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23 Document(s) [ Subject: Recidivism ]

Committee:	Senate Finance
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Bail | Border security | Coronavirus | Economy | Employees Retirement System of Texas | Federal funds | Harris County | Homestead exemptions | Hospitals | Inflation | Investment of public funds | Long-term care | Medicaid | Mental health services | Nursing homes | Operation Lone Star (Border security) | Property tax exemptions | Property taxes | Public retirement systems | Recidivism | Retirees | Russia | School finance | State employee salaries | State employee turnover | Tax and expenditure limits | Tax revenue | Teacher Retirement System of Texas |
Library Call Number:	L1836.87 F49
Session:	87th R.S. (2021)
Online version:	View report [108 pages  File size: 4,001 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Federal Funds: Report on the state use of federal COVID-19 relief funds provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, the American Rescue Plan Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Acts, and similar federal legislation. Examine local use of federal relief funding, including funding provided to school districts through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. Evaluate the overall fiscal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on state agencies, including costs incurred due to federal mandates. Identify barriers to the effective utilization of funds and make recommendations on the expenditure of unappropriated funds. In addition, evaluate and report on the spending by state agencies that have been utilizing "one-time" federal funding (temporary enhancements, e.g. FMAP and ESSER) sources, where federal funding will likely be significantly reduced in future biennia.
2.	Property Tax Relief: Examine and recommend ways to reduce Texans' property tax burden. Review and report on proposals to use or dedicate state revenues in excess of the state spending limit to eliminate the school district maintenance and operations property tax.
3.	Inflation: Review and report on the effect inflation is having on the business community and state government, including state salaries, retiree benefits, the state economy, and cost of state services.
4.	Inflation: Review and report on the impact of inflation on units of local governments' revenue collections and property taxpayers' tax bills, including the homestead exemption.
5.	Tax Exemptions: Examine Texans' current tax exemptions and report on whether adjustments are merited because of inflation or any other factors.
6.	Russia Divestiture: Examine and report on options for state asset owners to divest their positions in companies that invest in the Russian Federation.
7.	State Pension Reforms: Monitor the implementation of recent statewide pension reforms to the Employees Retirement System of Texas and the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
8.	Bail Bond Reform: Monitor the implementation of recent bail bond reform legislation along with its economic impact on the judicial and correctional system. Assess any barriers to implementation, the law’s effect on pretrial release and jail populations, and ways to further promote public safety and efficiency.
9.	Operation Lone Star: Monitor appropriations and spending supporting Operation Lone Star. Evaluate and report on the effectiveness of spending to secure the southern border. Identify and report on resources needed to ensure support for the State National Guard, as well as overall resources necessary for border security for future legislative consideration.
10.	Long-term Care Funding: Examine state investments in the long-term nursing home care system. Study nursing facility funding issues and the impact of the pandemic on capacity and delivery of care. Explore nursing facility quality metrics and recommend strategies to improve the sustainability of the long-term care workforce.
11.	Medicaid: Monitor the financial impact of federal decision-making affecting supplemental Medicaid funding for Texas hospitals and health care systems, including negotiations between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Texas Medicaid agency regarding the state's 1115 Medicaid waiver and other federal proposals reducing supplemental funding streams for Texas.
12.	Mental Health Delivery: Examine the state mental health service delivery system. Study the state's Comprehensive Plan for State-Funded Inpatient Mental Health Services and the Statewide Behavioral Health Strategic Plan and evaluate the existing state investments in mental health services and state hospital capacity. Review current forensic and civil mental health service waitlists, and recommend ways to improve coordination and outcomes to reduce waitlists. Explore and report on options for additional mental health service capacity, including building state hospitals in the Panhandle and Rio Grande Valley areas.
Committee:	House Corrections
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Criminal justice | Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Driving while intoxicated | Foster care | Homelessness | Parole | Prisons | Probation | Recidivism | Senior citizens | Veterans | Veterans Commission, Texas | Women inmates |
Library Call Number:	L1836.86 C817
Session:	86th R.S. (2019)
Online version:	View report [63 pages  File size: 2,182 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee's jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 86th Legislature. Conduct active oversight of all associated rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure intended legislative outcome of all legislation, including the following: HB 374, 86th R.S., which relates to meetings or visits between a defendant on community supervision and a supervision officer. Monitor community supervision and corrections department rules regarding the scheduling of meetings or visits with a defendant placed on community supervision. Examine the process by which community supervision and corrections departments implement newly adopted policies. HB 650, 86th R.S. and HB 3227, 86th R.S., which relate to the welfare of confined females within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). Monitor TDCJ rules regulating treatment of incarcerated women. Examine the process by which the department facilitates the educational, medical, and wellness needs of incarcerated pregnant women. HB 1191, 86th R.S., which relates to an annual report concerning the number of inmates who have been in the conservatorship of a state agency responsible for providing child protective services. Monitor the TDCJ's collection of statistical information concerning the total number of inmates who have at any time been in the conservatorship of a state agency responsible for providing child protective services. SB 1147, 86th R.S., which relates to conditions of community supervision for certain driving while intoxicated offenses. Monitor the implementation of the legislation and provide recommendations to improve access to treatment for defendants convicted of driving while intoxicated
2.	Examine gaps in services and assess efforts to connect justice-involved veterans, senior citizens, and homeless populations to services while incarcerated and after release at both the local and state levels. Specifically, the committee should evaluate training and technical assistance provided by the Texas Veterans Commission to criminal justice agencies. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Defense & Veterans' Affairs)
3.	Examine the current parole revocation warrant ("blue warrant") procedure. Specifically, the committee should consider the monetary costs to the counties; using Risk Assessment Instruments and the Offense Severity Scale to evaluate static and dynamic factors associated with an offender's record in order to escalate high-risk revocation offenders to the Department of Public Safety for immediate detention; and creating an online list providing the number of outstanding "blue warrants" pending per county.
4.	Evaluate funding provided to the TDCJ for the repair, maintenance, and upgrade of prison facilities. Determine areas of the facilities that are in most need of repair, maintenance, or upgrade and examine the costs associated with such repairs, maintenance, or upgrades. Examine the Correctional Managed Health Care Committee's administration of Hepatitis C treatment and procedures. Review the Community Justice Assistance Division's current compliance practices and examine current funding formulas for adult probation departments. Study the TDCJ's ownership of real property not being used for prison facilities, including the amount of property owned and its highest and best use. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Appropriations)
5.	Monitor the State Auditor's review of agencies and programs under the Committee's jurisdiction. The Chair shall seek input and periodic briefings on completed audits for the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years and bring forth pertinent issues for full committee consideration.
Committee:	House Corrections
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Alternatives to incarceration | Communicable diseases | Criminal justice | Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Disease management | Disease preparedness | Disease prevention | Emergency management | Ex-offenders | Hot weather | Hurricane Harvey | Inmate lawsuits | Inmate sexual assaults | Natural disasters | Pardons and Paroles, Texas Board of | Parole | Prison Rape Elimination Act | Probation | Recidivism | Social workers | State jail system | Women | Women inmates | Youthful offenders |
Library Call Number:	L1836.85 C817
Session:	85th R.S. (2017)
Online version:	View report [75 pages]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Evaluate the Texas Department of Criminal Justice response to Hurricane Harvey. Recommend any changes that could improve the operational stability of state criminal justice institutions following a natural disaster and changes that would allow for a more effective response.
2.	Examine the use of social workers and peer support specialists in the Texas criminal justice system to assist individuals on probation, on parole, or who have been discharged, in order to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes. Identify best practices and make recommendations for legislative action.
3.	Examine the current Texas criminal justice system policies and practices regarding 17- to 25- year-olds, specific to probation, parole, state jail confinement, and discharge from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or county jail. Review any gaps in services that may be causing this population to recidivate. Make recommendations to improve the state's response to the needs of this population in order to lower revocation, re-arrest, and re-incarceration rates.
4.	Examine treatment options, services, and programs available to women in institutional settings, on community supervision, on parole, and in community-based programs. Make recommendations for best strategies to address the needs of women in the Texas criminal justice system.
5.	Review the Texas state jail system. Examine its original intent, sentencing guidelines, effectiveness, and recidivism rates. Make recommendations for changes in the state jail system. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence)
6.	Study policies and protocols within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Examine when protocols are implemented and their efficacy in protecting the health and safety of inmates and state employees.
7.	Review assessments used by the Board of Pardons and Paroles and parole panels to determine an inmate's risk of recidivism for purposes of granting parole and the use of GPS technology to monitor offenders.
8.	Monitor Texas prison system heat-related litigation currently making its way through the courts. Monitor Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) compliance within Texas state and county criminal justice facilities.
9.	Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 85th Legislature.
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Human trafficking | Inmate health | Mental health services | Mentally ill inmates | Prisoner re-entry | Recidivism | State jail system | Telemedicine |
Library Call Number:	L1836.85 C868
Session:	85th R.S. (2017)
Online version:	View report [148 pages]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Identify Successful Re-Entry Programs: Study current reentry programs and procedures across Texas' adult criminal justice system and identify which are most effective. Review best practices and make recommendations to ensure that incarcerated individuals who are released from a county or city jail, state jail, or the Texas Department of Criminal Justice have adequate supervision and access to employment, housing, treatment, and other support programs to allow for successful reentry and integration into the community and to prevent recidivism.
2.	State Jail Review to Improve Outcomes: Perform a comprehensive analysis and study of the Texas state jail system. Examine the access to and use of rehabilitation, vocation, and education programs. Determine whether current programs are effective and if there are efficiencies that can be found to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes.
3.	Telemedicine in Correctional Facilities: Review current availability and best practices in the state regarding the use of telemedicine for inmates in city or county jail, state jail, or the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Examine and make recommendations on whether access to care and outcomes can be improved through the expanded use of telemedicine for medical and mental health services, and whether expansion would create efficiencies. Examine barriers to implementation and expansion of telemedicine in correctional facilities.
4.	Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention: Study opportunities to increase awareness of human trafficking through public awareness campaigns, among local officials, and within public school districts including the identification of potential human trafficking and stash houses as well as how and where to report. Examine the Human Trafficking Prevention Business Partnership Program at the Office of the Secretary of State and provide recommendations for increasing participation of Texas businesses in the fight against human trafficking.
5.	Monitoring: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Criminal Justice Committee during the 85th Legislature and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/ or complete implementation of the following: • Senate Bill 12, Relating to the creation of a grant program to assist law enforcement agencies with the purchase of bulletproof vests and body armor; • Senate Bill 30, Relating to the inclusion of instruction regarding interaction with peace officers in the required curriculu m for certain public school students and in driver education courses and to civilian interaction training for peace officers; and • Senate Bill 1326, Relating to procedures regarding criminal defendants who are or may be persons with a mental illness or an intellectual disability and to certain duties of the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System related to persons with mental illness.
Committee:	House Corrections
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Administrative segregation | Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Texas Commission on | Bail | Court costs and fees | Criminal justice | Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Drug enforcement | Drug rehabilitation programs | Expunged criminal records | Fees | Illegal drugs | Inmate rehabilitation | Inmates | Pardons and Paroles, Texas Board of | Parole | Probation | Recidivism | State jail system | Substance abuse | Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facilities | Technical parole violations | Windham School District |
Library Call Number:	L1836.84 C817
Session:	84th R.S. (2015)
Online version:	View report [73 pages]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Examine fees and revocations for those on probation and parole; examine effectiveness of fees imposed as a condition of probation and parole; study technical revocations in adult probation to identify drivers of revocations, disparities across the state, and strategies for reducing technical revocations while ensuring program effectiveness and public safety. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence)
2.	Study recidivism, its major causes, and existing programs designed to reduce recidivism, including a review of current programs utilized by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) and the Windham School District for incarcerated persons. Examine re-entry programs and opportunities for offenders upon release. Identify successful programs in other jurisdictions and consider how they might be implemented in Texas.
3.	Study incarceration rates for non-violent drug offenses and the cost to the state associated with those offenses. Identify alternatives to incarceration, including community supervision, that could be used to reduce incarceration rates of non-violent drug offenders.
4.	Study inmate release policies of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, including the release of inmates directly from administrative segregation. Identify best practices and policies for both the transitioning of these various inmate populations from the prison to appropriate supervision in the community. Identify any needed legislative changes necessary to accomplish these goals.
5.	Conduct legislative oversight and monitoring of the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction and the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 84th Legislature. In conducting this oversight, the committee should: a. consider any reforms to state agencies to make them more responsive to Texas taxpayers and citizens; b. identify issues regarding the agency or its governance that may be appropriate to investigate, improve, remedy, or eliminate; c. determine whether an agency is operating in a transparent and efficient manner; and d. identify opportunities to streamline programs and services while maintaining the mission of the agency and its programs.
Committee:	House Corrections
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Corsicana Residential Treatment Facility | Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Inmate rehabilitation | Juvenile detention facilities | Juvenile Justice Department, Texas | Juvenile justice system | Mentally ill inmates | Pardons and Paroles, Texas Board of | Parole | Prison population | Privatization | Recidivism | School discipline | School district police | School safety | Substance abuse | Truancy |
Library Call Number:	L1836.83 C817
Session:	83rd R.S. (2013)
Online version:	View report [0 pages  File size: 58 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study and review the correctional facilities and processes within Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, and Texas Juvenile Justice Department with emphasis on efficiencies, effectiveness, and recidivism. Examine the existing programmatic approach per facility in the areas of the vocation, education, visitation, rehabilitation, health and mental health services, parole supervision, and reentry initiatives. Evaluate opportunities for partnerships between facilities and private industries to offer education, job training, and potential employment for offenders during incarceration, parole, and final release.
2.	Examine the association between co-occurring serious mental illness and substance use disorders and parole revocation among inmates from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Review current policies and procedures for incarcerating individuals with a dual mental health diagnosis in both state and county correctional facilities and examine potential remedies within the State's criminal justice system to ensure that the public is protected and that individuals with a mental health diagnosis receive a continuum of mental health services. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence)
3.	In the area of Juvenile Justice, analyze and make recommendations on outcome-based financing models that allow the state to partner with private investors and innovative service providers willing to cover the upfront costs and assume performance risk to divert youths into cost-effective programs and interventions, while assuring that taxpayers will not pay for the programs unless the programs demonstrate success in achieving the desired outcomes.
4.	Study the impact of SB 393, 83rd R.S. and SB 1114, 83rd R.S.. Assess the impact of school discipline and school-based policing on referrals to the municipal, justice, and juvenile courts, and identify judicial policies or initiatives designed to reduce referrals without having a negative impact on school safety. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Public Education)
5.	Conduct legislative oversight and monitoring of the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction and the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 83rd Legislature. In conducting this oversight, the committee should: a. consider any reforms to state agencies to make them more responsive to Texas taxpayers and citizens; b. identify issues regarding the agency or its governance that may be appropriate to investigate, improve, remedy, or eliminate; c. determine whether an agency is operating in a transparent and efficient manner; and d. identify opportunities to streamline programs and services while maintaining the mission of the agency and its programs.
Committee:	House Criminal Jurisprudence
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Alternatives to incarceration | Children's mental health | Criminal records | Deferred adjudication | Inmate rehabilitation | Internet | Jail population | Juvenile crime | Juvenile justice system | Juveniles certified as adults | Mental health services | Mentally ill inmates | Parole | Prisoner re-entry | Probation | Public information | Recidivism | Restorative justice | Rules of the Texas House of Representatives | State jail system | Statutory revision | Substance abuse | Texas Penal Code | Vandalism |
Library Call Number:	L1836.83 C868h
Session:	83rd R.S. (2013)
Online version:	View report [82 pages]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study the classification of 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system of Texas.
2.	Study the effectiveness of deferred adjudication and orders for non-disclosure in spite of the many exceptions to the statute. Study extending the use of expunction of criminal records history and non-disclosures to certain qualified individuals with low-level, non-violent convictions. Examine the statutorily allowed but underused non-disclosure and expunction of criminal records, and the use of deferred adjudication.
3.	Study the impact of SB 1289, 83rd R.S.. Examine the sale of criminal histories that may be erroneous as well as the lasting impact that arrest records have on individuals who are arrested but not charged or convicted. Assess the need for revision of existing statutes and consider designating an agency responsible for regulating entities involved in the industry.
4.	Examine the association between co-occurring serious mental illness and substance use disorders and parole revocation among inmates from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Review current policies and procedures for incarcerating individuals with a dual mental health diagnosis in both state and county correctional facilities and examine potential remedies within the State's criminal justice system to ensure that the public is protected and that individuals with a mental health diagnosis receive a continuum of mental health services. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Corrections)
5.	Examine the current pecuniary loss thresholds associated with graffiti offenses. Study the costs of enhancing the penalties associated with the offense of graffiti, as well as a study of pretrial diversion programs that exist in other states and are specific to persons convicted of graffiti offenses. Study the existing Graffiti Abatement Programs in Texas.
6.	Evaluate the approximately 1,500 non-traditional criminal offenses that can be found outside of the Penal Code. Study the feasibility of streamlining these offenses and examine ambiguities in the law. Study the existing use of the Rule of Lenity and Mens Rea requirements in Texas and the benefit of codifying both of these standards.
7.	Examine the utilization of community supervision in state jail felonies and the effectiveness of the state jail in light of its original purpose.
8.	Conduct legislative oversight and monitoring of the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction and the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 83rd Legislature. In conducting this oversight, the committee should: a. consider any reforms to state agencies to make them more responsive to Texas taxpayers and citizens; b. identify issues regarding the agency or its governance that may be appropriate to investigate, improve, remedy, or eliminate; c. determine whether an agency is operating in a transparent and efficient manner; and d. identify opportunities to streamline programs and services while maintaining the mission of the agency and its programs.
Committee:	House Corrections
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	House Committee on Corrections, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 2010 : a report to the House of Representatives, 82nd Texas Legislature
Subjects:	Alternatives to incarceration | County jails | Juvenile justice system | Juvenile Probation Commission, Texas | Municipal jails | Prison population | Prisoner re-entry | Prisons | Probation | Recidivism | Women inmates | Youth Commission, Texas | Youthful offenders |
Library Call Number:	L1836.81 C817
Session:	81st R.S. (2009)
Online version:	View report [120 pages  File size: 1,618 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Examine implementation of the diversion pilot programs, juvenile case management system, and other policy and funding initiatives to determine whether the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission and the Texas Youth Commission have adhered to legislative directive in implementing these programs, and the impact of these programs on commitments at the Texas Youth Commission. Joint Interim Charge with House Committee on Appropriations
2.	Study and evaluate the availability and efficiency of community-based corrections supervision and treatment programs and their impact on prison capacity and recidivism rates. Determine whether the supervision and treatment programs have been designed in accordance with evidence-based practices and whether adequate evaluation methods have been incorporated.
3.	Study current re-entry programs and procedures across the juvenile and adult criminal justice continuum. Make recommendations to ensure that offenders who are released or discharged have the necessary supervision and access to employment, housing, treatment, and other support programs to allow successful entry and integration into the community. Evaluate the working relationship between state agencies facilitating re-entry and make recommendations on how to achieve greater efficiency and cost savings.
4.	Examine policies and programs designed to identify, divert, and enhance the supervision and treatment of special needs offenders within local jails and state correctional facilities. Recommend changes to address appropriate alternatives to incarceration or institutionalization.
5.	Review the range of services provided to females in the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems and recommend changes to ensure responsiveness to gender-specific issues. Review should include institutional and community supervision programs and utilization of correctional facilities that house nonadjudicated populations.
6.	Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee's jurisdiction.
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report to the 82nd Legislature / Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
Subjects:	Alcohol-related deaths | Alternatives to incarceration | Blood alcohol concentration | Child abuse | Child sexual abuse | Community notification of sex offenders | Concealed weapons | Crime laboratories | Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | DNA testing | Driving while intoxicated | Forensics | Indigent criminal defense | Jail Standards, Texas Commission on | Juvenile detention facilities | Juvenile justice system | Juvenile Probation Commission, Texas | Mental health services | Mentally ill inmates | Municipal jails | Prison security | Public Safety, Texas Department of | Recidivism | School discipline | Sex offender registration | State Health Services, Texas Department of | Texas Fair Defense Act | Witnesses | Youth Commission, Texas |
Library Call Number:	L1836.81 C868
Session:	81st R.S. (2009)
Online version:	View report [115 pages  File size: 3,355 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study the efficiency and fairness of the current sexual offender registry system and make recommendations to improve the system, if necessary. Study the issue of compliance with the Adam Walsh Act, focusing on the associated costs to the state and the punishment of juveniles. Examine the risk assessment tools used to measure the likelihood of recidivism of sexual predators.
2.	Review statistics regarding the crime of driving while intoxicated, including accident statistics, alcohol-related deaths and injury, and other impacts on the community. Examine enforcement options used nationwide to deter driving under the influence and make recommendations to reduce the number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities and accidents in Texas.
3.	Review the performance of the Fair Defense Act and the Task Force on Indigent Defense. Study key outcomes of the law, including: appointment rates in felony and misdemeanor cases; state and county indigent defense expenditures; attorney caseloads; attorney compensation; access to investigators and experts; and overall quality of counsel for the indigent. Examine the Task Force on Indigent Defense's effectiveness in monitoring and enforcing standards and design strategies to improve the delivery of services for indigent defense, including timing of the appointment of counsel, the use of the appointment wheel and the monitoring of workloads and performance of attorneys.
4.	Study and make recommendations related to municipal jails and other detention facilities that operate without state agency oversight. Identify the number of such facilities and the population detained, as well as best practices for municipal jails. Make recommendations to improve services and consider options for oversight of facilities by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
5.	Review the detention of juvenile offenders in local jails, state jails, and Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison units by examining conditions of confinement, including quality of education, mental health treatment and medical services, rehabilitative treatment, and equality of access to services for young female inmates. Review access to administrative and inspector general grievances in TDCJ facilities. Make recommendations for improving the system and reduce recidivism of juvenile offenders.
6.	Study and make recommendations to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of testing done in Texas forensic laboratories, including DNA and blood/alcohol testing. Assess and make recommendations for improving the capacity of Texas criminal laboratories to process evidence, identify ways to reduce the backlog of DNA evidence processing, identify ways to encourage qualified applicants for crime lab jobs, ensure adequate training for new crime lab technicians, ensure the availability of efficient crime lab processing to all regions of the state, and determine the impact of additional collection requirements on the capacity of Texas crime labs to process evidence. Consider the costs and benefits of creating a statewide crime lab.
7.	Assess how the Commission on Jail Standards, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Criminal Justice, and Department of State Health Services are working together to identify defendants with mental health issues, notify magistrates when defendants have been identified and, where appropriate, provide crisis stabilization services to defendants. Monitor legislation passed by the 81st Legislature for mental illness and make recommendations for any needed improvements to improve mental health services and reduce recidivism.
8.	Study and evaluate the success of juvenile probation pilot programs aimed at community-based diversion of youth from Texas Youth Commission facilities. Make recommendations for needed legislative action and additional programs to increase the number of delinquent youth successfully rehabilitated in their home communities.
9.	Consider the impact that secondary education school disciplinary laws and policies have on the juvenile justice system and the adult prison system. Recommend changes, if needed, to current law.
10.	Evaluate the usage of current Texas practices for facilitating the fair and accurate courtroom testimony of children and reducing the trauma associated with testifying, particularly for children who are victims of sexual abuse. Specifically consider recent efforts and trends across the nation to develop best practices, including "court orientation" programs, and ensure that courtrooms are more child friendly and accommodating for young victims to reduce the trauma associated with testifying in court while ensuring that fair and accurate information is solicited from the child as a witness.
11.	Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, 81st Legislature, Regular and Called Sessions, and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation. Study the impact of certain provisions in the 2009 DPS Sunset bill on the timely processing of concealed handgun license applications and the issuance of licenses. Monitor and make recommendations, if needed, on actions by TDCJ to improve security and reduce contraband.
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report to the 81st Legislature
Subjects:	Capital murder trials | Child abuse | Correctional officers | Criminal justice | Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Deferred adjudication | Drug trafficking | Homicide | Juvenile justice system | Mental health services | Mentally ill inmates | Methamphetamine | Occupational licenses | Ombudsmen | Pardons and Paroles, Texas Board of | Penalties and sentences (Criminal justice) | Police officers | Prison population | Prison security | Prisoner re-entry | Privately-operated prisons | Pseudoephedrine | Recidivism | Searches and seizures | Sex offenders | Substance abuse | Texas Code of Criminal Procedure | Theft | Youth Commission, Texas | Youthful offenders |
Library Call Number:	L1836.80 C868
Session:	80th R.S. (2007)
Online version:	View report [113 pages  File size: 13,967 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Determine how private prisons are complying with state laws and how cost, safety, living conditions and rehabilitative services at private prisons compare with state-run facilities. Include an assessment of the staff turnover rates and compensation of private contractors when compared with state-operated facilities, and of the contract bidding processes used by the Texas Youth Commission and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
2.	Monitor the implementation of SB 103, 80th R.S., and the continuing reforms to the Texas Youth Commission and the juvenile criminal justice system. Identify barriers to effective implementation and provide recommendations to ensure that the goals of this legislation are achieved. Provide recommendations relating to best practices and identify needed additional treatment programs for juvenile sex offenders.
3.	Study the impact of laws designed to reduce illegal drug use and make recommendations for reducing access to illegal drugs and for developing best practices for preventative programs, focusing on drugs targeted for the younger population, such as cheese heroin. Assess the impact of limiting access to pseudoephedrine, including the impact restrictions have had on illegal manufacturers' methods for producing methamphetamine.
4.	Monitor the implementation of the new and expanded programs provided to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) within the Fiscal Year 2008 and 2009 budget, and identify their impact on the criminal justice populations. Study security issues within TDCJ, including staffing issues, use of lock down procedures, the control and containment of infectious diseases and the introduction and control of contraband within the institutions. Review the use of career ladders for employees of TDCJ and issues surrounding the retention of professional corrections staff. Study the issues of independent oversight of TDCJ, including the use and effectiveness of the TDCJ ombudsman system. Provide recommendations for the reduction or elimination of barriers to an effective corrections system.
