Texas is working hard to shut prisons and grant paroles. There are more empty beds in TDC than there have been in years and, thank God, it looks like the Dawson State Jail will finally be shut down. That place is awful.

There are less prisoners because of the terrible budget situation Texas finds itself in and that isn't likely to change for a while. This situation means that the time is perfect to apply for parole if some time and care is taken to do a good parole packet.

An application for a Texas parole can be handled by a Texas Parole Lawyer or it can be handled by a family member or a friend of the person that is incarcerated. It is hard for a prisoner to do one alone because they have limited or no access to computers, photographs, friends and family, etc.

Our recently updated books, How to Prepare a Texas Parole Presentation Package can be a big help in preparing the packet for submission to the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole for those people who are not able to afford a Texas Parole attorney. The book is available as an instantly available  download or as a bundle including a download and a printed copy that can be mailed to you or to the prisoner which will allow them to understand and assist in preparing the packet.

The book has forms and instructions as well as providing assistance on calculating the Parole Guideline Score and how to use it effectively to increase the chances of parole. There are also examples of support letters and explanations of what is important to include, why it is important and even what to watch out for.

In short, now is a great time to apply for parole and the chances of it being granted are much greater now than they were a few years ago. However, the more effort that is put into the parole packet, the better the chance of the person walking free of a Texas prison soon.