A Texas parole lawyer explains what happens to credit for the time you were out on parole, street time, if the Texas Parole Board is trying to revoke your parole.
The amount of time that a person has been out of prison on parole is often referred to as “street time.” If you are accused of violating a condition of your parole you probably want to know what can happen to the credit for time where you have been out on parole. One reason we strongly recommend hiring a Texas parole lawyer if you have been accused of violating your parole is the impact having that having your parole revoked can have on the credit towards completing your sentence that you have been getting for while out on parole. If your parole is not revoked nothing happens to your street time. If you are revoked what happens to your street time depends two things:
- How long you have been on parole
- The offense that led to your incarceration.
For some offenses you will automatically lose your street time if your parole is revoked. For a library article discussing those offenses please click here. If you were not sentenced for one of those offenses the most important factor is the amount of time you have been parole. If you have been on parole for over half of the amount of time left on your sentence at the time you were paroled then you will get credit for your street time. If you have been on parole for less than half that time you will not get credit. Two simple examples help to explain.
- Joe was convicted of possession of a controlled substance. He was paroled with ten years left on his sentence. He had ten years to serve on parole before his case would be discharged. If his parole were revoked after being on parole for eight years he would get credit for those eight years. He would have two years left to serve in TDCJ because he was on parole for over half the time remaining on his sentence.
- If Joe’s parole were revoked after he had been on parole for three years he would not get credit for the three years he had been on parole. He would return to TDCJ with ten years to serve. This is because he had not been on parole for half the time remaining on his sentence.
If there is a blue warrant out for your arrest and you are concerned about losing your street time because of the type of offense click here for an explanation of what crimes make someone ineligible for street time. As you can see the consequences for having your parole revoked can have devastating consequences. You can lose your freedom, but additionally it is possible to lose your street time. It is important that you fight to avoid those consequences if at all possible. At Topek and Topek experienced Texas parole lawyers are ready to defend you against any allegations that you violated your Texas parole. Please fill out this secure online contact form and we will answer any question you have about street time or parole revocations. Please call us at 713-651-1444 for a free consultation. Our offices are in Houston and we represent individuals accused of violating there parole in Brazoria County, Conroe, Fort Bend County, Montgomery County, Galveston and other surrounding cities.