Types of Texas Parole Releases

The Board of Paroles and Pardons in Texas has the responsibility of keeping the general public safe from convicted felons. Under some circumstances, however, people who have served time in prison may be eligible to be released early back into society. Depending on criteria like the amount of time served and the crime for which a person was convicted, an offender may be granted one of the several types of parole release available in Texas.

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Parole Overview

The Texas Board of Paroles and Pardons stipulates that parole is a privilege rather than a right. It must be earned and is only granted to offenders who meet the stringent criteria for it. Further, parole is offered to a select number of offenders under the discretionary and conditional powers of the Board.

If granted parole, an offender would be allowed to serve the rest of his or her time out of prison in the community and under the specific terms established by the parole division in the state. Parolees must report regularly to their parole officers and obey all of the conditions and terms of their early release until they have served out the entirety of their sentences.

Further, parolees must also abide by any special requirements put in place by the board prior to their release back into society. These requirements can include:

• Individual counseling
• Sex offender registration
• Participation in educational programs
• Intensive supervision
• Electronic monitoring
• Participation in an alcohol or drug treatment program
• Mandatory drug monitoring

In other instances, parole may be granted to people who meet medical guidelines for early release. In particular, offenders who are terminally ill or suffer from mental illness, a physical handicap, or an intellectual development disorder that renders them harmless to society may be given parole from prison.

Below are the different types of parole you can be granted, along with their approval codes.

Approval Codes

FI-1: Further investigation- 1 is the code used for an offender who is granted parole and should be released on supervised parole as soon as eligibly date.

FI-2: Parole granted, on a future specified date.

FI-3R: Inmate is to be transferred to a TDCJ rehabilitation program for a period no less than four months. Offender is released on parole after successful completion of the program

FI-4R: Inmate should be transferred to a Sex Offender Education Program, or SOEP, for a period no less than four months. Offender is released on parole upon successful completion of the program.

FI-5: Inmate is transferred to an In-Prison Therapeutic Community Program with release to an aftercare program after completion.

FI-6: Inmate is transferred to a DWI rehabilitation program. Release to a continuing care program after completion.

FI-6R: Inmate is transferred to a rehabilitation program for a period of no less than six months. After completion, offender is released on parole.

FI-7R: Inmate is transferred to a Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative program for a period no less than seven months. Parole release is granted after successful completion.

FI-9R: Inmate is transferred to a Sex Offender Treatment Program for at least nine months. Parole release after completion.

FI-18R: Inmate is transferred to a Sex Offender Treatment Program for a period of at least 18 months. Parole release after successful completion.

CU-FI: Indicates the date of parole eligibility for an inmate serving consecutive sentences.

RMS: Release with Mandatory Supervision

If you are approved for parole, you will be given guidelines aligning with one of these types of parole listed above.

Unfortunately, parole is not granted to every single inmate that applies. If you are denied parole by the Parole Board, you will see one of these denial codes.

Denial Codes

NR: Next Review is also called a set off. The next review can be set for a period of up to 5 years in the future, although most reviews for less serious crimes take place within one year.

SA: A Serve All parole board review is a denial of release without a regular review in the future.

CU/NR (Month/Year-Cause Number): The next review date can be set at one year from the panel decision date.

CU/SA (Month/Year-Cause Number): Release is denied and ordered serve-all. This denial is not given to any offender whose maximum expiration date is either over one year or over five years from the date of the panel decision, depending on the type of crime committed.

DMS (Month/Year): The next mandatory supervision review date is set for one year from the panel decision date.

Schedule a consultation with parole attorney Greg Tsioros to discuss parole releases »

Texas makes available several types of parole releases to eligible offenders. To be granted one of these parole releases, people must meet strict criteria while serving their time in prison. They also must abide by requirements established by the Board of Paroles and Pardons until they have served the entirety of their sentences.