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Community Supervision in Dallas County

On Behalf of | Jul 16, 2018 | Adult Probation, Community Supervision

You’ve probably heard the terms “probation” and “parole” a number of times throughout your life. Here in Texas, adult probation is now called “community supervision,” which is different than “parole.” When someone is on parole, it means they were released early from prison but are still being supervised in the community until their parole is over.

Community supervision on the other hand, is a sentencing alternative to incarceration. When an offender is on community supervision, he or she is being supervised in the community instead of languishing in jail or prison until their sentence is over.

Community supervision is beneficial for the offender because:

  • It lets them be at home.
  • It lets the offender continue working.
  • It lets the offender support their dependents.
  • It focuses on rehabilitation instead of punishment.
  • It lets the offender identify the cause of their criminal activity so they
    can correct it and prevent it from occurring again.
  • It helps offenders by giving them access to a wide range of supportive
    and rehabilitative services.

Community supervision is equally beneficial for the State of Texas and the courts because:

  • It saves taxpayers a lot of money because the offenders do not have to be housed in a jail or prison.
  • It allows defendants to make up the damage by having them pay restitution.
  • It saves the state money because less relatives of offenders have to receive state benefits to cover the costs of food, medical insurance, etc. This is because the offenders can work to support their families.
  • It makes room in Texas’ jails and prisoners for violent offenders who are bigger threats to our communities.

Related: What is Community Supervision?

According to the Dallas County Community Supervision and Corrections (CSCD), in Fiscal Year 2017: 5,692 defendants worked Community Service Restitution (CSR), defendants worked a total of 346,385 hours, and 3,687 defendants in Dallas County paid restitution amounting to $3,677,992. As you can
see, community supervision can be a win-win situation for defendants and the state alike.

Facing criminal charges in Dallas County? To learn more about community
supervision in lieu of jail or prison, contact our firm today.