Is it against the law for your parole officer to block your home plan application by not submitting it?

There is no simple yes or no, but here is how the process generally works in Texas. A home plan is part of the release process for someone in prison. It is usually handled by an institutional parole officer at the prison unit, who works with a parole office near the proposed address to confirm the home is approved. The Board of Pardons and Paroles makes the release decision, not the parole officer.

A delay or a failure to submit a plan is usually a paperwork and job-performance problem, not a crime. A parole officer is not generally prosecuted for slow work. The Parole Division does have supervisors, though, and complaints about a particular officer can be raised with that officer's supervisor or with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

People usually find out where a plan stands with a written request to the institutional parole officer, a call to the unit's parole office, or a contact from the family to the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Keep a record of dates and who you spoke with. If a release date is close, a lawyer can help sort out where the plan stands.