My hometown of Houston, Texas has had a some exceptional successes in crime-fighting and cost-cutting over the last few years. These successes can be attributed in part to policy innovations from Pat Lykos, the district attorney. Moreover, exciting new initiatives that are based on solid research such as Judge Jan Krocker’s mental health court and a sobering center are just now getting underway. I wrote about several of these innovations — and the unfinished work that Houston still has left to do — in a piece for the Houston Chronicle this weekend. You can read it by clicking here.