For more than 20 years, lawmakers in Texas acknowledged that offenders with special needs such as the elderly, physically handicapped, and mentally impaired who are housed in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice presented challenges in health care and cost. In response to these perceived needs, the Texas legislature created “medically recommended intensive supervision” (MRIS) to permit the early release of eligible offenders. This article examines how and why the MRIS law was implemented. It also discusses how MRIS is being utilized in Texas. Next, it delineates the MRIS process an offender must endure. The article elaborates on recent legislative attempts to amend the MRIS law. Finally, several conclusions about the use of MRIS in Texas are discussed.
SharpJ. (1991). Special needs offenders should be diverted or transferred from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Retrieved from www.window.state.tx.us/tpr/btm/btmps/ps02.html
19.
Social Security Act of 1965, 42 U.S.C. Section 402(x)(1)(A)(i).
Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 42.18. (1991).
24.
Texas Correctional Office on Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments. (n.d.a). Medically Recommended Intensive Supervision (MRIS) FY11 annual report (PowerPoint). Retrieved from http://tdcj.state.tx.us/publications/index.html
25.
Texas Correctional Office on Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments. (n.d.b). Medically Recommended Intensive Supervision (MRIS) FY12 annual report (PowerPoint). Retrieved from http://tdcj.state.tx.us/publications/index.html
