A Texas parole lawyer explains how a blue warrant can impact the credit you are getting towards your sentence.
There is a misperception by some that if an offender just avoids getting caught until their parole is finished then they will get all their credit and discharge their sentence. Unfortunately, if a blue warrant is issued the important factor is not when the parole ends but what the parole board decides to as a result of the violation. From the time the warrant is issued by the Texas Parole Board until the day of arrest is not counted as time served and the offender may not be given credit for that time. This means that if parole is revoked they will not get credit for that time.
For example if Bill is parole after serving one year of a four year sentence for drug possession and a warrant is issued at the beginning of the third year but he is not arrested until a month after his parole is done there are two possible outcomes. If his parole is revoked he will not receive credit for that year and will have one year left to serve on his sentence. However, if his parole is not revoked he will get credit towards the completion of his parole and his sentence will be discharged. In Bill’s case the board’s only two options were revocation or discharge.
This is why it is never a good idea to avoid dealing with a warrant and why it is always a good idea to hire a parole lawyer for your hearing. In our experience the parole board tends to respond negatively when someone absconds for an extended period of time. If you or someone you know is facing a blue warrant or is having trouble on parole please fill out an online contact form or call us at 713-651-1444. Our office is in Houston and we practice in Houston, Galveston, Fort Bend, Montgomery County and Brazoria County.