SULPHUR SPRINGS, Texas – As a former police officer, prosecutor, and a district judge, Robert Newsom would appear to typify Texas law and order.
Currently, he splits his time serving as Hopkins County’s chief administrator and a part-time probate judge whose judicial philosophy is influenced by his faith and the principles of justice and compassion.
“I believe in the law. I promote the law. I stand with the law,” explained Newsom, who is also an ordained minister through Christ for the Nations. “On the other hand, there’s a place for mercy built into our law.”
State officials have embraced a similar focus on rehabilitation, which has helped to make the Lone Star State a leader in prison reform. Since 2011, its crime rate has fallen and fewer Texans are behind bars (down from 156,000 in 2011 to 146,000). Texas is now on track to closing its eighth prison facility in six years by the end of September 2017, four of which shuttered this year saving the state a projected $49.5 million.
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