Absconder. An offender on parole or community supervision who fails to report to his/her Parole Officer or Community Supervision Officer and cannot be located for the purpose of establishing or continuing supervision. A warrant can be issued for the apprehension and detention of an absconder.
Battering Intervention and Prevention Program (BIPP). These are operated by nonprofit organizations to provide treatment and educational services on a local basis to batterers referred by the courts for treatment. Such treatment and educational services are designed to help batterers stop abusive behavior. Working in collaboration with the Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV), the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) – Community Justice Assistance Division (CJAD) has established minimum Guidelines for programs to receive funding.
Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP). See Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles
Board of Criminal Justice. See Texas Board of Criminal Justice (TBCJ)
Boot Camp. A residential punishment program for offenders on community supervision. Modeled after military basic training, boot camps target young, first-time offenders. Boot camps emphasize physical exercise, strict supervision and discipline. They offer education, life skills training and restitution services. They may also offer substance abuse education.
Case Classification. A research-driven, scientifically valid method used by community supervision officers to classify an offender’s needs and risk to the community. The method is used to ensure that offenders are supervised effectively and efficiently.
Cell Restriction. A disciplinary penalty in which an offender is confined to his cell.
Certification (CJAD-CSCDs).To work as a professional community supervision officer (CSO) in Texas, you must complete a certification course and pass a certification exam given by TDCJ-CJAD. To work in a residential facility run by a community supervision and corrections department (CSCD), you must also complete a residential certification course and pass a residential certification test.
Community Corrections. Used interchangeably with the term community supervision. May also be used to include parole.
Community Corrections Facility (CCF). A residential treatment facility run by CSCDs.
Community Corrections Program (CCP). A community supervision program funded by TDCJ-CJAD. The CCP grant is one of four sources of funding from the division. It is based on the ratio of felons placed directly on community supervision and the population of the counties in the CSCD’s jurisdiction.
Community Justice Council. Judicial districts in Texas are required by the Texas Legislature to form a council representing local government agencies. The council provides continuing policy guidance and direction for the development of the community justice plan (CJP), CCFs, and other programs.
Community Justice Assistance Division (CJAD). The TDCJ division responsible for administering and partially funding adult community supervision (formerly known as adult probation). TDCJ-CJAD also trains and certifies community supervision officers.
Community Justice Intranet System (CJINS). An intranet system used by TDCJ-CJAD and the state’s 122 CSCDs.
Community Justice Plan (CJP). A requirement for receiving funding, the CJP is created every two years by a CSCD. The CJP describes a department’s new and existing community supervision programs. The community justice council submits the CJP for approval by the judge who manages the department. Thereafter, the plan is submitted to TDCJ-CJAD. The CJP is a mandate of the Texas Legislature and is the vehicle through which a CSCD receives state funding.
Community Supervision. Placement of an offender under supervision for a specified length of time, as ordered by a court, with court-imposed rules and conditions. Community supervision (formerly called adult probation) may be ordered for misdemeanor or felony offenses and is generally imposed instead of a jail or prison sentence.
Community Supervision and Corrections Departments (CSCD). The 122 CSCDs in Texas supervise offenders who have been placed under community supervision by local courts. CSCDs are under the authority of judicial district courts but receive partial funding through TDCJ-CJAD.
Community Supervision Officer (CSO). CSOs are state-certified officers who supervise adult men and women placed on community supervision by local courts. Officers work for CSCDs, which are entities of judicial districts, not the State.
Community Supervision Tracking System (CSTS). A database developed by TDCJ-CJAD that contains data from the state’s 122 CSCDs.
Contract Transfer Facilities (Temporary Capacity Beds). Provides housing, care, meals and medical services for transfer facility offenders who have been processed through TDCJ.
Correctional Centers (Private). These are privately operated correctional centers that house CID offenders.
Correctional Institutions Division (CID). The TDCJ division responsible for managing and operating the State's prison system for the confinement of adult felony offenders.