5.	Study and make recommendations for reducing the number of law enforcement officer deaths in the line of duty. This study should include: an assessment of the types of calls and assignments that put law enforcement officers most at risk; the geographic regions of the state that suffer the most deaths; the agencies experiencing the highest rate of deaths in the line of duty; the time in an officer's career, and the officer's age that he or she is most susceptible to death in the line of duty; and the times of year, month, and day that are most dangerous.
6.	Study the issue of criminal asset seizure and the use of seized and forfeiture funds by district attorneys and law enforcement agencies. Review the oversight of these matters by the Texas Attorney General and provide recommendations to improve the dissemination of information concerning these funds. Ensure that these funds have the appropriate accountability and fiscal controls required for public funds.
7.	Study the system of deferred adjudication in Texas courts and make recommendations for resolving any problems and reducing the potential for release of dangerous criminals.
8.	Study and recommend best practices for reducing re-victimization of child abuse victims associated with delay in resolution of criminal cases. Recommend options for reducing the time lapse between child victimization and criminal hearings.
9.	Review the processes for re-entry of criminal offenders into communities. Identify barriers to the successful return to law-abiding behavior, including the absence of employment opportunities created by restriction on obtaining certain state occupational licenses. Provide recommendations for improvements to our current statutes governing this matter.
10.	Study whether Articles 36.09 (relating to trying multiple defendants from the same transaction either separately or jointly) and 36.10 (relating to severing defendants that show prejudice from a joint trial) of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure provide sufficient safeguards to ensure fair and reliable trial results in capital cases with multiple defendants. Determine whether the articles provide trial judges with sufficient instruction regarding joinder or severance of defendants and, if not, make recommendations to improve procedures.
11.	Study the relationship between the public mental health system and the criminal justice and civil courts systems, including the identification and sharing of information regarding mentally ill offenders, including minors, among criminal justice and mental health agencies, the courts, state hospitals, and the Veterans Administration. Study how current confidentiality laws impact the exchange of information among groups described above. Study the sentencing of mentally ill offenders compared to non-mentally ill offenders, including minors, and the affect that has on statewide prison capacity and on the health care provided to mentally ill offenders. (Joint Charge with Senate State Affairs Committee)
12.	Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Criminal Justice Committee, 80th R.S., and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation. Specifically, report on the implementation of SB 909, 80th R.S., the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Sunset legislation, including provisions relating to the Board of Pardons and Paroles, and monitor implementation of the new laws relating to copper theft (SB 1154, 80th R.S., HB 1766, 80th R.S., and HB 1767, 80th R.S.).
Committee:	House Criminal Jurisprudence
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 2000 : a report to the House of Representatives, 77th Texas Legislature.
Subjects:	Capital punishment | Community service (Punishment) | Criminal justice | Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Drug rehabilitation programs | Expunged criminal records | Inmate rehabilitation | Kidnapping | Mentally disabled inmates | Mexico | Prison population | Probation | Recidivism |
Library Call Number:	L1836.76 c868h
Session:	76th R.S. (1999)
Online version:	View report [219 pages  File size: 8,993 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Review criminal procedure issues concerning the detention and arrest of Mexican citizens in Texas and Texas residents in Mexico. Include issues surrounding the abduction of children into Mexico.
2.	Examine the criminal procedure statutes in relation to the issue of record expungement for people who have had criminal charges filed against them and the charges were later dismissed.
3.	Review the actions other states have taken in regard to execution of persons who are mentally retarded. Consider the effects on all aspects of the criminal justice system of laws that prevent or severely restrict executions.
4.	Conduct active oversight of the agencies under the committee's jurisdiction.
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Interim Report - Parolees and recidivism - appendix C and appendix D
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report, 77th Legislature : charge six / Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, appendix c appendix d
Subjects:	Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Inmate rehabilitation | Parole | Recidivism |
Library Call Number:	L1836.76 c868 6
Session:	76th R.S. (1999)
Online version:	View report [128 pages  File size: 5,040 kb]
Charge:	This report should address the charge below.
1.	Review reintegration programs for juvenile and adult parolees and their families upon release to determine if strategies and coordination between state, local, public and private entities are effective. The committee shall make recommendations to reduce recidivism.
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Interim Report - Parolees and recidivism
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report, 77th Legislature : charge six.
Subjects:	Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Inmate rehabilitation | Parole | Recidivism |
Library Call Number:	L1836.76 c868 6
Session:	76th R.S. (1999)
Online version:	View report [31 pages  File size: 1,045 kb]
Charge:	This report should address the charge below.
1.	Review reintegration programs for juvenile and adult parolees and their families upon release to determine if strategies and coordination between state, local, public and private entities are effective. The committee shall make recommendations to reduce recidivism.
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Interim Report - Parolees and recidivism - appendix A
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report, 77th Legislature : charge six / Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, appendix A
Subjects:	Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Inmate rehabilitation | Parole | Recidivism |
Library Call Number:	L1836.76 c868 6
Session:	76th R.S. (1999)
Online version:	View report [101 pages  File size: 21,936 kb]
Charge:	This report should address the charge below.
1.	Review reintegration programs for juvenile and adult parolees and their families upon release to determine if strategies and coordination between state, local, public and private entities are effective. The committee shall make recommendations to reduce recidivism.
