Use the email form at the bottom of the page to send the following letter to key state legislators regarding common sense steps needed in order to protect both clients and staff at TDCJ Parole offices and facilities across Texas. 
After you send your email: MAKE THE CALL to your own elected officials (sample phone script provided). 

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Use the email form below to send the following letter! 

*Be sure to send your letter during a work break or off work hours. We urge all respondents to use their personal contact information and not a work email address or phone number. 

.ATTENTION:

* James White, Chair House Corrections Committee
* Alma Allen, Vice-Chair House Corrections Committee
* John Whitmire, Chair Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
* Joan Huffman, Vice-Chair Senate Committee on Criminal Justice

Despite the positive steps taken by TDCJ leadership, elevated risk of exposure to COVID-19 continues in facilities across Texas. Parole officers are currently conducting field visits in COVID infected county jails, halfway houses and rehab facilities. Our office environments are not currently setup for proper social distancing and adequate PPE is not always available.

While we proudly serve Texas and we wish to continue doing so, our lives, our family’s lives and the lives of the public at large are at risk by failing to take statewide COVID measures.

We are asking for the following policies to be considered as temporary procedures to flatten the curve of this unprecedented health crisis.

• TDCJ Parole should follow the lead of other state agencies and follow CDC guidelines with respect to social distancing. Skeleton crews are needed to limit the risk, and everyone entering the building should have their temperature taken before given access.

• TDCJ Parole should utilize a safety strategy and grant tools to help officers limit their exposure to COVID-19. Limitations should be placed on field visits to COVID infected jails, halfway houses and treatment facilities. Proper PPE, including N95 masks should be issued to any parole officer that is assigned to visit these facilities. Further, parole officers should be allowed to conduct check-ins through video conferencing and home visits from automobiles.

• TDCJ Parole should care for officers exposed and infected by COVID-19. All TDCJ Parole staff who have been in contact with confirmed cases COVID-19 should be allowed to self-quarantine for a period of two weeks, and not return to their TDCJ Parole office until after a confirmed negative COVID-19 test at no expense to the employee. All TDCJ offices should be deep cleaned after any exposure to COVID-19 before any staff is allowed to return to that office.

• TDCJ Parole should operate with transparency and incentivize the sacrifice of dedicated state employees. We are asking for full transparency with infection rates at both TDCJ Parole and Prisons. To understand risk, all reports released by TDCJ should break down known COVID-19 cases by the facility or office where they have occurred. TDCJ Parole staff should also receive ADDITIONAL hazard pay during this COVID-19 outbreak..

State Representatives and State Senators; please listen to the voices of TDCJ parole staff as we work to make our agency successful during these difficult times. We are in this struggle together and must keep our agency running at full steam as we unite and get past this statewide health crisis.