BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 345

By: Whitmire

Corrections

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Correctional boot camps became popular during the 1980s, and dozens have been established across the United States and in Texas. Interested parties note that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is required to operate a sentencing program and that several community supervision and corrections departments also developed and operated correctional boot camp programs. However, the parties note that all such programs are now closed because research has proven them to be ineffective and costly, with high recidivism rates among participants. The parties have expressed concern that TDCJ still is required to operate a 400-bed facility that is utilized at less than 10 percent of capacity and an eight-bed female facility that has no participants at this time. S.B. 345 seeks to relieve TDCJ of the duty to operate a correctional boot camp program for inmates by abolishing the program.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 345 repeals Code of Criminal Procedure and Government Code provisions relating to the state boot camp program.  The bill 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 following dates: the date on which the convicting court suspends further execution of the sentence and reassumes custody of the person or the date on which the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) transfers the person to another unit in TDCJ. The bill specifies that statutory provisions relating to the program are continued in effect for the limited purpose of the orderly abolition of the program.

S.B. 345 repeals Section 8, Article 42.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, and Section 499.052, Government Code.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2013.