Correctional Managed Health Care Committee. The Health Services Division ensures access to timely health care for offenders incarcerated within TDCJ. The provision of health care is accomplished through a series of contracts between TDCJ, the Correctional Managed Health Care Committee and its agencies, as well as contracts with private correctional corporations. The Health Services Division monitors the health care provided to offenders to ensure compliance with contractual terms, accreditation standards, and applicable state and federal laws. In addition, TDCJ Health Services provides technical assistance to other TDCJ divisions/departments on health related matters.
Correctional Officer (CO). An employee of the TDCJ-CID who performs advanced work involving the direct supervision of offender in their daily assigned duties including the responsibility of preventing escapes and maintaining discipline in conformance with strict rules, regulations, and standard operating procedures.
COURAGE Program for Youthful Offenders. The program is established to provide a vehicle of positive change for youthful offenders through targeted programs, supervision, and management in a safe restorative environment. Emphasis is also placed on other interventions such as education, life skills, creative expression, and positive communication skills. Separate housing for offenders under age 18 is provided at the Clemens Unit for males and at the Hilltop Unit for females.
Court residential treatment centers (CRTCs) treat offenders for substance abuse and alcohol dependency. They also offer education and life skills training; they also may offer vocational and employment services in the final phases of the program. The Lubbock and Uvalde centers are the only two in Texas that accept substance-abusing offenders who also have mental impairments or emotional problems.
Day (or district) Reporting Center (DRC). A highly structured, non-residential facility that supervises offenders on community supervision. Offenders report to the centers as part of the court-ordered conditions of their supervision. The centers also offer education, job training, counseling and other services.
Deferred Adjudication. A type of community supervision. If the conditions of supervision are met for the time period set by the court the charge will be dismissed and no record of conviction is made. However, the records of the arrest, prosecution and community supervision are not expunged as a result of the dismissal.
Direct Supervision. Offenders who are legally on community supervision and who work and/or reside in the jurisdiction in which they are being supervised and receive a minimum of one face-to-face contact with a CSO every three months. Direct supervision begins at the time of initial face-to-face contact with an eligible CSO. Local CSCDs may maintain direct supervision of offenders living and/or working in adjoining jurisdictions if the CSCD has documented approval from the adjoining jurisdictions.
Discharge Date. The date an offender completes their sentence and is released from incarceration, parole, mandatory supervision, or community supervision.
Discretionary Mandatory Supervision. In 1995, the 74th Legislature gave the BPP the authority to review eligible offenders whose offenses were committed on or after September 1, 1996, for possible release to Discretionary Mandatory Supervision. The BPP must review eligible offenders on or before their discretionary mandatory eligibility date and has the discretion to deny release.
Diversion Programs. Diversion programs are effective alternatives to sending nonviolent offenders to prison. These programs offer literacy training, substance abuse treatment and other rehabilitative services to offenders on community supervision.
Driving While Intoxicated Program. This is a six (6) month recovery program that provides a variety of evidence-based educational modules and treatment activities.
Electronic Monitoring (EM). The use of an electronic device placed on an offender on community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision to monitor his/her location and activities.
Emergency Absence. Temporary release under escort for the following reasons:
Executive Clemency. The power of the Governor to grant full or conditional pardons, reprieves of execution, commutation of sentence, and to remit fines and forfeitures resulting from criminal convictions. Executive Clemency can be granted by the Governor ONLY UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF BPP MEMBERS. TDCJ has no role in Executive Clemency issues or decisions.
Grievance. A formal written complaint from an offender.
Good Conduct Time. Credit for good conduct and participation in certain programs.
Halfway House. These are privately operated facilities that house offenders on parole or mandatory supervision.
Indirect Supervision. Maintenance of a file and/or record of an offender under supervision who meets one of the following criteria:
InnerChange Freedom Initiative. The InnerChange program is a comprehensive correctional pre-release program operated by Prison Fellowship Ministries with operational support by TDCJ. It is anchored in Biblical teaching that underscores the importance of taking personal responsibility, the value of education and work, care for persons and property, and exposure to faith-based living.
