Transcript Most Recent Legislative Session - Texas Criminal Justice Coalition

Re-Entry Policy Highlights
From Texas’ Most Recent Legislative Session
Where Texas is Today and Where Texas Needs to Be
DOWD Conference
Dallas, Texas
Tuesday, April 6, 2010, from 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
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Historical Bipartisan Support
 This session, policy-makers made an historic, bipartisan
showing of support for policies that will assist men and women
in their re-integration efforts, providing those who are returning
to our communities with the resources for personal responsibility
that will more successfully avert them from the criminal justice
system in the future.
 With the tools to effectively and healthily manage their lives,
formerly incarcerated individuals will be empowered to
participate in society in a fulfilling and productive way, to the
benefit of public safety, family cohesion, local economies, and
public health.
FY 2009 Release Statistics:
Primary Counties and Release Status
HARRIS
15,287
(54% Discharge
46% Supervision)
DALLAS
7,432
(47% Discharge
53% Supervision)
ALL OTHER
COUNTIES
52%
Harris - 21%
Dallas - 10%
Tarrant - 7%
Bexar - 6%
Travis - 4%
All Other Counties - 52%
TARRANT
5,132
(46% Discharge
54% Supervision)
TRAVIS
2,872
(58% Discharge
42% Supervision)
BEXAR
4,681
(47% Discharge
53% Supervision)
Total Releases = 72,218
Key Components for Re-Entry
 Statewide Reintegration Plan
 Re-entry Task Force (State Level)
 Re-entry Efforts (Local Level)
 Personal Identification Documents
 Increased Employment Opportunities
 Housing
 Educational Resources
 Improved Efficiency
 Future
Efforts
Comprehensive Statewide Re-Entry Plan
 HB 1711 (S. Turner, Guillen, A. Martinez, Veasey, Marquez);
Creates a comprehensive statewide reintegration program for
individuals transitioning from prison back into our communities.
Note: An amendment was added to this bill that established the
Texas Reentry Task Force. This Task Force is comprised of
members of state agencies, members of community groups,
and concerned citizens. Its goal is to identify gaps in services
and coordinate with providers of existing local re-entry services
to provide exiting individuals with a successful return to society.
Personal Identification
 HB 2161 (S. Turner, Marquez); Gives individuals re-entering
society a personal identification certificate provided by TDCJ,
allowing individuals to more easily obtain an ID or drivers
license. – Signed by the Governor!
Increased Employment Opportunities
 HB 963 (Guillen); Allows formerly incarcerated individuals to
confirm their eligibility status for an occupational license before
committing to and preparing for an educational program. –
Signed by the Governor; effective immediately!
Note: This bill includes an amendment that will increase
employment opportunities for nonviolent, non 3-g offenders if
they are eligible to obtain an occupational license and if their
past crime is not related to the occupational license they are
seeking to obtain.
Housing
 HB 3226 (Madden, Edwards, McReynolds, Christian);
Establishes a housing voucher program to address the lack of
housing that many paroled individuals face when leaving prison.
– Signed by the Governor; effective immediately!
The housing program applies to individuals who have been
approved for parole or mandatory supervision but who are
awaiting a halfway house placement. It allows TDCJ to provide
payment vouchers for temporary housing, food, clothing, and
hygiene products for community-based housing in the county of
the individual’s release, rather than requiring him or her to wait
for a TDCJ-sponsored halfway house to become available. The
amount of payment issued through the housing voucher may
not exceed the cost that TDCJ would pay to incarcerate an
individual for the same time period that the voucher is issued
for.
Educational Resources
 HB 3649 (Marquez, Hodge, Madden): Allows certain non-profit,
religious, or civic organizations to send inmates books and
educational materials. – Signed by the Governor; effective
immediately!
Improved Efficiency
 HB 2289 (Madden, McReynolds, Marquez): Requires TDCJ to
release a prison inmate from either the facility in which s/he
served the sentence or a regional release facility nearest to the
facility in which s/he served the sentence. – Signed by the
Governor!
Shaping the Future of Re-Entry
In Texas
Eliminating Barriers to Re-Entry
 Explore the impact of statutes and the use of criminal
background checks in areas of housing and employment.