Inmate Education Plan

To provide the inmates a means for rehabilitation and education, while instituting some marketable skill, while incarcerated in the Harris County Jail System.

A. The plan is a management tool providing:

1. A means of obtaining basic skills; and
2. An enhancement of technology usage.

B. The plan shall provided fair and consistent implementation and attendance.

C. Rules and regulations:

1. This plan shall make maximum feasibl4 use of the resources available in and to the community in Harris County.

2. The plan may include programs for voluntary participation by inmates in such programs as:

a. Academic;
b. Reading;
c. Counseling;
d. Therapy; and/or
e. Training programs.

3. No inmate will be penalized if he/she elects to discontinue participation in a training program.

4. Each facility shall provide available library services to inmates.

5. Reasonable criteria for eligibility shall be established, and an inmate may be excluded or removed from any class or activity for failure to abide by facility rules and regulations.

6. Programs will be designed so that inmates may continue the programs when transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice

A. Inmates confined in the Harris County Jail System may submit an application for an Inmate Education Program sponsored by the Harris county Sheriffs Department in conjunction with the Houston community college System. Those inmates classified as a security risk will not be eligible. Also ineligible will be those inmates from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice confined in Harris county Sheriff's Department Facilities on a bench-warrant status and Federal or Military Prisoners detained by the Harris County Sheriff's Department for Federal or Military authorities. Applications from such Federal or Military Prisoners will be subject to the review and approval of respective authority prior to further processing and consideration of the application.

B. Application for, and participation in, and Inmate Education Program sponsored by the Harris County Sheriffs Department will be voluntary on the part of the inmate, and application for participation must be initiated by the inmate and submitted in accordance with established procedures.

C. If an inmate elects to discontinue participation in a training program, he/she shall not be penalized.

D. Inmate students shall not be required to hold full-time work assignments; each inmate shall be given adequate time or rest.

E. Inmate students removed from training programs for classroom misconduct shall not be eligible or re-enrollment in a training program sponsored by the Harris County Sheriff's Department. Any exceptions to this rule must be approved by an Education Administrator.

F. Inmate participants in Inmate Education Programs shall not be denied any of the same privileges as may be extended to the general inmate population.

G. Inmate participants in Inmate Education Programs shall not be required to be photographed or interviewed by the media against their will. Inmates who may consent shall execute a "Release Form."

H. All Houston Community College Program Staff assigned to the Harris County Sheriff's Department Inmate Education Program shall be thoroughly oriented by current staff and shall be governed by the same guidelines that apply to the personnel of the Harris County Sheriffs Department.

I. Program Staff shall be defined as those persons, whether employed by the Harris County Sheriff's Department or the Houston Community College System, whose full-time responsibilities are devoted to the conduct of the Inmate Education Program.

IMPLEMENTATION AND SCHEDULING OF INMATE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

A. The determination of Inmate Education Programs to be implemented in Harris County Sheriffs Department Facilities shall be jointly made by the Education Administrators of the Sheriff's Department and the Houston Community college System. Such proposed programs shall be subject to the final approval of Sheriff and Detention Bureau major of the Harris county Sheriffs Department.

B. Schedules of Inmate Education Programs in Harris County Sheriffs Department Facilities will be set by Administrators employed by the Sheriffs Department. Careful attention shall be given to classroom availability, security, safety and fire regulations, as well as other inmate activities.

NOTIFICATION OF INMATE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Provisions will be made to publicize the school programs through the following procedures:

A. The Education Section will determine eligibility for all interested inmates. Inmates will be notified of existing classes and will be given the opportunity to complete an application for Inmate Education.

B. Applications for training and other activities conducted through the Inmate Education Program shall be made available on each housing floor, as well as by routing distribution by inmate workers assigned to the Education Section.

C. In the event a more urgent notification of programs may be required, notices of such programs may be circulated to inmates through the various cellblocks, or staff may elect to personally visit the cellblocks to disseminate information.

D. In the event an inmate is unable to obtain an application from the sources named in Sections above, he/she is encouraged to write to the Inmate Education Program Staff.

APPLICATION FOR INMATE EDUCATION PROGRAM

A. Completed applications shall be forwarded to the Education staff.

B. It shall be the responsibility of the inmate to ensure that his/her application is accurate and complete to the best of his/her knowledge and the submission of said application shall be deemed evidence of the inmate's sincerity and commitment to attend the requested training program.

C. All inmate participation in the Inmate Education Programs will be voluntary. No inmate shall be required to complete an application form against his/her will.

A. Inmate eligibility shall be determined by the Education Section of the Harris County Sheriffs Department.

B. Certain events may change the eligibility status of an inmate while in the Harris County Jail System (court decisions, case status, inmate behavior, etc.). If an inmate has been classified as ineligible or a program and feels that circumstances may warrant a change in his/her eligibility status, he/she may submit an application for the desired program. Such applications will be processed through the Education Section for review.

A. While all inmates who meet program eligibility may make application for all classes, those who have special needs are also provided for.

1. GED/ABE - prepares inmates in basic skills which can lead to GED certification

2. ESL (English as a Second Language) - prepares non-english speakers for conversation and other courses.

3. Disabilities - All efforts are made to provide courses for hearing impaired, blind, etc. as well as wheel chair bound or other special needs.

Each eligible inmate applicant shall be interviewed by a representative of the Inmate Education Program or the appropriate Houston Community College system staff member, at which time the program will be fully explained.
B. While filling student vacancies for Education Programs, the following priorities shall apply:

1. Applicants need for training. (Inmates whose records reflect no current marketable job skill shall receive greater consideration for the placement in a training program.)

2. Inmates intent to continue training programs upon his/her release from confinement. (Every precaution should be taken to detect and assign only those inmates to training programs who have indicated positive intent to continue the program upon release from the Harris County Jail System.)

3. Length of Jail time remaining after approval for a training program. Preference shall be extended to inmates who will have sufficient time remaining following acceptance into a training program.

4. Date of application. (All other consideration being equal, the inmate whose application bears the earliest date shall have priority in assignment to a training program.

A. A Master File containing records for each student who has participated in the Inmate Education Program within the last year will be maintained in the Education Administrative Office. All data pertaining to the Education Records of a current or former students within the last year will be contained in the master File and will be available for the review of all Educational and Correctional Personnel associated with the Program. Official College records will be available through the Registrar, Houston Community College System.

IV. SEVERABILITY

If any provision of the Inmate Education Plan or its application to any person or circumstances is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect any other provision of the Inmate Education Plan or its application to any person or circumstances.

Pursuant to Chapter 283.1 and 283.2 of the Texas Jail Standards, the Sheriff of Harris County has developed and implemented this written Inmate Education Plan, approved by the Texas jail Commission, governing the conduct of inmates under his care, custody and control.

This policy has been revised on the below listed dates:
May 13, 2003