San Antonio, Texas, March 22, 2017: Tomorrow, House Bill 2120 relating to good conduct time for violent offenders will be heard by the House Committee on Corrections. Passage of this bill would permit inmates serving sentences in Texas prisons to be released early based on “good conduct time”. Currently under Texas law, individuals sentenced to prison for offenses such as murder, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, sexual performance of a child, burglary of a habitation with intent to commit a sex crime, and continuous human trafficking are required to serve either 30 years or ½ of their sentence – whichever is less, without consideration of good conduct time, before they can be considered for parole. These offenders are some of the most dangerous members of our society whose sentence was imposed after consideration of all of the facts and circumstances surrounding their offense, background, and criminal history.
House Bill 2120 would permit these most dangerous criminals to be released back into our community prior to serving even half of their sentences. Not only would House Bill 2120 affect future cases, it would apply to the sentences of those currently incarcerated. The Bexar County District Attorney’s Office strenuously opposes this proposed change to the law and intends to testify publicly against this bill’s passage. The House Committee on Corrections will hear public testimony tomorrow, Thursday March 23, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. or upon adjournment in Room E2.014 in the Texas Capitol.
“If passed, this proposed bill would release a flood of violent offenders into our community without the adequate rehabilitation,” said District Attorney LaHood. “We strongly oppose this proposed legislation.”