Bill > HB624

This bill introduces new provisions in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure to provide special consideration for defendants who are primary caretakers of children, both in cases of deferred adjudication and community supervision. Under the bill, a "primary caretaker" is defined as someone who provides for a child's essential needs, including housing, healthcare, financial support, education, and safety. For defendants eligible for deferred adjudication or community supervision who are primary caretakers, courts are now empowered to consider the defendant's parental status when determining sentencing. If the court finds it serves the best interests of society, the defendant, and the child, it may defer proceedings or suspend sentencing and place the defendant on supervision. The bill allows courts to impose supervision conditions that support parent-child unity and the defendant's rehabilitation, such as counseling, education, job training, housing assistance, and parenting skills programs. Importantly, the bill generally prohibits requiring confinement as a condition of supervision for these defendants, though confinement may be ordered if the defendant violates supervision terms. The new provisions apply to defendants entering pleas or being sentenced on or after September 1, 2025, regardless of when the original offense was committed.

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https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB624