Rangel Appointed to Texas Board of Pardons and Parole

Fred Rangel, member of the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole.

Fred Rangel, an alumnus and former Project Coordinator for the Correctional Management Institute of Texas (CMIT), was recently appointed by Gov. Rick Perry as a board member for the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.

“Working for the Board of Pardons and Paroles was always my hope for my second career following my retirement from community corrections,” said Rangel, who received his bachelor and master’s degrees from Sam Houston State University. “Having worked on the front end of the system, I always wanted to work at the back end to help determine which offenders earned the privilege to go back to their communities and become productive members of society.”

As a board member for the Pardons and Paroles Office in Huntsville – one of seven offices in the state -- Rangel works with other board members and parole commissioners to determine which eligible offenders will be released from prison on parole and the conditions they will be required to follow, as well as which parolees will be revoked after violations or new offenses and sent back to prison or to alternative programs to aid in their rehabilitation. In addition, Rangel and his fellow board members are exclusively responsible for voting on cases of the most serious and violent offenders coming up for possible release as well as considering applications for clemency and making recommendations to the Governor.

“It’s an important process for balancing the rights of victims with the belief that some offenders have the capacity to change while also safeguarding public safety,” said Rangel. “The challenge is in evaluating and analyzing a lot of information from various sources and making an informed decision on which offenders can be safely released to the community”. . . . Read more . . .