HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
COMMITTEE:
Corrections
SUBCOMMITTEE:
Substance Abuse and Mental Illness
TIME & DATE:
10:00 AM, Thursday, May 29, 2008
PLACE:
E1.030
CHAIR:
Rep. Jim McReynolds
This is a joint hearing with the House Committee on Appropriations
subcommittee on Criminal Justice.
 
The committees will hear public testimony on the following interim
charges:
 
Review and research the availability, coordination, efficiency, and
allocation of substance abuse treatment resources for probationers,
pretrial defendants, people in the custody of the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice (TDCJ), and parolees.  This review should include methods
to reduce and improve current assessments, training, and referring
protocols and the identification of any barriers that may be impeding all
of the above.
 
Assess the relationship between mental illness and criminal behavior and
offer reforms needed to address the proliferation of mental illness in the
adult and juvenile criminal justice systems.  This review should include
an examination of data sharing between criminal justice and health and
human services agencies, proper screening, assessments, treatment,
discharge planning, post-release supervision, and community services.