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Interim Report - Parolees and recidivism - appendix B
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report, 77th Legislature : charge six / Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, appendix b
Subjects:	Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Inmate rehabilitation | Parole | Recidivism |
Library Call Number:	L1836.76 c868 6
Session:	76th R.S. (1999)
Online version:	View report [17 pages  File size: 1,098 kb]
Charge:	This report should address the charge below.
1.	Review reintegration programs for juvenile and adult parolees and their families upon release to determine if strategies and coordination between state, local, public and private entities are effective. The committee shall make recommendations to reduce recidivism.
Committee:	House Windham School District, Select
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	House Select Committee on Windham School District, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 2000 : a report to the House of Representatives, 77th Texas Legislature.
Subjects:	Career and technical education | Inmate rehabilitation | Recidivism | Windham School District |
Library Call Number:	L1836.76 w723
Session:	76th R.S. (1999)
Online version:	View report [28 pages  File size: 103 kb]
Charge:	This report should address the charge below.
1.	Study the mission and programs of the Windham School District to determine if the goals of the district are clear and appropriate, and if the goals to reduce recidivism and improve reintegration into society are being met.
Committee:	House Corrections
Title:	Interim report
Library Catalog Title:	House Committee on Corrections, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 1998 : a report to the House of Representatives, 76th Texas Legislature.
Subjects:	County jails | Inmate rehabilitation | Inmates | Jail Standards, Texas Commission on | Lawsuits | Prison population | Prison reform | Prisons | Recidivism |
Library Call Number:	L1836.75 c817
Session:	75th R.S. (1997)
Online version:	View report [65 pages  File size: 3,907 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study options for responding to the projected growth in the adult and youth inmate populations, to include construction of conventional beds, contract capacity, other types of permanent and temporary housing, and alternatives to incarceration.
2.	Assess the effects of the 1995 legislation to curb frivolous inmate lawsuits.
3.	Study traditional prison industries, including ways to expand useful inmate labor without creating unfair competition with private businesses or job and wage dislocations in the private sector.
4.	Review the employment practices, security measures, and other operations of county jails, municipal and county jails, and privately operated municipal and county jails housing inmates convicted of offenses in other states. Identify any particular problems associated with private operations or with acceptance of inmates for pay. (Joint with House Committee on County Affairs)
5.	Conduct active oversight of agencies under the committee's jurisdiction.
Committee:	Senate Criminal Justice
Title:	Interim report
Library Catalog Title:	Interim report, 75th Legislature.
Subjects:	Blood alcohol concentration | Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Driving while intoxicated | Drug rehabilitation programs | Gun laws | Guns | Handguns - Registration | Inmate rehabilitation | Open container laws | Parole | Prison construction | Prison population | Privately-operated prisons | Probation | Public Safety, Texas Department of | Recidivism | Right to Carry Act | Services for persons with disabilities | Sex offenders | State jail system | Statutory revision | Substance abuse |
Library Call Number:	L1836.74 c868
Session:	74th R.S. (1995)
Online version:	View report [32 pages  File size: 1,664 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Study and determine if there are any needed changes in the Driving While Intoxicated or related statutes, with a review of statutes in other states. This review should include, but not be limited to: the use of sobriety checkpoints; prohibition of open alcoholic beverage containers in motor vehicles; changing the blood alcohol threshold; and penalties for DWI offenses, including Intoxication Manslaughter.
2.	Review present and future substance abuse treatment programs in community programs, correctional facilities, and parole programs, to determine the number of offenders requiring treatment in all stages of the criminal justice system, the facility and personnel requirements to effectively treat offenders and to provide necessary aftercare by the year 2002, including projections for the next two bienniums.
3.	Review the progress of the state jails, including determining; (a) is programming available and effective for all state jail felons and if some are not receiving programming, why not; (b) is there effective programming in both the state operated and locally operated facilities; and (c) are programming efforts including preventing offenders from placing future demands on the criminal justice system.
4.	Review alternatives to incarceration that will reduce the need for further prison expansion, while improving public safety in light of the demand for prison space, through the year 2002.
5.	Review whether the Legislature should implement funding of the Department of Criminal Justice on performance of their efforts to reduce recidivism, including review of the Task Force on Recidivism.
6.	Monitor implementation of SB 60, 74th R.S., Right to Carry Act, and develop legislation to address administrative problems encountered by the Department of Public Safety and any other problems that may be identified.
7.	Review the cost and effectiveness of construction and operations, including programming, of Mode I and Mode II state jails, and any correctional facilities that are operated by private entities for use by the state, to determine which type of facility is the most cost effective to operate and which have the most effective programming and treatment, and to make recommendations to improve future operations, including cost effectiveness.
8.	Study and make recommendations for any penal or criminal justice issues that are identified as problems in legislation passed in the 74th Legislative Session, including omissions and unintended consequences of the legislation or related statutes, specifically including review of the criminal offenses created in the Education Code that may or may not conflict with provisions of the Penal Code.
9.	Review parole issues regarding sex offenders including available treatment and the statutory requirements as to which county the Parole Board may release an offender, to make recommendations for statutory changes, if any, that may be needed.
Committee:	House Corrections
Title:	Interim report
Library Catalog Title:	To the speaker and members of the Texas House of Representatives, 74th Legislature : report of the Committee on Corrections, Texas House of Representatives, 74th Legislature.