In-Prison Therapeutic Community (IPTC). An intensive six-month treatment program for eligible offenders who are within six months of parole release and who are identified as needing substance abuse treatment. The BPP must vote to place qualified offenders in the therapeutic community program and successful graduates are then released on parole. Programming is similar to that of the Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility (SAFPF) program. Treatment also includes an aftercare phase, which consists of residential care for three months followed by nine to twelve months of outpatient counseling.
Intermediate Sanction Facility (ISF). A fully-secured facility used for short-term incarceration of offenders who violate the conditions of their community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision. ISFs are utilized by CSCDs for community supervision offenders and by the Parole Division (PD) for parolees and mandatory supervision offenders.
Intensive Supervision Parole (ISP). A program that supervises prison releasees who are most likely to return to prison. The program requires a minimum of one contact per week and a more intense level of parole supervision than other lower-risk parolees receive.
Intensive Supervision Probation (ISP). An intensive level of supervision for offenders on community supervision who are at higher risk of violating the conditions of their supervision.
Interstate Compact Supervision. Supervision of offenders on community supervision (probation) or parole, who meet specific eligibility criteria, may be transferred to another state under the Interstate Compact system. All 50 of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories participate as members of the Compact. The Texas Probation and Parole Interstate Compact is administered through the TDCJ Interstate Compact Office.
Intrastate Transfers. A form of indirect supervision in which offenders on community supervision transfer to another CSCD.
Judicial Advisory Council (JAC). The advisory council to TDCJ’s CJAD. Six of the Council’s 12 members are appointed by the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. The remaining six are appointed by the presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
Lockdown. A temporary suspension of ordinary and routine activities. As a general rule, offenders are confined to their cell or dormitory.
Lockhart Work Program. This is a secure facility that is privately operated, which offers a work program. It is a special unit operating a Private Sector/Prison Industry Enhancement Certification program, commonly referred to as a PIE program.
Mandatory Supervision (MS). A type of release from prison provided by law for restricted categories of offenders. Eligible offenders are released on MS when their calendar time served added to their good time credit equals the length of their prison sentence. Under the law in effect until August 31, 1996, release to mandatory supervision was automatic, with no requirement for release approval from the BPP .
Mentally Impaired (MI). Classification identifying offenders with documented mental disabilities such as a major mental illness.
Mentally Impaired Offender Facility (MIOF). A facility designed to demonstrate a multi-service approach to treatment, along with appropriate and cost-effective alternatives to incarceration of offenders with special needs. TCOOMMI funding supports special needs services at the MIOF.
Mentally Retarded Offender Program (MROP). A program that places mentally retarded releasees on a specialized caseload with a parole officer trained specifically for providing supervision and services that meet these offenders' special needs.
Monthly Community Supervision & Corrections Report (MCSCR). Community supervision data submitted to TDCJ-CJAD by the state’s CSCDs.
Next Review Date (NR). A BPP decision stipulating an offender is not ready for parole, but the case will be reviewed again within one to three years.
Offender. Generic term that applies to a person under the supervision of TDCJ or a CSCD.
Pardon. A form of executive clemency which absolves an individual from the legal consequences of their crime and conviction. There are several categories of pardons, including full pardons, conditional pardons, and pardons based on innocence.
Parole. The conditional release of an offender from prison, by a BPP decision, to serve the remainder of his/her sentence under supervision in the community.
Parole Division (PD). The TDCJ division responsible for operating the state's adult parole system and supervising offenders on parole or mandatory supervision. The PD does not, however, make decisions to grant, deny, or revoke parole or mandatory supervision. See Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Parolee. A convicted felon released from incarceration to serve a portion of their sentence under supervision in the community (parole). A parolee reports on a regular schedule to a Parole Officer, and must obey specific conditions of release until the original sentence is completed.
Parole Eligibility: An offender's parole eligibility is determined by the laws in effect on the date the offense was committed, the offense of conviction, and the sentence. The BPP has complete discretion in parole decisions.
Parole-in-Absentia (PIA). Parole release for parole-eligible offenders who are serving sentences in out-of-state prisons, federal facilities, or state and county jails.
Parole Officer (PO). An employee of the TDCJ-PD who is responsible for supervising releasees under parole or mandatory supervision.
