Tuesday, January 30, 2007

SACked?

Grits for Breakfast has raised a flag over the creation of a reconstituted Statistical Analysis Center in TX, primarily since the gov there got rid of the last one, one nationally known for quality, objective analysis because its chief's analysis didn't correspond with the gov's dogm . . . well-considered beliefs. I'll leave it to Grits to provide the tale in his own inimitable way, but I'll note one thing. I was OK's SAC director back in the late 90’s and ran afoul of the Governor and his Public Safety secretary for exactly the same reason Tony Fabelo did with the gov in TX. The SAC staff, however, oddly was picked by the state sentencing commission, which was chaired by two Dem legislators. After we were accused of "disloyalty," we, including the SAC, were put into the legis, but we were also told that no Public Safety agency would be allowed to partner with us on grant proposals, which were a major part of what we did. Largely as a result of that environment, I took a job in DC with the Justice Research and Statistics Association, the national liaison for all state SACs. The SAC in OK still exists but is not very active. SACs can be great resources for states, but (or perhaps because of that) these kinds of interference are not uncommon. Among the most effective SACs are those housed and buffered in universities, like MD where the highly respected Charles Wellford has been operating an exemplary show for years. One sign of whether TX is serious about its new version is to have Charles consult. You go ahead and start holding your breath. I'll catch up.

(And, yes, that Tony Fabelo is the guy crim just policy history will remember for raising the first flag about TECHNOCORRECTIONS.)

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