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More than a year's hotel tax, still unspentMore than half of people in Texas prisons are past their parole eligibility date
More than half of people in TDCJ custody had reached their parole eligibility date.
Eligibility is not release approval.
1. Start with everyone in custody
Of 144,466 people in the August file, 76,048 had reached their eligibility date. The three groups below add back to the full population.
| Group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Past eligibility | 76,048 | 52.6% |
| Not yet eligible | 56,066 | 38.8% |
| No eligibility date | 12,352 | 8.6% |
No date does not mean an overdue release. This group includes 1,653 life-without-parole and 160 death-sentence records.
2. Then examine the eligible group
The denominator changes to 76,048. Eligibility allows consideration; it does not guarantee approval or immediate release.
| Group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Denied | 54,883 | 72.2% |
| Approved, still in custody | 19,198 | 25.2% |
| No decision in these groups | 1,967 | 2.6% |
Approval and release are distinct events. The file alone does not establish why any individual remains in custody. Shares rounded to one decimal.
What you’re looking at
An interactive isotype of everyone in TDCJ custody in the August 2026 inmates-on-hand file, split by whether the parole eligibility date has passed. The past-eligibility group can be split by last parole decision or by years past the date. A side chart shows when the 19,198 approvals still in custody were voted.
The question behind it
Show how many people in Texas prisons have reached parole eligibility, what the parole board last decided for them, and how long they have been past the date.
Why it matters
Reaching parole eligibility usually means a review, not a release: 72% of those past eligibility were denied at their last decision. An approval can also mean release on a future date or after a required program.
Open the full visualizationSources & method
- Texas Department of Criminal Justice, High Value Dataset: August 2026 (data.texas.gov/d/8v6z-ni96)
- TDCJ High Value Dataset: July 2026 (data.texas.gov/d/32nq-da63), cross-check
- Board of Pardons and Paroles, parole vote options; 37 TAC §145.12
Method
Aggregate counts only, from the August 2026 file. As-of date of Aug 31, 2026 is inferred from the latest decision date in the file. Past eligibility means a parole eligibility date on or before that date. Decision groups use the last parole decision recorded. 12,352 records have no eligibility date (including 1,653 life without parole and 160 death sentences). Each figure is about 1,000 people, rounded by largest remainder. The dataset does not record which parole vote type applies to an approval.
Coverage
August 2026 inmates-on-hand file