| 1 | 1 | | 87R8965 JRR-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Campos H.B. No. 2395 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to individual treatment plans for inmates. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Section 508.144(a), Government Code, is amended |
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| 10 | 10 | | to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | (a) The board shall: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (1) develop according to an acceptable research method |
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| 13 | 13 | | the parole guidelines that are the basic criteria on which a parole |
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| 14 | 14 | | decision is made; |
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| 15 | 15 | | (2) base the guidelines on the seriousness of the |
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| 16 | 16 | | offense and the likelihood of a favorable parole outcome; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (3) ensure that the guidelines require consideration |
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| 18 | 18 | | of an inmate's progress on the inmate's individual treatment plan |
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| 19 | 19 | | and in any other programs in which the inmate participated during |
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| 20 | 20 | | the inmate's term of confinement; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (4) establish and maintain a range of recommended |
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| 22 | 22 | | parole approval rates for each category or score within the |
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| 23 | 23 | | guidelines; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | (5) implement the guidelines. |
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| 25 | 25 | | SECTION 2. Section 508.152, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 26 | 26 | | amending Subsections (b), (b-2), (c), and (e) and adding Subsection |
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| 27 | 27 | | (g) to read as follows: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (b) The department shall: |
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| 29 | 29 | | (1) not later than the 45th day after the date an |
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| 30 | 30 | | inmate is admitted to the institutional division, establish for the |
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| 31 | 31 | | inmate an individual treatment plan and provide the plan to the |
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| 32 | 32 | | inmate; and |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) submit the plan to the board at the time of the |
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| 34 | 34 | | board's consideration of the inmate's case for release. |
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| 35 | 35 | | (b-2) At least once in every 12-month period, the department |
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| 36 | 36 | | shall review each inmate's individual treatment plan to assess the |
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| 37 | 37 | | inmate's institutional progress and revise or update the plan as |
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| 38 | 38 | | necessary. The department shall make reasonable efforts to provide |
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| 39 | 39 | | an inmate the opportunity to complete any classes or programs |
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| 40 | 40 | | included in the inmate's individual treatment plan[, other than |
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| 41 | 41 | | classes or programs that are to be completed immediately] before |
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| 42 | 42 | | the inmate's [release on] parole eligibility date[, in a timely |
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| 43 | 43 | | manner] so that the inmate's release on parole is not delayed due to |
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| 44 | 44 | | any uncompleted classes or programs. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (c) The board shall conduct an initial review of an eligible |
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| 46 | 46 | | inmate not later than the 180th day after the date of the inmate's |
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| 47 | 47 | | admission to the institutional division. The board shall identify |
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| 48 | 48 | | any classes or programs that the board intends to require the inmate |
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| 49 | 49 | | to complete before the inmate's parole eligibility date [releasing |
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| 50 | 50 | | the inmate on parole]. The department shall provide the inmate with |
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| 51 | 51 | | a list of those classes or programs and make those classes available |
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| 52 | 52 | | to the inmate before the inmate's parole eligibility date. |
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| 53 | 53 | | (e) The institutional division shall: |
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| 54 | 54 | | (1) work closely with the board to monitor the |
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| 55 | 55 | | progress of the inmate in the institutional division; [and] |
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| 56 | 56 | | (2) report the progress to the board before the |
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| 57 | 57 | | inmate's release; and |
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| 58 | 58 | | (3) revise the inmate's risk level to reflect the |
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| 59 | 59 | | inmate's completion of programming as required by the inmate's |
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| 60 | 60 | | individual treatment plan. |
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| 61 | 61 | | (g) The department shall provide to the board a record of |
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| 62 | 62 | | the inmate's progress toward completion of the inmate's individual |
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| 63 | 63 | | treatment plan. |
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| 64 | 64 | | SECTION 3. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 65 | 65 | | of this Act, the Board of Pardons and Paroles shall modify the |
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| 66 | 66 | | parole guidelines to be in conformity with Section 508.144(a), |
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| 67 | 67 | | Government Code, as amended by this Act. |
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| 68 | 68 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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