Getting Parole
The Big Question is..”When am I Eligible for Parole?” A person who is not incarcerated for a violent (3G) offense is eligible to be considered for parole when his flat time plus his good time credit and work time equal 25% of their sentence. The two principle time earning categories, state approved TRUSTY (SAT 2-4) and Line Class (L 1-3), each have different time-earning levels with a specific number of days that can be earned for each month actually served. Besides behavior in prison, the amount of good time that can be earned is also affected by the state laws relevant to good conduct time that were in effect when the offense was committed. A person who is not incarcerated for a violent (3G) offense is eligible to be considered for parole when his flat time plus his good time and work time equal 25% of their sentence. A “3G” is eligible after serving 50% of their sentence regardless of any “GOOD TIME CREDIT”. This is a typical “Time Sheet” Showing Credit Earned.
Trusty – earns up to 30 days for each 30 days served (earns 20 days for each 30 days served, and can also be awarded up to 10 extra days for each 30 days served).
Line Class I – earns 20 days for each 30 days served. Line Class II – earns 10 days for each 30 days served. Line Class III – NO good conduct time earned.
Good Time Credit can be lost if you violate any of the 80 TDCJ DISCIPLINARY RULES AND PROCEDURES FOR OFFENDERS as outlined in GR-106-Eng–GR-106-Span. They are classified as LEVEL 1 to 3 Offenses. These are the “GOOD-TIME LOSS LIMITS”. English–Spanish.
The Board of Pardons and Paroles decides which eligible offenders to release on parole.
A Very Important Part of Their Decision is Based On YOUR ITP-Individualized Treatment Plan!!
Some of these programs on the ITP are mandatory and nonattendance can result in disciplinary action, loss of good conduct time or Negative Parole Consideration. The More Items Completed on the Plan, the Better Chance You have of Being Granted Parole!!!
They are the people who Vote For or Against an Inmate’s Parole. They also decide whether or not to revoke parole for a Person Already on Parole.
It is comprised of 6 Regions and 7 Offices.
Amarillo–Angleton–Austin–Gatesville–Huntsville–Palestine–San Antonio.
To Add to the Confusion, there are 7 Institutional Parole Offices (IPO). Institutional Parole Officers (IPOs) complete interviews and case summaries of all offenders eligible for review. They also provide information to offenders on voting panel decisions and the reasons for approval or denial. These decisions are referred to as FI Codes.
Amarillo–Angleton–Arlington–Beeville–Gatesville–Huntsville–Palestine.
To Add MORE Confusion to the already Confused of the “Who, Where & What”: The 7 TBPP Offices have different Units assigned to them then the 7 IPO Offices.
There are a Possible 11 “Approval / Denial Reasons” that are Given to The Inmate when he is Notified of the Board’s Decision. “2-D” is the One Most Often Given for Denial of Parole.
If You are Granted Parole Then There WILL BE RESTRICTIONS and Conditions attached to Your Parole Release. You Will Sign a General Conditions of Parole Release Form During the Release Process. Notice that the TYPE is About an “6” Point Size. Hard To READ.
There are many factors that go into an inmate getting paroled. The laws that were enforce at the time of the crime. The inmate’s offense (3G or Non 3G), and all of the following: Seriousness of the offense(s); Letters of support and/or protest; Sentence length/amount of time served; Criminal history/other arrest, probation, parole; Number of prison incarcerations; Juvenile history; Institutional adjustment (participation in specialized programs); and Offender age.
The two underlined items above are areas that the offender has some control over. Getting family members, friends, other people to write letters to the IPO office that is responsible for the Unit the inmate is housed in. And the easiest to achieve is to enroll and complete as many courses as are offered to the inmate in their Unit.
The offender will probably NOT be interviewed by a panel member before the final panel vote BUT will Sign a Form Acknowledging a Unit Parole Interview even though NONE of the Statements in the Form may be TRUE. A Non-3G offender’s panel is composed of at least one Board Member and any combination of Board Members and Parole Commissioners, and two of the three panelists must vote in favor of parole before it can be granted.
A 3G offender’s panel is composed of the entire seven-member Board and requires a two-thirds majority vote to be released on parole. A higher requirement in order to be paroled.
Parole Guidelines are also used to determine an inmate’s eligibility for parole.
Parole Guidelines consist of two major components that interact to provide an offender’s probability of parole success. The first is a Risk Assessment Instrument that weighs both static and dynamic factors associated with the offender’s record. Static factors include age at first admission to a juvenile or adult correctional facility, history of supervisory release revocations for felony offenses, prior incarcerations, employment history, and the commitment offense. Dynamic factors include the offender’s current age, whether the offender is a confirmed member of a security threat group (gang), educational, vocational, and certified on-the-job training programs completed during the present incarceration, institutional disciplinary conduct and current institutional custody level. The offender’s risk level is assigned based on the total of static and dynamic factor points.
The second major component is the Offense Severity Class. The Board has assigned an Offense Severity Ranking to every one of the felony offenses in the statute. Offense Severity Classes range from Low, for non-violent crimes such as credit card abuse, to Highest, for capital murder. If an offender is incarcerated for more than one offense, the most serious active offense is assigned an Offense Severity Class as identified by the established list.
After both of the above factors have been considered, the two components of the guidelines are then merged into a matrix that creates the offender’s Parole Guidelines Score based upon the intersection of the risk level and offense severity rating. Separate risk scales have been developed for male and female offenders.
Parole Guidelines Scores range from 1, for an offender with the poorest probability of success, up to 7, for an offender with the greatest probability of success.
The guidelines are not automatic and the Parole Guidelines Score does not determine whether an offender will be granted parole. Board Members and Parole Commissioners retain the discretion to vote outside the guidelines when the circumstances of an individual case merit their doing so.