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TDCJ Unveils New Inmate Censorship Policy

In the new Offender Orientation Handbook released this earlier this month, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice instituted a new policy punishing offenders for having a social media presence even if it is managed by a friend or family member.   The new offender manual creates a prohibition on inmates "maintaining active social media accounts for the purposes of soliciting, updating, or engaging others, through a third party or otherwise."   Offenders who violate the new policy will be charged with a level three disciplinary violation which can result inRead More


What is the CHANGES Program?

The CHANGES Program is a program offered to offenders through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and Windham School District which provide life skills to prepare offenders for release.  CHANGES stands for Changing Habits and Achieving New Goals to Empower Success. Offenders who are expected to be released within two years or have F13R parole requirements are allowed and sometimes required to take the courses.   The CHANGES program include topics that are important to being successful on the outside.  These include: Personal Development –  preparing for change, goal setting, self-discovery, values, attitudes,Read More


Getting Your GED While Incarcerated

Windham School District (WSD) provides a GED preparation program for inmates seeking to obtain their GED while incarcerated and is available for any qualified inmate in a Texas county or state jail or prison at no charge. When inmates enter TDCJ they are tested to determine their academic level.  Inmates are then placed in educational program based on their Individualized Treatment Plan, which outlines education services for the offender.    Inmates are taught the skills needed to prepare for the GED test.  Classes are typically three hours a day andRead More


How Does the Texas Parole Board Make Their Decisions?

A question most asked of potential parolees is “How does the Parole Board make their decisions about parole?” The members of the Texas Parole Board use a set of parole guidelines in order to obtain a score for an offender.  For years, the Parole Board has been using a two-prong guideline to determine an offender’s likelihood of parole.  The guidelines contain two major sections:  the Risk Assessment Instrument and the Offense Severity Class.  These work together to provide an offender’s likelihood of parole in a single score.  In appearance, theRead More


Over 80,000 Inmates Considered for Parole in 2012

In 2012, 81,638 inmates were considered for parole.  Of those, only 29,689 were approved.  That means the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole approved just 36.8% of the inmates who were up for parole.   On average each parole office decides over 16,000 parole reviews per year, roughly 310 per week or almost 63 per day.  These numbers do not include the additional thousands of cases in which the board is considering an inmate for mandatory supervision. Based on these numbers, it is clear the members of the Parole BoardRead More