Senate Bill 45 (SB 45) cases are certain specific crimes that require a special vote by the voting members of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Offenders who are incarcerated for a 21.11(a)(1), 21.11 conviction, or offenders who must serve 35 years before they are eligible for parole, are selected by the Parole Board differently from other offenders.
Probation, compulsory supervision, discretionary compulsory supervision and parole
Probation is the release of an inmate to serve the remainder of his sentence in the community under the supervision of the Parole and Parole Department (PPD )) of the TDCJ. An offender can only be paroled if he has been approved by a parole board and has served a sentence sufficient to be eligible for parole by law. The parole board also sets the terms of release that the prisoner must follow upon release from custody. Probation is only available to inmates in the Institutional Division (prison) of TDCJ and does not apply to individuals in state prison.
Below are the legal guidelines for eligibility for parole. Probation dates, with the exception of death row offenders or other specified cases, are calculated by the TDCJ Correctional Institutions Division, Records Office. Shortly after you arrive at the prison, the records office will provide you with a temp worksheet listing your first parole date. The type of offense determines the percentage of a sentence that must be served to be eligible, and the eligibility date may change based on good behavior time.
Voting Options
For an extraordinary vote, the board has a limited number of voting options. Options under Senate Bill 45 and House Bill 1914 differ as to the duration of exoneration if parole is denied.
Under Senate Bill 45, individuals may be denied parole without further review for up to 5 years; However, due to the nature of a conviction for a more heinous crime, individuals can be incarcerated for up to 10 years under the 1914 House Bill.
Senate Bill 45 allows parole board members to vote in one of the following 6 ways.
What about credit for time spent in county jail?
Offenders convicted of non-3G offenses will receive 20 days of prison time for each month in custody.5 Therefore, a client who spent a year in county jail prior to conviction will receive an eight-month credit Penalty time upon arrival at TDCJ.
Contrary to popular belief, TDCJ has many jobs and vocational courses for offenders to attend. Everyone in TDCJ is assigned a job, everyone goes to work. Offenders who are ill or have serious medical problems can be declared “consistently unassigned”. During admission, interns are required to discuss their work experience, professional skills, and certifications.
Many criminals are assigned to field brigades, laundromats, or garment factories. In my experience, criminals with manual skills like welders, electricians, and plumbers generally get the best jobs. For those looking to learn new skills, TDCJ offers some unique training programs. I’ve had clients train security dogs for hunting and others train service dogs.
I even had a client who got his CDL in prison and spent his time driving a truck between prison units. Again, the availability of these jobs depends on the particular unit, your custody classification, and of course, luck.