Probation bill threatens labor pool for nonprofits
By ALLIE RASMUS/ News 8 Austin,
Legislature 2005 Stories
Hundreds of people fulfill their community service requirement at Goodwill every month. More than 300 of them are
on probation, as part of Travis County's adult probation system.
"We rely heavily on our volunteer workforce," Malcomb Gardner of Goodwill said.
Community service is a requirement
for many convicted criminals and can be ordered in lieu of jail time or immediately following it.
Once finished with prison, they continue to be supervised by the courts, in some cases for up to 10 years or more. During
that time, they have to give back to the community.
"We give them an opportunity to work off those hours," Gardner said. "It's a
good labor pool."
Lawmakers passed HB 2193 this session that nonprofits say could cut down that
labor pool.
"This session the legislature changed the law on third degree felonies and said
that the
maximum someone can be placed on probation is five years - cuts it in half,"
Rep. Terry Keel, R-Austin, said.
That means third degree felony terms would go from 10-plus years down to between
two and five years. The probation changes don't apply to third degree felony convictions for DWIs and sex offenders.
Nonprofit groups around Central Texas worry that a decrease in probation time
will mean less help to run their operations.
"We could lose potentially 20 to 30 percent of our volunteer hours," Gardner
said.
In 2004, more than 9,500 probationers in Travis County did community service for a total of 500,000 hours. That was
worth $2.5 million to the community.
The bill's authors say the changes are needed to help streamline the state's
probation system and budget.
In Travis County, there are 130 probation officers and more than 11,000 people
on direct supervision.
Nonprofits aren't the only groups concerned. Keel said the bill raises obvious
safety issues.
"There may be real good reasons to keep somebody on third degree felony probation
for arson, or kidnapping or assault and family violence for a lengthy supervision," he said.
Bill opponents say the state's current probation system exists for a reason:
Law enforcement groups and Texas nonprofits want to maintain that status quo.
If signed, the bill would be retroactive. That means as many as 7,000 people
in Travis County, along with 30,000 probationers, could see their supervision time reduced.
