Q What is street time? A Texas parole law explains what is meant by therm "street time."
In Texas the only way for an offender to discharge a prison sentence is to have day for day credit for their entire sentence. If an offender is sentenced to five years TDCJ they must have credit for five years time before the sentence is complete. An offender will get credit for the time they are incarcerated and for the time they are on parole. Street time refers to the credit towards completing a sentence an offender gets while parole. For example:
- Suzie was sentenced to four years TDCJ for forgery. She was paroled after eleven months. She has credit for those eleven months. She will complete her sentence after she has successfully been on parole for three years and one month. The credit for the three years and one month is commonly referred to as “street time.”
Unfortunately, we are often asked about what “street time” means when a Texas parolee is facing a possible parole revocation, then the questions are about what will happen to their street time if their parole is revoked. The answer depends on two things:
- If the offense is the type of crime which makes them ineligible for street time credit.
- How long they have been on parole and how much time is left on their sentence.
For a discussion regarding ineligible offenses click here. For a discussion of how your time on parole is affected if you can get street time click here. If you have questions regarding street time please call us for a free consultation at 713-651-1444. If you are facing a possible parole revocation you have the right to an attorney and to protect your rights and defend you against accusations that you violated your parole. The stakes at a parole hearing can be high if you risk loosing your street time. Please fill out our secure online contact form and an experienced Houston parole lawyer will be in touch with you shortly. Our offices are in Houston and we represent those accused of violating their parole in Harris County, Galveston County, Montgomery County, Fort Bend County, Brazoria County, and other surrounding areas.