Subjects:	Criminal Justice, Texas Department of | Inmate health | Inmate rehabilitation | Managed care | Prison construction | Prison labor | Prison population | Recidivism | State agency mandated reports | State jail system | Telemedicine | Windham School District |
Library Call Number:	L1836.73 c868
Session:	73rd R.S. (1993)
Online version:	View report [64 pages  File size: 2,429 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Conduct active oversight of agencies under the committee's jurisdiction, including a study of mandated reports to the legislature and legislative agencies. The study should consist of a review of the legislative reporting requirements of all agencies to identify areas where reporting obligations could be streamlined and agency accountability improved. The committee shall make specific recommendations about the continuation, modification or elimination of required legislative reports.
2.	Monitor and report on the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's implementation of the managed health care system established in SB 378, 73rd Legislature, Regular Session.
3.	Monitor the construction of facilities by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Report to the legislature on construction progress and make recommendations regarding the adequacy and effectiveness of the construction program.
4.	Study the effects of inmate job training on recidivism, as proposed in HB 1602, 73rd Legislature, Regular Session.
5.	Study the use of private industry prison work programs and the assumption of costs by the prison through these programs.
Committee:	Joint Family Role in Reducing Recidivism, Special
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Report of the Joint Special Committee on the Family Role in Reducing Recidivism : a report to the 70th Texas Legislature.
Subjects:	Inmate rehabilitation | Recidivism |
Library Call Number:	L1836.69 f21
Session:	69th R.S. (1985)
Online version:	View report [29 pages  File size: 1,079 kb]
Charge:	This report should address the charge below.
1.	To study enhancing the role of the family and community as a means of reducing the number of repeat offenders and discouraging violent behavior in our correctional facilities.
Supporting documents
Committee:	Joint Family Role in Reducing Recidivism, Special
Title:	HCR 156, 69th Leg.
Library Call Number:	HCR 156
Session:	69th R.S. (1985)
Online version:	View document [2 pages  File size: 159 kb]
Committee:	House Criminal Jurisprudence
Title:	Interim report
Library Catalog Title:	To the Speaker and members, Texas House of Representatives, 69th Legislature: report / of the Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, Texas House of Representatives, 68th Legislature.
Subjects:	Alternatives to incarceration | At-risk youth | Juvenile crime | Juvenile justice system | Parole | Penalties and sentences (Criminal justice) | Prison population | Prison reform | Probation | Recidivism | Runaway children | Statutory revision | Texas Code of Criminal Procedure | Truancy | Youth Commission, Texas |
Library Call Number:	L1836.68 j979cr
Session:	68th R.S. (1983)
Online version:	View report [126 pages  File size: 3,747 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	To oversee the expenditure of the $3 million appropriations to the Texas Education Agency earmarked for a program designed to keep trouble students, truants, etc. enrolled in a classroom situation. To follow the guidelines set up by TEA for the participating school districts.
2.	To track the prison reform measures and see how they are being implemented, To determine the benefits derived from these measures, both in terms of recidivism and in terms of monetary savings.
3.	To study the need/benefits of raising the jurisdictional age of TYC to age 21 from age 18 for certain instances when keeping the child past the age of 18 would be beneficial to child and/or society.
4.	To look into alternative programs for youths who have committed status crimes, i.e.. truancy, running away from home, etc. To find alternatives to sentencing in TYC facilities for property offenders, as well as some minor non-property offenders.
5.	To devise a policy to keep the Texas Penal Code standardized, so that specific crimes do not have separate forms of sentencing.
6.	Study the need to reform the charging instrument in Texas; consider whether the state should be allowed to prosecute crimes other than capital offenses on the basis of an information rather than an indictment issued by a grand jury. *
7.	Make recommendations regarding the non-substantive changes to the probation and parole laws currently found in Articles 42.12 and 42.13 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. *
Committee:	House Criminal Jurisprudence
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	To the speaker and members, Texas House of Representatives, 68th Legislature : report of the / Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, 67th Legislature.
Subjects:	Appellate courts | Bail | Criminal appeals | Criminal justice | Illegal video recordings | Indigent criminal defense | Penalties and sentences (Criminal justice) | Privacy | Recidivism | Searches and seizures | State income taxes |
Library Call Number:	L1836.67 j979cr
Session:	67th R.S. (1981)
Online version:	View report [58 pages  File size: 1,900 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Review federal and state wiretap statutes and court cases related to wiretapping and electronic surveillance to determine if pen registers, devices which record the numbers dialed by a particular telephone, are covered by the procedures, restrictions and safeguards of the state wire communications laws. *
2.	Compare Texas' statutes with those of other states to assess differences in programs and compensation for counsel appointed to defend indigents.
3.	Compare our penalty schedule, including the habitual criminal law, and our recidivism rates to those of other states to determine if any other penalty schedule tends to reduce recidivism more than our present penalty schedule.
4.	Consider whether the Courts of Appeals are able to effectively accomplish their constitutional and statutory duties in disposing of intermediate criminal appeals. Determine what resources are necessary to allow the Courts of Appeals to handle the larger load of criminal cases. *
5.	Make recommendations for clarifying the status of habeas corpus orders issued by Courts of Appeals. *
6.	Monitor the implementation of HB 360, 67th R.S..
7.	Monitor the implementation of SJR 36, 67th R.S., through the requirements set by SB 265, 67th R.S..

* This represents an abstract of the report contents. Charge text is incomplete or unavailable.

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