I got this story about the improper use of data in Texas criminal cases from Prometheus. Thanks.
So what we have here is a clear instance of significant malfeasance (or rather what looks to be a clear instance of malfeasance). States like Texas present a clear case for why taxes and good government go hand in hand. To a certain extent though it also points to the way that equilibria are created, a recent topic of discussion both at Cobb and here.
I imagine that the finding that Texans have wrongfully imprisoned (and in some cases murdered) citizens is nothing new. I am not surprised at all. And folks on the left have been waging this battle for a while now--using different rhetoric perhaps but definitely arguing for the same goal, a saner criminal justice system. But those cries until now have fallen on deaf ears. The system changed not a whit.
Was it simply data that caused the equilibria to shift to a point where progress and reform were possible and likely? Such an account might give more weight to individual decision makers than warranted, but perhaps combined with institutional scrutiny (the media), this is what was needed. But we aren't quite done here yet. Just as there are institutional forces that would like to see a better more rational application of justice, there are institutional forces that would prefer the status quo (or worse). And we have yet to begin talking about the various rules and regulations which structure political opportunities even as they themselves are the creation of political processes.