AI-assisted research summary: The department, the board, and the Windham School District must create and maintain evidence-based program criteria and lists for certain treatment and parole-voted programs, with limits on what can be listed and with different decision authority for each list.
Sec. 508.1521. REQUIRED INDIVIDUAL TREATMENT PLAN PROGRAMS AND PAROLE-VOTED PROGRAMS. (a) In this section: (1) "Parole-voted program" means a program or class that the board intends to require an inmate to complete before releasing the inmate on parole or to mandatory supervision. (2) "Required individual treatment plan program" means a program or class that is required to be included in an inmate's individual treatment plan under Section 508.152 other than a parole-voted program required under Section 508.152(c). (b) The department, the board, and the Windham School District shall: (1) develop evidence-based program criteria specific to required individual treatment plan programs and parole-voted programs to be used in evaluating and assessing those programs; (2) develop and maintain a required individual treatment plan programs list and a parole-voted programs list, provided that a non-evidence-based or non-evidence-informed program may not be included on either list; (3) develop procedures for: (A) evaluating programs to be added to the required individual treatment plan programs list or the parole-voted programs list; (B) assessing current required individual treatment plan programs and parole-voted programs; and (C) removing programs that do not meet the criteria developed under Subdivision (1) from the lists of required individual treatment plan programs and parole-voted programs; and (4) coordinate on required individual treatment plan and parole-voted programming options through regular meetings. (c) In developing and maintaining the required individual treatment plan programs list, the department and the Windham School District have joint authority to decide which programs are included on the required individual treatment plan programs list. (d) In developing and maintaining the parole-voted programs list, the department and the Windham School District shall present programming options and program evaluation results to the board, provided that the board has the sole authority to decide which programs are included on the parole-voted programs list. (e) The department shall: (1) collect and analyze parole-voted program data on a rolling basis, including: (A) the number of inmates waiting for placement into a program; (B) the waitlist times for placement into a program; (C) the reasons for program placement delays, other than delays due to a program start date specified by the board; (D) vote revision requests related to program ineligibility, placement delays, and other factors that may affect parole release timelines; and (E) the number of inmates unable to complete parole-voted programs before the earliest date on which the inmates would have been eligible to be released following program completion; (2) use the data described by Subdivision (1) to: (A) calculate parole-voted program waitlist times; (B) track and reduce parole-voted program enrollment timelines; and (C) work to eliminate parole-voted program placement delays; and (3) include the data and analysis described by Subdivision (1) in the strategic plan required under Section 501.104. (f) The department shall prioritize the placement of inmates into parole-voted programs, ensure parole-voted program capacity meets programming needs, and expand parole-voted program access in accordance with the strategic plan required under Section 501.104. Added by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1022 (S.B. 2405), Sec. 87, eff. September 1, 2025.