| 5 | 3 | | |
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| 6 | 4 | | |
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| 7 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 7 | | relating to the review of certain privately operated residential |
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| 10 | 8 | | facilities for persons released on parole or to mandatory |
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| 11 | 9 | | supervision. |
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| 12 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 11 | | SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS. In this Act: |
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| 14 | 12 | | (1) "Department" means the Texas Department of |
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| 15 | 13 | | Criminal Justice. |
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| 16 | 14 | | (2) "Releasee" means a person released on parole or to |
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| 17 | 15 | | mandatory supervision. |
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| 18 | 16 | | SECTION 2. REVIEW OF RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES. (a) The |
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| 19 | 17 | | department shall review instances in which a releasee has absconded |
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| 20 | 18 | | from supervision while being housed in a facility that is: |
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| 21 | 19 | | (1) operated under contract with the department; and |
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| 22 | 20 | | (2) located in a county that has a population of |
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| 23 | 21 | | 800,000 or more and is located on the international border. |
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| 24 | 22 | | (b) The department shall analyze the factors that |
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| 25 | 23 | | contribute to releasees absconding, including to what extent a rate |
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| 26 | 24 | | of absconsion from a particular facility that exceeds the statewide |
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| 27 | 25 | | average for all facilities is attributable to the types of |
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| 28 | 26 | | releasees residing in the facility or to issues related to the staff |
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| 29 | 27 | | of the facility. |
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| 30 | 28 | | (c) The department shall make recommendations regarding: |
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| 31 | 29 | | (1) improvements to the procedures used by the |
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| 32 | 30 | | department to: |
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| 33 | 31 | | (A) assess whether a releasee is likely to |
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| 34 | 32 | | abscond from supervision; and |
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| 35 | 33 | | (B) identify the appropriate residence for a |
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| 36 | 34 | | releasee; and |
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| 37 | 35 | | (2) legislative changes to the department's |
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| 38 | 36 | | contracting powers, including any provisions to: |
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| 39 | 37 | | (A) determine the most suitable private vendors |
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| 40 | 38 | | with which to contract for the housing, supervision, and |
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| 41 | 39 | | programmatic support of releasees; and |
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| 42 | 40 | | (B) establish minimum requirements for the |
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| 43 | 41 | | staffing of any facility housing releasees under a contract with |
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| 44 | 42 | | the department. |
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| 45 | 43 | | SECTION 3. REPORT. Not later than December 1, 2018, the |
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| 46 | 44 | | department shall report the results of the review and analysis |
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| 47 | 45 | | required by Section 2 of this Act and make recommendations to the |
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| 48 | 46 | | governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of |
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| 49 | 47 | | representatives, and the standing legislative committees with |
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| 50 | 48 | | primary jurisdiction over the department. |
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| 51 | 49 | | SECTION 4. ASSISTANCE BY BOARD OF PARDONS AND PAROLES. On |
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| 52 | 50 | | request of the department, the Board of Pardons and Paroles shall |
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| 53 | 51 | | provide information to the department or otherwise assist the |
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| 54 | 52 | | department in conducting the review and preparing the report |
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| 55 | 53 | | required by this Act. |
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| 56 | 54 | | SECTION 5. EXPIRATION. This Act expires June 1, 2019. |
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| 57 | 55 | | SECTION 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September |
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| 58 | 56 | | 1, 2017. |
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