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The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles is a state agency of Texas. It has three central office locations, with two in Austin and one in Huntsville. It was created by Constitutional Amendment in 1935. The board is charged with determining which prisoners are to be released on parole or discretionary mandatory supervision and under what conditions of parole supervision. If a parolee violates a parole condition, the board also makes decisions about revocation or other options. Finally, the board also is responsible for issuing recommendations on clemency matters to the governor. The board is a separate agency from - but works closely with - the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which has responsibility for housing convicted felons, determining release and parole eligibility dates and supervising offenders on parole or mandatory supervision. In making parole and clemency decisions, the board seeks to preserve public safety while restoring human potential through the supervised reintegration of offenders into society. ==History== Initially the Board of Pardons and Paroles was created by the legislature in 1929, with three members appointed by the governor and one designated as supervisor of paroles. In 1935, the Texas Constitution〔(Texas Constitution; Article 4, Executive Department; Section 11 )." ''Board of Pardons and Parolees; Parole Laws, Reprieves, Commutations, and Pardons; Remission of Fines and Forfeitures.''〕 was amended to create the board as a member of the executive branch with constitutional authority, and making the governor’s clemency authority subject to board recommendation. The governor, the chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court and the presiding judge of the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals each appointed one member to the board. Members served overlapping six-year terms, one term expiring every two years. The board recommended parole and clemency to the governor, who had final approving authority. The legislature in 1947 authorized the board, with approval of the governor, to release prisoners for parole or probation, with the exception of those with a death sentence. A division of parole supervision was established in 1957 as part of the board, to open up district offices across the state to monitor offenders. In 1975, the Texas legislature created six parole commissioner positions to “assist the Board of Pardons and Paroles in parole matters.” 〔(Legislative Reference Library of Texas ).''64th Legislature, Texas Legislative Council, Accomplishments of the 64th Legislature, Regular Session January 14-June 2, 1975.''〕 The commissioners were appointed in the same manner as the board members, with six-year terms and two terms expiring every two years. In 1983, the Texas Constitution was amended to expand the board to six members, appointed by the governor, including naming a chairman and vice chairman, with the advice and consent of the state senate. The governor’s authority to release and revoke offenders was transferred to the board. The board was further modified as part of a 1989 reorganization that created the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to oversee probation, incarceration and parole supervision. Changes under that legislation included: * Expanding the board to 18 members, appointed by the governor with senate approval; and * Eliminating the parole commissioner positions. The legislature made mandatory supervision discretionary in 1995 for any offender with an offense committed on or after September 1, 1996, by granting the board authority to block a scheduled mandatory supervision release based on an assessment of risk to the public and the actual time served not being an accurate reflection of the potential for rehabilitation. In 1997, the legislature modified the 18-member board by creating a policy board with the chair as the presiding officer. The policy board was composed of six of the members who were designated by the governor to: * Adopt rules for board decision-making, * Establish caseloads for board members, * Develop and update parole guidelines and policies, and * Carry out other functions. The board currently operates under legislative changes made in 2003 that replaced the 18-member board with a chairman/presiding officer and six board members. Parole commissioners were added to assist the board with release decisions, revocation decisions and imposition of special parole conditions. The chair/presiding officer and board members are appointed by the governor with approval from the senate. Parole commissioners, currently 12 with two serving in each of six board offices, are hired by the presiding officer. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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