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Interim Report to the 85th Texas Legislature House Committee on Corrections December 2016 HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CORRECTIONS TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES INTERIM REPORT 2016 A REPORT TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 85TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE JIM MURPHY CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE CLERK LAURIE MCANALLY Committee On Corrections December 5, 2016 Jim Murphy P.O. Box 2910 Chairman Austin, Texas 78768-2910 The Honorable Joe Straus Speaker, Texas House of Representatives Members of the Texas House of Representatives Texas State Capitol, Rm. 2W.13 Austin, Texas 78701 Dear Mr. Speaker and Fellow Members: The Committee on Corrections of the Eighty-fourth Legislature hereby submits its interim report including recommendations for consideration by the Eighty-fifth Legislature. Respectfully submitted, _______________________ Jim Murphy _______________________ ______________________ James White Matt Krause _______________________ ______________________ Alma Allen Leighton Schubert _______________________ ______________________ Mark J. Keough Tony Tinderholt James White Vice-Chairman Members: Alma Allen, Mark J. Keough, Matt Krause, Leighton Schubert, Tony Tinderholt TABLE OF CONTENTS 30T INTERIM STUDY CHARGES30T ..................................................................................................... 7 30TThe State of Criminal Justice30T ......................................................................................................... 8 30TTexas as a Leader 30T ....................................................................................................................... 8 30T84th Legislation30T ......................................................................................................................... 9 30TThe Challenges30T .......................................................................................................................... 9 30TFees30T .............................................................................................................................................. 13 30TComparisons30T ............................................................................................................................ 13 30T Life on Probation30T ..................................................................................................................... 14 30TGrant Funding30T .......................................................................................................................... 14 30TRestitution30T ................................................................................................................................ 14 30TCourt Costs and Fees30T ............................................................................................................... 15 30TReform Attempts30T ...................................................................................................................... 16 30TAbility to Pay30T ........................................................................................................................... 16 30TCollection Agents30T .................................................................................................................... 17 30TProbation Violations30T ................................................................................................................ 17 30T Living without Resources30T ........................................................................................................ 18 30TThe Hard Choices30T .................................................................................................................... 19 30TDebtors' Prison30T ......................................................................................................................... 19 30TPerceptions30T ............................................................................................................................... 20 30TDiversions from Prison30T ............................................................................................................ 20 30TGetting Ahead of the Problem30T ................................................................................................. 21 30TRecommendations30T .................................................................................................................... 22 30TRecidivism30T ................................................................................................................................... 26 30TThe Numbers30T ............................................................................................................................ 26 30TDon't Come Back30T ..................................................................................................................... 26 30T It's a Brave New (Scary) World30T ............................................................................................... 26 30TSkills and Education30T ................................................................................................................ 27 30TOff-Limits Licensing30T ............................................................................................................... 27 30TThe Rules of Poverty30T ............................................................................................................... 28 30TA Lifetime Sentence30T ................................................................................................................ 28 30TTrying to Make a Difference30T ................................................................................................... 29 30TSubstance Abuse Programs30T ...................................................................................................... 29 30TChanges in Parole30T .................................................................................................................... 29 30TWindham30T .................................................................................................................................. 30 3 30TPell Grants30T ................................................................................................................................ 31 30TThe Data on Training30T ............................................................................................................... 31 30TWorking in Prison30T .................................................................................................................... 32 30TThe PEP Program30T ..................................................................................................................... 32 30TPrison Ministers30T ....................................................................................................................... 33 30T Leaving TDCJ 30T .......................................................................................................................... 33 30TCommunity Organizations on the Outside30T ............................................................................... 33 30TEfforts to Consider30T ................................................................................................................... 34 30TSealing Records30T ....................................................................................................................... 34 30THOPE Program30T ........................................................................................................................ 34 30TRecommendations30T .................................................................................................................... 35 30TAppendix I30T ............................................................................................................................... 37 30TNon-Violent Drug Offenses30T ......................................................................................................... 42 30TBackground: How We Got From Here to There30T ..................................................................... 42 30TCrime Increases 30T ........................................................................................................................ 42 30TThe War on Drugs30T .................................................................................................................... 43 30TTCADA30T .................................................................................................................................... 44 30TThe Programs30T ........................................................................................................................... 45 30TState Jails and Plea Bargains30T ................................................................................................... 46 30TThe Original Plan30T ..................................................................................................................... 47 30TThe Statistics30T ............................................................................................................................ 48 30TThe Addicted 30T ............................................................................................................................ 48 30TThe Mental Health Aspect30T ....................................................................................................... 49 30TAssessing the Need - TRAS30T ..................................................................................................... 49 30TCognitive Behavioral Programs30T ..............................................................................................