|
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
relating to certain technical violations of conditions of community |
|
supervision. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter P, Chapter 42A, Code of Criminal |
|
Procedure, is amended by adding Article 42A.7555 to read as |
|
follows: |
|
Art. 42A.7555. PROCEDURES APPLICABLE TO CERTAIN TECHNICAL |
|
VIOLATIONS. (a) This article applies to any violation of a |
|
condition of community supervision by a defendant on community |
|
supervision for an offense that is punishable as a state jail felony |
|
or a felony of the third degree, other than: |
|
(1) a violation committed by a defendant who: |
|
(A) in the five years preceding the date of the |
|
violation, was convicted of: |
|
(i) a felony offense listed in Article |
|
42A.054(a) or for which the judgment contains an affirmative |
|
finding under Article 42A.054(c) or (d); or |
|
(ii) a sexually violent offense as defined |
|
by Article 62.001; or |
|
(B) has previously had the defendant's community |
|
supervision revoked; or |
|
(2) a violation that involves: |
|
(A) being arrested for, charged with, or |
|
convicted of an offense: |
|
(i) punishable as a felony; |
|
(ii) under Title 5, Penal Code, that is |
|
punishable as a misdemeanor; or |
|
(iii) involving the possession of a firearm |
|
or any prohibited weapon; |
|
(B) contacting the victim of the offense for |
|
which the defendant was placed on community supervision; |
|
(C) failing to register as a sex offender under |
|
Chapter 62 if required as a condition of community supervision; |
|
(D) committing family violence, as defined by |
|
Section 71.004, Family Code; |
|
(E) failing to report to a supervision officer as |
|
directed for 30 days or more if a supervision officer, peace |
|
officer, or other officer directed by the court attempted to |
|
contact the defendant in person at the defendant's last known |
|
residence or employment address; or |
|
(F) leaving the state without permission. |
|
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, if |
|
after a hearing under Article 42A.751(d) the judge determines the |
|
defendant violated not more than three conditions of community |
|
supervision to which this article applies and no other condition, |
|
the judge may not revoke the defendant's community supervision but |
|
may continue, extend, or modify the community supervision, other |
|
than a modification that requires the defendant to serve a term of |
|
confinement based on the violation. |
|
(c) Except as provided by Subsection (e), this article does |
|
not limit the authority of a judge to revoke a defendant's community |
|
supervision or to impose a term of confinement if the defendant |
|
violates four or more conditions of community supervision to which |
|
this article applies, except that before the defendant may be |
|
required to serve a term of confinement in a facility other than a |
|
community corrections facility as defined by Article 42A.601 or a |
|
substance abuse felony punishment facility operated by the Texas |
|
Department of Criminal Justice under Section 493.009, Government |
|
Code, the judge must: |
|
(1) exhaust all alternatives to incarceration; |
|
(2) follow the continuum of care for a defendant who |
|
requires inpatient treatment for substance abuse, if applicable; |
|
and |
|
(3) determine that the defendant is an imminent threat |
|
to the public. |
|
(d) If the judge imposes confinement described by |
|
Subsection (c) as a condition of community supervision, the judge |
|
may impose any other condition the judge determines appropriate to |
|
be effective after the defendant completes the term of confinement. |
|
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, if |
|
the judge determines that the defendant has only violated one or |
|
more conditions of community supervision related to failing to |
|
timely pay a fee or arriving late to a scheduled meeting with the |
|
defendant's supervision officer, the judge may not revoke the |
|
defendant's community supervision. This subsection does not affect |
|
the defendant's obligation to pay any fees as required as a |
|
condition of community supervision. |
|
SECTION 2. Article 42A.7555, Code of Criminal Procedure, as |
|
added by this Act, applies to a person on community supervision on |
|
or after the effective date of this Act, regardless of whether the |
|
person was placed on community supervision before, on, or after the |
|
effective date of this Act. |
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |