As we mentioned in a previous article, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that the parole officers could't just place a "sex offender" tag and conditions on parolees without a hearing on whether or not they were justified.

Although the case itself didn't get as much attention as it deserved, the media is now reporting that the parole officials have started removing the "Special Condition X" (obviously some of the parole people watch too much television) from parolees who did not get a chance to fight against that designation and who were not actually sex offenders.

Of course, "Rissie Owens, chairwoman of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, and Stuart Jenkins, parole director for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, who have steadfastly defended the past policy in court, could not be reached for comment" according to the Austin American Statesman. These people in charge of Texas parole don't want their powers limited.

It is estimated that as many as 6,900 0f the 80,600 parolees in Texas could be affected by this ruling.

What will be interesting is what effect this had on people who were sent back to prison for violation of a parole condition that was illegal in the first place.

Visit us here for more information as this scenario continues unfolding.

A Note:

People ask us "When is the time to start preparing a Texas parole packet?" Most of you know that a parole packet or a parole presentation package is a collection of documents and pictures sent to the Texas parole board to help them get to know the potential parolee a little better. This is particularly important in Texas since there is not an interview nor does the offender ever meet with an actual member of the parole board who will be voting.

Our answer as to when to start is always the same. 

Immediately.

There are many reasons for this, but the main thing to remember is it is better to have the information and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Many times it takes much longer to get the information together than you would think and people are forced to submit packets without all of the materials. When you are trying for parole in Texas you need every bit of help you can get.

We discuss the various parts of the packet in our eBook, How to Prepare a Texas Parole Presentation Package, available as a download which can then be used to prepare the packet or as a download and printed copy. As a bookstore, we can mail the printed copy to a prisoner at his unit or directly to you. By all means, if you can afford a parole attorney, hire one, but if you can't, our low priced eBook will help you to do the best job possible.