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Whitmire: Parole board, TDCJ, must do a better job explaining parole decisions to inmates and their families

By Gritsforbreakfast

A significant portion of yesterday's Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee hearing focused on the parole process, with several interesting points highlighted during the discussion. (Video from the hearing is available online here.)Chairman John Whitmire was in top form, politely but firmly taking TDCJ officials and parole board chair Rissie Owens to task for not doing enough to notify inmates why their parole is denied. The failure to do so, he said, harms guard and prisoner safety and makes rehabilitation less likely because offenders don't think there's anything they can do to achieve parole faster. As a result, they don't participate in programs, etc., or become frustrated and catch new disciplinary cases.The parole board notifies inmates of approvals and denials through a letter that's delivered by a TDCJ parole officer assigned to each institution...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on April 03, 2008 (boomark / email).