Portable Document Format (PDF)- A versatile document format that may be viewed using Adobe Reader.
Post Trauma Staff Support Team. Employees of TDCJ-CJAD or the state’s CSCDs who are trained by TDCJ to support their peers after a crisis. Members do not counsel their co-workers, but are there to talk openly with them about what happened. If necessary, they call in a clinician to talk with particularly depressed or fearful employees and identify those who might benefit from counseling. This is used by all divisions and the name has been changed to Crisis Response Intervention Support Program [CRISP].
Pre-Parole Investigation (PPI). An investigation of an offender's parole release plan, taking into consideration the living arrangements, employment plans, and treatment and counseling programs which the offender will be following while under
parole release.
Pre-Parole Transfer (PPT) Facility. Pre-Parole Transfer facilities provide secure housing for offenders where programming such as life skills, substance abuse education and vocational training is offered to offenders.
Pre-Parole Transfer (PPT). Facility. Pre-Parole Transfer facilities are transitional facilities that provide pre-parolees counseling, on-site academic and vocational education and services, and other associated programming during the last 12 months of their incarceration.
Pre-Release Substance Abuse Program (PRSAP). An intensive six-month program for eligible offenders within six to nine months of release as identified by the TDCJ, Rehabilitation Division, Classification Department and PD. Treatment modality is similar to the SAFPF program and includes three phases. The BPP must vote to place a qualified offender in the PRSAP.
Pre-Release Therapeutic Community (PRTC). An intensive six-month treatment program for offenders in a therapeutic community setting which provides pre-release services to offenders within seven months of release. The PRTC is comprised of three components: educational/vocational, substance abuse treatment, and cognitive restructuring. The BPP must vote to place a qualified offender in the PRTC.
Pre-Sentence Investigation (PSI). An investigation of an offender's criminal history, family history, work history, and risks and needs, conducted by a CSO. The resulting Pre-Sentence Investigation Report (PSIR) is considered by the court prior to sentencing.
Private Facility Contract Monitoring/Oversight Division (PF CM/OD). The TDCJ division responsible for the oversight and monitoring of contracts of privately operated secure facilities as well as community based facilities, which includes substance abuse treatment services.
Probation. See Community Supervision.
Project COPE (Community Opportunity Programs in Education), which is a consortium of the TDCJ-PD, Texas Youth Commission, TDCJ Windham Schools, CSCDs, and community adult education providers. COPE’s goal is to deliver education services to releasees who have education skills below the sixth grade level and to assist releasees in obtaining General Equivalency Diplomas.
Project RIO (Re-Integration of Offenders) program seeks to secure employment for releasees. Within the CID, the RIO program is open to all offenders unless they are to be paroled out of state or have a verified Immigration Naturalization Service (INS) or felony detainer.
Projected Release Date. Projected Release Date is the date, which is determined by the TDCJ-CID Classification and Records Office, that an offender is projected to be released from incarceration if not released on parole sooner. The calculation of the projected release date is affected by offense title and offense date.
Protective Custody. Protective Custody is an Administrative Segregation status designed to provide the ultimate protection to offenders. For their safety, Protective Custody offenders are housed in accordance with the Administrative Segregation Plan. This status is usually associated with serious, direct, proven threats on an offender’s safety.
Recidivism. To recidivate is to commit a new crime.
Releasee. A convicted felon released from incarceration to serve a portion of their sentence under supervision in the community on parole or mandatory supervision. A releasee reports on a regular schedule to a Parole Officer, and must obey specific conditions of release until the original sentence is completed.
Restitution. Repayment for having committed a crime. Restitution can be made to a specific victim in a dollar amount to repay for damages or can be made to society by working without pay for a non-profit or governmental agency.
Restitution Center. A community-based corrections facility which provides 24-hour close supervision and a highly structured environment for non-violent felons. Offenders are confined to the center except to go to their place of employment, to perform community service work, or to attend education or rehabilitation programs.
Revocation. The act of removing an offender from community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision due to the offender violating the conditions of his or her supervision and/or committing a new crime.
