The Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI) at Texas A&M University has been awarded the Michael K. Moore Award for Research and Writing in the Area of Indigent Defense by the State Bar of Texas.

The award was presented on June 19 during the Annual Bar Leaders Recognition Luncheon at the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting in San Antonio.

PPRI received the honor for its recent report, Justice Beyond the Cities: The State of Rural Public Defense in Texas, a comprehensive study commissioned by the Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC) and mandated by the Texas Legislature in the 2024–25 General Appropriations Act.

The report highlights the unique challenges facing rural public defense systems across Texas. PPRI’s research team conducted a statewide needs assessment using a combination of online surveys, virtual interviews, document reviews, and statistical analysis of criminal justice data. The study drew from more than five hundred survey responses, forty-nine interviews, TIDC grant applications, and macro-level data spanning from 2014 to 2022.

“This recognition from the State Bar of Texas affirms the importance of evidence-based research in shaping justice policy,” said Dr. George Naufal, Lead-Principal Investigator (PI) of the study. “Our findings underscore the urgent need to support rural communities in delivering constitutionally sound public defense services.”

The award marks a milestone in PPRI’s two-decade partnership with TIDC, which began in 2003. The institute continues to serve as a trusted resource for data-driven insights that inform public policy across the state.

To read the full report, visit: https://ppri.tamu.edu/portfolio-items/justice-beyond-the-cities