Are You Eligible for Parole Soon? Wondering What Factors Will Be Examined?
If you are sitting in a Texas prison right now, you may be wondering how the Board of Pardons and Paroles will make a decision regarding your release. Or, if you have a loved one who is currently in prison and getting close to parole eligibility, you may be wondering what factors will be examined. Our Texas parole attorneys provide more information.
Parole Guidelines
The Texas legislature has mandated that the Board of Pardons and Paroles use parole guidelines when making decisions about a person’s parole.
There are two major components that are combined for a single score. The first component is the Risk Assessment Instrument. The second component is the Offense Severity class.
Risk Assessment Instrument
The Risk Assessment Instrument component measures certain factors associated with the person’s record. Factors that do not change are called “static factors.” Static factors include:
- Nature and length of any prior incarcerations.
- Age offender was first admitted to an adult or juvenile correctional facility.
- Nature of the current offense.
- History of employment.
“Dynamic factors” are those that change over time and that reflect characteristics the person has shown since being incarcerated. Dynamic factors include:
- Offender’s conduct during incarceration.
- Current age of offender
- Custody level while imprisoned
- Completion of any training programs while incarcerated
- Degree of security threat of offender
A person is assigned points based on these factors.
Offense Severity Class
Every felony charge has been assigned an offense severity ranking from lowest (for non-violent crimes, such as credit card abuse) to highest (such as a capital murder crime).
Parole Guidelines Score
The Risk Assessment Instrument and Offense Severity Class points are combined and assessed to create a Parole Guidelines Score for each offender. While this score is important, the board members retain the discretion to vote outside the guidelines for particular cases.
Contact our Texas parole attorneys for help.
If you know that you will be eligible for parole soon, or if you know that a family member will be eligible for parole soon, contact Topek and Topek, Attorneys at Law. We travel across the state of Texas to represent prisoners seeking parole. You may reach us by filling out the secure online form or by calling us directly at (888) 661-5030.