Safekeeping. Safekeeping is designed for offenders identified as being more vulnerable than the average general population offender. Unlike Protective Custody, Safekeeping offenders go to work, school, and other activities with general population offenders.
Security Threat Group. Any group of offenders that poses a threat to the physical safety of other offenders or staff.
Serve-all. A BPPs decision for offenders who are considered not ready for parole and who have less than three years until release to mandatory supervision or until discharge. The offender is required to remain in prison until reaching their mandatory supervision release date or their discharge date.
Set Off. Informal term for Next Review Date (see "NR").
Sex Offender (SO). Offenders who have been sentenced for committing a sexual offense, have a past conviction for an offense involving sexually deviant behavior, have displayed sexually deviant behavior in the commission of any offense, or have admitted committing sexually deviant behavior. Sex offenders require a higher degree of supervision than other offenders.
Sex Offender Education Program (SOEP). A four-month program that provides didactic training on a variety of related topics to sex offenders. This program is designed to assist sex offenders determined to pose a lower re-offense risk or who may be releasing to a lengthy term of supervision.
Sex Offender Treatment Program (SOTP). The primary goal of the program is to reduce the rate of re-offense and move the participant toward a more pro-social lifestyle.
Solitary Confinement. The separation of an offender from the general population as punishment assessed during the disciplinary process.
Special Needs Parole. Early parole, with Board of Pardons and Parole approval, permitted for offenders who are elderly, terminally ill, physically handicapped, mentally ill or mentally retarded. * Statutory provisions exclude 3g offenders
Specialized Caseloads. The grouping of offenders on community supervision who share a particular problem, such as mental or physical impairments. Caseloads are kept small, usually about 40 offenders, and are supervised by officers who are trained to work with that particular problem area.
State Counsel for Offenders. A division reporting directly to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice (TBCJ) which provides indigent offenders who are incarcerated in the TDCJ with legal counsel that is independent of TDCJ-CID. SCFO cannot help offenders with civil rights issues, TDCJ policy or procedure issues, fee-generating cases, and various other legal areas depending upon the circumstances. This service is only for offenders who cannot afford to pay an attorney to assist them with their legal problems. Offenders must contact SCFO directly – the request for help cannot come from friends or family members.
State Jail Facility (Private). These are privately operated state jails that house state jail felons as well as CID transfer offenders. State Jail Felons are incarcerated for a two (2) year period or less.
State Jail Felony. Certain offenses (primarily property crimes and low-level controlled substance offenses) committed after September 1, 1994, are classified as state jail felonies. A state jail sentence involves a mandatory term of community supervision, in some cases preceded by 60 to 365 days of "up-front" confinement in a state jail facility. Confinement for the full term of a sentence may be ordered if the conditions of community supervision are violated. State jail sentences cannot exceed two years for one offense, but a repeat offender may receive overlapping state jail sentences not to exceed three years.
Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility (SAFPF). An intensive six-month therapeutic community program (nine-month program for offenders with special needs) for offenders who are sentenced by a judge as a condition of community supervision or as a modification of parole/community supervision. The program consists of Phase I (Orientation), a comprehensive assessment and orientation of the Therapeutic Community; Phase II (Main Treatment), which includes education, skills training, offender lifestyle confrontation, family dynamics, and peer support groups; and Phase III (Re-Entry), the education of offenders in the development of social skills and the recognition of the triggers of relapse. Upon completion of the SAFPF program, offenders are placed in a community residential facility/Transitional Treatment Center for three months, followed by outpatient treatment for up to twelve additional months. The aftercare phase administers a diverse range of therapeutic, residential, outpatient, and resource programs. The Special Needs program provides educational components that address Axis I mental disorders as well as personality disorders, medication regimentation, and the interaction of disorders with substances of abuse.
State Jail Substance Abuse Program. The program consists of a multimodal curriculum to address the needs of offenders in various stages of recovery. The curriculum includes didactic classes, life skills, training, transitional planning and parenting skills.
