Every year the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers (DAYL) awards the Liberty Bell Award to a non-lawyer that “strengthens the effectiveness of the American system of justice.” In April of 2015, DAYL awarded it to Jerry Madden for his service in improving the performance of the Texas correctional system while a Representative, and later nationally as a Senior Fellow for Right on Crime.
Madden has served the state of Texas for many decades, through his chairmanship of the Republican party in Collin County to his twenty year stint in the Texas House of Representatives. As Chair of the House Corrections Committee, Madden helped usher through major reforms for the in-crisis Texas criminal justice system. Reducing incarceration rates and improving alternative methods of punishment, Madden was a pivotal part of closing down Texas prisons and saving taxpayers hundreds of millions. Now the state is being hailed as a reformative wonder, and is experiencing the lowest crime rates in over half a century.
Today Madden is continuing the good fight, as a Senior Fellow for Right on Crime. The former Representative is still busy traveling state-to-state urging a replication of Texas’ successful reforms, as well as providing research. These reforms have been proven to promote public safety, lower recidivism rates, repair communities and families, and lower expenses through cost-efficiency.
We congratulate The Honorable Jerry Madden on his receipt of the Liberty Bell Award. Clearly it could not have been awarded to a more deserving individual.