We get a lot of questions and hopefully this page will give you the answers you need concerning parole support letters.

Q: Does the parole panel review the support letters?

A: Support letters submitted by family, friends and inmates are placed in an offender's case file and are available to the parole panel to review during the parole review process.

Q: What kind of information should be included in the support letter?

A: Include any information that shows the parole board that an offender has the support of family and friends upon release.  Include any information about employment, residence, treatment programs, and any information you think might be helpful for the parole board to make their decision.  Make sure you include the offender's name and TDCJ number.

Q: Where do I send the support letter?

A: Send letters to: TDCJ – Parole Division, Attention: Correspondence, P.O. Box 13401, Capitol Station, Austin, TX 78711.

Q: Will a large number of petitions and letters make more of a difference to the parole panel than just a few?

A: No.  The parole member will not read the letters if there are too many.  Send just a few (3 to 5) clear and concise letters.

For forms, instructions, and tips to help you create an effective parole packet purchase our book, How to Prepare a Texas Parole Packet, available as an ebook, or as a bundle consisting of an ebook and a printed copy. The printed copy can be mailed to you or can be sent to the person who is incarcerated. By sending a printed copy to them they can assist in the preparation of their parole packet and, in addition, it helps them to pass the time while they are away from home. We also have the printed copy available by itself through Amazon.com at this link.  The advantage to buying through our website rather than  Amazon is that the ebook format allows you to cut and paste the forms directly to the word processor saving you both time and effort.

In addition to the book on preparing the parole packet, we also offer a free e-book available for instant download, Understanding the Texas Parole Process, which explains how the system works in Texas. This book does not provide information on how to prepare the parole packet but it does provide some tips on things the person can do while incarcerated which will help them make parole when the time comes. We offer this book as a service to the families and because most of the material out there is either wrong, outdated, or hard to understand.