobby. FABELO figures are frightening: in just two decades, the incarceration rate in Texas increased from 226 persons to 691 persons per 100,000 inhabitants, however, other states with the growth rate was the lowest decrease faster crime. Meanwhile, one of the prisoners was three Texans back in prison within three years. "They created a fracture completely," says Madden.

Fabelo Madden told to focus on short-term services to address the underlying problems of offenders, such as substance abuse and mental health. He suggested spending $ 240 million on these services - less than half the amount of new prisons this year - and noted that every dollar spent in this way saved at least $ 2 in the long term. Every prisoner, after all, costs $ 50 per day.

• Madden looked at the numbers and made a leap of faith. He went on the attack, using traditional good arguments to those who seek to overthrow the political criminal extremists. "We moved the object to be a lenient one criminals to be smart about using money. If you want to keep people in prison who do not need to be there, then that is a waste of taxpayers' money.

"We call it the department of corrections, and we must do everything we can to good people, and not just jail," says Madden. "Some people deserve to be in prison until they die, but the prisons are full of people who are angry because they have done stupid things in his life. Try to change their behavior. "

typical little better than Jose Barajas. In this massive 31-year-old man told me his life story of a shy smile crossed his face from time to time, and when he did it almost seemed like the nice guy whose father was taken the desert and killed shot by rival gang members. Joseph was 11 years old then.

In the years that followed Jose drank heavily, took a lot of drugs and determined that no one would have the opportunity to enjoy what the men who murdered his father or his mother abused . "Me and my gun was enough," he said. "I felt like a cowboy of the Wild West. I did a lot of flights, most stolen vehicles, all sorts of other things."
Barajas was furious at a world that seemed inexorable. A night at the head of the party decided to die in a blaze of glory. "I wanted to go out with a suicide by police, undress me," he said. "So when the police arrived I started screaming, mocking them, but they refused to shoot. Was so angry he is not dead. now I realize that I was selfish in my family and my children. "

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