Advocating for a Second Chance
Dear Friends,
In 2024, Texas Defender Service launched our Pro Bono Parole Program, which connects deserving candidates seeking parole with pro bono attorneys who can advocate for their release home.
In just a few months, four of our clients have already been granted parole. One of them is Christopher, a father of four who had been incarcerated for 34 years. After TDS advocated before the parole board, Christopher was granted parole and released in December, in time to celebrate Christmas with his family and walk his daugther down the aisle at her wedding this spring.

In Texas, we incarcerate more people than any other State in the United States and wield incredible influence nationally when it comes to corrections and punishment. Texas provides almost no resources for public defense and has no statewide public defender system to advocate for those facing serious punishments.
The reality is that excessive incarceration harms all Texans because it increases instability in our communities. At least 95% of people who are incarcerated will be released one day. Incarceration especially hurts our State’s children: Four out of five men and women in Texas prisons are parents of at least one child under the age of 18. Half a million Texas children have experienced a parent behind bars.
To address mass incarceration and heal communities, we need to develop solutions that give people who are incarcerated a second chance. Often, people serving long sentences aged out of criminal conduct long ago. They are ready to be released from prison to be reunited with their families and become breadwinners, taxpayers, and community leaders who inspire others to avoid crime. They are excellent candidates for release from prison, especially when they have the reentry support they need to succeed at home.
We look forward to advocating for our clients in the months and years ahead, in lockstep with our incredible pro bono partners. We will keep you updated on our work. In the meantime, thank you for your support and Happy New Year!
With gratitude,
Burke Butler
Executive Director
Texas Defender Service