Parole officials taken to task over allowing parolees convicted of new crimes to remain free

(FOX 26) - This is State Representative Sarah Davis's second attempt to get a bill passed that would make the Parole Board more accountable.

In a series of Only on Fox reports we've been telling you how thousands of parolees are not sent back to prison even after being convicted of new crimes. To many just the idea of that makes no sense.

We asked Parole Board Chairman David Gutierrez why parolees convicted of new crimes weren't having their paroles revoked.

"We are looking at this entire process," Gutierrez said. "We review over 100,000 cases a year."

Gutierrez appeared before the committee last April.

The Parole Board Chairman still doesn't know how many parolees remain on the street even after being convicted of new crimes.

"We're doing research on that at this time," Gutierrez said.

Do you have a ballpark figure, we asked the Parole Board Chairman.

"I would have to look at the data provided to us by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice," Gutierrez replied.

Are there thousands of parolees who fall into this category?

"There are currently about 8,600 parolees on the street right now so we have a lot of data we have to sift through," Gutierrez said.

During the hearing on House Bill 326 parole officials touted their low recidivism rate. Representative Davis was not impressed.

"Is that because you're not revoking parole when you should be?" Representative Davis asked. "Are you sacrificing public safety trying  to achieve that number?"

We found Parolee Kiara Taylor had picked up three new convictions and still didn't have his parole revoked.

He went on to allegedly murder 19-year-old Peter Milkie. His own parole officer called Taylor a threat to public safety and told parole board members he should be revoked.

We asked Gutierrez why that didn't happen.

"The case is pending," the Parole Board Chairman said. "I really can't comment on that case."