Our
History
The Early Years
In
1984, Dallas executive Richard
H. Collins formed The Today Foundation.
The
foundation debuted with a single initiative devoted entirely to
criminal justice issues in Texas. That initiative, called Associated
Texans Against Crime (ATAC), developed a crime-fighting
agenda with the help of then State Senator J.E. "Buster"
Brown.
In
1985, Texas legislators drafted laws supporting many of the goals
set forth in ATAC's agenda. Those goals included:
- revising
how judges instructed juries regarding parole
-
making multiple murders a death-penalty offense
- providing
victims of crime with more rights
Growth
and Evolution of ATAC
Since
the enactment of those laws, ATAC has persevered in its quest
for policies that penalize the actions of criminals and protect
the rights of crime victims. It has also devoted a great deal
of energy toward ending widespread parole practices that released
violent offenders after they had served just a fraction of their
sentences.
In
1995, ATAC produced On The Record, a policy report calling
for the reform of juvenile-records laws.
Other
ongoing projects of ATAC in recent years include the:
- publication
of an Annual Report on Crime, which describes trends
in crime, and criminal justice, throughout Texas.
- publication
of a newsletter detailing important developments in criminal
justice.
- submission
of editorials to Texas newspapers about criminal justice issues
- funding
of studies of such issues as the use of electronic monitoring
by probation and parole departments in Dallas County
- presentation
of more than 100 awards to law-enforcement officers for exemplary
service and to citizen groups for their community involvement
- presentation
of the Texas Anti-Drug Award to schools in Texas with outstanding
drug-education programs
Also
be sure to review:
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