The Attomry ~General of Texas
JIM MAlTOX
October 18. 1985
Attorney General
supwllw court BulldW nr. 0. L. nccottn opinion So. J%362
P. 0. Box 1254a Director
AUdh. lx. 78711.254a Texas Department of! Corrections P.C: Interpretation of the Texas
512M752501 P. 0. Box 99 Prison. &magement Act, article
Telex 9lwS741387
l*lacoplqr 512N75Q2ee
Euntsvillc, Texas 77340 61840. V.T.C.S.
Dear ~nr. ,McCotter:
714 JaCkwfI. She 700
rhll0B. lx. 752024fm You ask seve:xal questions regarding the Texas Prison Management
214i?42eau
Act. article 61842, V.T.C.S, An explanation of some of the provisions
of that act is aecfessary to put your questions In context.
4824 AlbeftE Ave.. suita IS0
El Paso. TX. 788052793 Tbe act pravides that if the inmate population of the Texas
915l5333uu Department of Corrections [hereinafter TDC] reaches 95 percent or tire
of Its bouaing capacity, you must notify the governor of that fact and
1001 Texs0. Suits 700
credit 30 days of adminiatratlve good conduct time to certain
Houston. TX. 77002-3111 categories of immtes. ra.,2(!_).~ Tbe act further provides t+~$f~
7lY@5888 the governor determines certain specified facts to be true. be must
notify the Board of Pardons and Paroles that emergency overcrowding
exists vltbin 30 days of receiving your notice. Id. 12(c). Once the
BW Broadway, Suite 312
Lubbock. TX. 79401-3479
governor notlfien the boaid of the emergency ovetcrovding, the board
ecw747-623a umst advance the parole revlav and eligibility date of the same
cstegories nf-Lmstfsm~tlgat received administtatrve good conduct time
under section 2(b). .Id. )2(d). If the urgency still exists 60
4309 N. Tenth. Suite B days after tbe Ikovernor’ notification to the board, the board must
MCAltm, lx. 7S501.1685
512mS2-4S47
again advance the parole~review and eligibility date of such inmates.
Id. 12(e). If the emergency -still exists 120 days after the
zernor’s notification to the board, the governor must order you to
200 M0ln Plaza. suite 4ca make another avard of good conduct time to such inmates. Id. 12(f).
an Antonio, TX. 782052797
The emergency ends vhen the inmate population is reduced to-&s than
51a2254191
95 percent of cap,mcity:
An Equal Opportunity/
AllirmltlV. ActIon EmPlOW
1. In your letter you mention that a “pool” of inmates is
identified vhen :sectlon 2(b) is lmplewnted and imply that the sub-
sequent measure:a set out in the act apply only to the inmates ~~~ .~ wbo
~.~~~
received an award of good conduct time under section 2(b). Sections
2(d), (e), and (f) apply to “those inmates who are described by
[section 2(b)]” rather than “those inmates who received awards of good
conduct th undscr section 2(b).” Thus, sections 2(d), (e) , and (f)
apply to any ~iucate who ve