A State Rep recently was quoted in a newspaper as suggesting that it would be a good idea to release inmates from the task of reporting on parole if they are behaving. Seems he thinks leaving someone on parole for years is a waste of taxpayer money. Would someone please explain to me why this is in any way a good idea?

I do not know whether its a good idea or not but the way they revoke them now, stinks. I have a severe shortage of court time. Parole will not revoke them unless the defendant waives hearing. They tell the defendants it will be revoked if they are convicted so they will not plead to offenses (misdemenors) even after they have served the maximum sentence for the offense. I do not have the court time to try them. It ought to go back to it being unrelated they have their hearings unrelated to our actions. There is no telling how many jury trials they are causing us.
If parole waits for us to try them what good are they.

[This message was edited by Randal Lee on 03-23-04 at .]

[This message was edited by Randal Lee on 03-23-04 at .]

I am sick of having to try Parolees!!!!! The last 4 jury trials I'ved had were parolees with nothing to lose. Our sentences are ajoke. Anyone else frustrated with crimes being comitted by Parolees? I pled a 19 year old parolee to 50 for raping/DW a 90 year old woman recently rather that put her through a trial for the additional .5 years he would have recieved for a life sent.Yesterday I pled another to 20 for his 7th drug dealing conviction How do we get the attention of the citizens to make them understand what their sentences really mean????

D.A.s are in a unique position -- the ones I'm acquainted with are frequent speakers at Rotary, Lions, Chambers of Commerce, etc. meetings. Some have weekly columns in local papers...all have wide access to large audiences simply by virtue of their elected-ness (sorry about the abuse of the language). Perhaps, until there's enough money available to groups such as TDCAA, NDAA, etc., to launch TV, radio & written-word campaigns, to educate the citizens about the truth of good time, parole, the farce of punishment verdicts (you'd think jurors would have a right to know what their sentences mean) and so on, those with the pulpits could or should use them to enlighten the taxpayers.

Being a lower-middle to lower-lower class citizen, I know folks like me and those in my social sphere would appreciate such information, and I'll bet those in the upper levels and on the other side of the tracks would find heart-to-heart talks about prison and parole very worthwhile. And the dividends for being concerned about the public's honest education on this most important issue would probably produce high yields at the ballot box, not to mention the benefits that come from simple respect by the people for their elected officials.

AP that's a great idea!!! How do I find out from you prison experts how much time a defendant will actually serve? I know from experience to never give up the deadly weapon finding in a plea agreement and to always push for a plea with children alleged as victims. How about the elderly??? Do the offenders who rape 90 year old women/ or retarded women receive the same sentence as a child molester????Who decides about good time credit and what is the max. one can earn for every day of being "good "? Do prisoners earn money while in prison? I know they make great furniture. Does the prison send the victims restitution from their earnings/ Lots of help needed her AP before I go out and educate.

What if the alternative lies not in educating jurors about the meaning of good time, but rather in eliminating parole altogether?

Some states have gone to the method of sentence + extended supervision. At sentencing, the jury determines the appropriate punishment, which, in my limited understanding combines both time incarcerated and what is known as "extended supervision". That way, good time no longer factors in, and the offender is monitored upon release.

I believe a number of states have gone to this method, although I can't recall all the particulars. Wisconsin is one, I believe, and part of me wants to say Michigan.

WarnerBee: According to the capital trial in Austin a few days ago, the REAL prison expert is Larry Fitzgerald (see expert witnesses forum). Why anyone would ask me or Royce or anyone else from our office about prison violence, good time, classification, death, destruction and/or mayhem, when they could pay Fitzgerald a couple thousand dollars and get bad information, is beyond me.

And, regarding the "extended supervision" suggestion -- that's sort of like parole, isn't it? Having to keep tabs on ex-cons, providing consequences when they stray, etc. You're talking about a prison population today that hovers around 150,000 souls (in Texas) -- it would take the population of North and South Dakota just about, to monitor the hordes in Texas after release from the ironhouse.

One of my young crooks was the leading actor (but not the gunman) in a 2-man armed robbery team that held up a fellow coming out of an ATM in a neighboring county. The c/w was shot twice, and left paralyzed. The c/w's friend, who had driven him to the ATM, witnessed the whole thing.

In the wee hours of the next day, this fellow breaks into 2 homes in one of my counties. In the first he is discovered as he's coming in the door, and he runs away. An hour later he breaks into a second house, and rapes a woman.

Last May my neighboring county tried this guy & his bud for Agg. Robbery. The jury convicted his pal, but acquitted him. The evidence of his guilt was extremely strong. I tried him a couple of mos later for the 1st house he broke into for burg. of a habit, with intent to committ sex. The evidence of his guilt was beyond question, but the jury acquitted. That lowered his bond enough for him to make his remaining bonds.

While he was out on bond, he recruited a couple of other thugs, and lead them on a string of "home invasions" (armed robberies of homes) where he and his buds were dressed all in black, wore ski masks and gloves, and had lots of firearms. Several homes were broken into, and 2 women were raped. My county finally convicted him a few weeks ago.

A few days ago I learned that during all the time he was out on bond robbing and raping, he was (and still is) on Juvenile Parole. He's 19 and will be on Juvenile Parole until he turns 21.
Juvenile parole deliberately sat on their hands while 2 DA's offices struggled to get a conviction, and all this time they could have picked him up. Now that he's gotten some serious TDC time, juvenile parole plans to cease any further supervision of this crook.

What kind of "parole" is that?

JB: I presume the legislator was merely saying the scope of 508.155 (c) of the Govt Code should be expanded, since this good idea is already part of our law.