Substance Abuse Counseling Program (SACP). A program provided to offenders who have not participated in a Therapeutic Community (TC) program and is comprised of three (3) intervention levels. Level I is a four (4) hour substance abuse education and relapse prevention planning class, which is provided to all newly released offenders with special condition “S” within approximately one week of release. Offenders who submit a positive urinalysis or request counseling services are referred to Level II, which is 60-90 days of outpatient counseling and treatment services. Level II services are provided by contracted treatment vendors; however, in areas where there is no contracted vendor a TDCJ-PD Counselor (Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor) provides Level II counseling services. Level III is a minimum of 60 days inpatient substance abuse treatment at a SACP-ISF. Upon successful completion of the inpatient SACP-ISF, the offender is referred to SACP Level II outpatient services as a continuum of care.
Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities (SATFs). A residential community corrections facility designed specifically to deal with offenders on community supervision who have substance abuse problems. The court may place an offender in a SATF for no less than one month and not more than 24 months.
Supervision Plan. A plan for supervising offenders on community supervision. Developed by a community supervision officer, based on an assessment of the offender’s needs and his or her level of risk to society.
Supervision Plan. A plan for supervising offenders on community supervision, developed by a CSO and based on an assessment of the offender’s needs and level of risk to society.
Technical Violation. A violation of one or more of the rules of community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision, not including commission of a new offense.
Texas Board of Criminal Justice (TBCJ). The Board that governs the TDCJ. Its nine non-salaried members serve staggered six-year terms and are appointed by the Governor. The Board is required by statute to meet once per calendar quarter.
Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles (BPP). A seven member board with constitutional and statutory authority to approve or deny a parole release, to determine the rules and conditions of release, to revoke a releasee's parole or mandatory supervision, and to make executive clemency recommendations.
Texas Correctional Office on Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments (TCOOMMI). A 29-member collaborative council that addresses the needs of juvenile and adult offenders with mental illness, mental retardation or developmental disabilities.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). The agency which manages the overall operation of the state's prison system, parole, and state jail systems. The agency also provides funding, training, and certain oversight of community supervision. TDCJ is the largest state agency in Texas.
Therapeutic Community (TC). A substance abuse treatment program involving non-punitive treatment modes that result in overcoming addictive behavioral patterns leading to substance abuse.
Transitional Treatment Center (TTC). Privately owned and operated community based facilities that provide substance abuse aftercare to offenders on parole, mandatory supervision or community supervision. Offenders who have participated in the In-Prison Therapeutic Community (IPTC) or Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility (SAFPF) programs are referred to a TTC for aftercare, with a residential stay of up to 90 days.
Treatment Alternative to Incarceration Program (TAIP) ensures rapid placement in treatment, which is crucial in preventing recidivism or relapse in the offender population.
Victim. The person harmed by another in the commission of a crime. Defined by State law in the Crime Victims' Rights (Chapter 56, Code of Criminal Procedure), "a person who is the victim of the offense of sexual assault, kidnapping, aggravated robbery, trafficking of persons, or injury to a child, elderly individual, or disabled individual or who has suffered personal injury or death as a result of the criminal conduct of another."
Victim Impact Statement (VIS). A form used by law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and other criminal justice authorities to record the impact of the offense on the victim. A VIS may be submitted by the actual victim of a crime, the immediate family or other relatives of the victim, or by the guardian of a victim. It may be presented as an audio tape or videotape as well as in written form. Victim impact statements are considered during sentencing proceedings and at all parole panel
reviews.
Violation. Failure by an offender to abide by a rule or condition of their supervision. A violation may be either technical or criminal in nature.
Volunteer Coordination Committee coordinates programming among the various divisions of the TDCJ (i.e. PD, CID, State Jails, Victim Services, CJAD, Rehabilitation Programs Division) in order to maximize the safe and successful use of volunteers in rehabilitating and reintegrating offenders into communities.
Wellness Initiative Now (WIN) - The wellness program that was implemented to promote personal well-being, fitness, and nutrition for all TDCJ employees.
Windham School District provides academic and vocational education to eligible offenders incarcerated within the TDCJ. Windham operates in CID facilities, including Institutional Units as well as State Jails. Windham also contracts to operate within a PD ISF.
August 21, 2009
|