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Senate Bill 345 |
Senate Author: Whitmire |
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Effective: 9-1-13 |
House Sponsor: Parker |
Current law requires the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to actively encourage volunteer organizations to provide specified programs for inmates housed in TDCJ facilities. Senate Bill 345 amends the Government Code to instead require TDCJ to adopt a policy that requires each warden to identify volunteer and faith-based organizations that provide programs for those inmates and to actively encourage those organizations to provide the specified programs for inmates in the warden's facility. Additionally, the policy must require each warden to annually submit a report to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice that includes, for the preceding fiscal year, a summary of the programs provided to inmates and the actions taken by the warden to identify the organizations willing to provide the programs and to encourage the organizations to provide programs in the warden's facility.
Senate Bill 345 repeals Code of Criminal Procedure and Government Code provisions relating to the state boot camp program, prohibits a judge from recommending a person for placement in the program, and establishes that a program participant remains a participant only until the later of the date on which the convicting court suspends further execution of the sentence and reassumes custody of the person or the date on which TDCJ transfers the person to another unit in TDCJ.