Key Interview Tips
• Body
language is important. Sitting face to face with appropriate hand gestures
or facial expression is preferred
to sitting down head down and reading from prepared notes.
• Speak with conviction - if you really believe in what you are saying. Persuade your IPO effectively.
The case you present orally should have strong supporting arguments, accurate
and up-to-date information and most of all honesty.
• Do
not mumble. If you made an error, correct it, and continue. No need
to make excuses or apologize profusely.
• Maintain
sincere eye contact with your IPO. Use the 3-second method, e.g. look
straight into the eyes of the person
you are addressing. Use your eye contact to make the IPO feel involved
and interested in what you have to say.
• Speak
directly to your IPO, listen to their questions, respond to their reactions,
adjust and adapt. If what you
have prepared is obviously not getting across to you’re the IPO,
change your strategy mid-stream if you are well prepared to do so.
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• Lesson • FIVE
The
IPO Interview
“ look them in the eye with honesty and conviction – they
will see the truth of the matter . . .”
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(If you would like a bound copy of these
lessons for you or your loved one, [Click Here] for
Products)
Institutional Parole Officer Profile
Institutional Parole Officers (IPO) are usually assigned to a TDCJ
unit. They interview incarcerated offenders at TDCJ Units, federal correctional
institutions, contracted facilities, and county jails statewide to prepare
Parole Case Summary report or some know it as the Decision Summary Form.
There over 200 Institutional Parole Officers in the state.
Inmates and family members need to understand that the unit parole officer
or institutional parole officer (IPO) is an agent of the Parole Division.
This officer is an authority with one-on-one interviews with inmates. An
inmate can not bluff or match wits with this individual. There is absolutely
nothing this officer has not heard before. With these cautionary statements,
lets begin where their responsibilities begin, the Parole File or known
as the pin packet.
The IPO will rely heavily on the inmate's pin packet prior to the interview.
The Parole Division maintains all documents pertaining to the offender.
Trial records,  conviction information and all documentation accumulated
while incarcerated are placed in the left-hand side of his or hers file.
Other relevant documents from victims, letters of protest, judge’s
orders and law officer notices are placed in the left-hand side of this
file as well. The right-hand side of the file contains academic achievements,
time sheet reports and program completions. The family parole packet with
various letters of support, potential employment letters, letters to the
voting board members as well as other documents of persuasion are placed
in the right-hand side of the file.
He or she will look for prison adjustment criteria, program completions,
good time accumulated, current and prior convictions among other items
in the file. Once the file has been reviewed and information verified,
IPO will be ready for the inmate interview.
The IPO’s are trained to be firm and direct and will not ask "yes
or no" questions. They want the inmate to talk. They want the inmate
to reflect why they are in prison and what they are doing about correcting
the problem(s) that placed them in prison. Basically they looking to see
if an inmate has contemplated his time for the crime(s) committed. Prior
to the interview, the IPO will fill out the [Parole
Guideline Form]  (discussed
in Lesson 2) and score it based on the facts in the file. He or she will
research and resolve any discrepancies concerning conviction dates, time
served / earned etc.
Institutional Parole Officers perform a number of other duties, including
verifying offender-related information; processing status letters that
inform offenders whether or not they were approved for parole; answering
offenders’ written and verbal questions; contacting offenders for
acceptable residential plans; conducting parole orientations for new offenders;
responding to inquiries from the public; and providing field Parole Officers
with offender information.
The Interview
The IPO interview typically occurs two to three months prior to the eligibility
date. After the interview, the officer types up his/her report and
makes any necessary changes to the Parole Guideline Matrix. This updating
process
can take up to two months prior to reaching the Board Office responsible
for deciding the case.
The interview, typically held at the prison unit where the inmate resides
will last anywhere from thirty minutes to well over two hours in length.
The interview is only between the inmate and the officer. No other individual
is allowed to "sit in" and listen. The interview can start
off disinteresting at first with the interviewer never making contact
and asking simple explanation questions. And the next moment it can be
hostile, accusatory and most intimidating, all in an effort to
see who this person really is during the interview.
The IPO can drill down concerning the conviction and criminal history
and why he does not believe the inmate is reformed. He will try to convince
the inmate themselves that they are not quite ready for freedom. It can
be a very one-sided and manipulative meeting. And then on the other hand
the interview can be staged for information gathering only, leaving the
inmate with uncertainty and concern.
The IPO interview for first-timers can last up to two hours in length
but typically forty-five minutes to an hour. Offenders who already been
through the initial interview before will be around thirty minutes to
highlight any changes in the file.
Preparing Effectively for the IPO Interview
The inmate can not take this interview lightly. Many inmates go into
these one-on-one interviews believing that a negative decision is already
determined by the interviewer, this far from the truth. Preparation is
key to a successful interview. We believe a well prepared interview,
properly addressing questions and appearance can lead to favorable IPO
report.
It is the first and typically the only contact with a representative
from the parole institution. It will be the only time clear up any misconceptions
- listen carefully to each question asked.
They will be filling out a form that is used as the basis for their final
report to the parole board. Make sure the static information is correct.
Create your own Matrix form prior to the IPO interview to compare and
contrast what the IPO has completed.
Tip  One word concerning the IPO interview, Composure. Listen to the
questions carefully and answer directly without anxiety or distraught
emotion.
Case Summary Report and Proprietary Information
Once the interview completes, the IPO will write up his or her case summary
report that will be placed on very top of the inmate's parole file. The
file is usually three to four pages. It is by far the most important
document in the file. His/her report will absolutely have impact
on voting decisions with the board. This case summary report does not
recommend parole approval nor parole
denial but does have the ability to influence decisions whether anyone
wants
to admit
it or not.
It is unfortunate that this comprehensive offender's file concerning his
or her life is kept from family, the inmate and others from viewing the
files contents . The Texas statue
states that "all
information obtained and maintained by the Parole Division is confidential
and privileged
information".
The actual law as stated in the Texas Government Code
§ 508.313[0]. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.
(a) All information obtained and maintained, including a victim
protest letter or other correspondence, a victim impact statement,
a list of inmates eligible for release on parole, and an arrest
record of an inmate, is confidential and privileged if the information
relates to:
(1) an inmate of the institutional division subject to
release on parole, release to mandatory supervision, or executive clemency;
(2) a releasee; or
(3) a person directly identified in any proposed plan
of release for an inmate. |
Family members, inmates and others need the right to examine
and defend any adverse material in his or her file in a timely manor prior
to board review. We are slowly moving to reform, the "Fourteenth
Amendment's Due Process Clause requires a parole panel to provide an inmate
notice
of the
specific
month
and year
in which his review for release on mandatory supervision will be held,
the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals held March 3. (Ex parte Retzlaff, Tex.
Ct. Crim. App., No. 74,772, 3/3/04)" Please read the [Reztlaff
Order] to
understand this issue. This article was written by Gary Cohen, an attorney
from Austin TX
What Happens Next
After the unit interview, the file is sent to the IPO office where a summary
of the file is produced. Each offender’s parole file contains all
of the support information, parole packets, protest information, court
information as well as unit and parole division information. This information
is volumes and often numbers hundreds or even thousands of pages. In every
file the three page IPO summary is placed at the top of the file and then
sent from the IPO office to the Commissioner who votes on the case
first.
NOTE: DMS review process is entirely paper-based, meaning eligible prisoners
never appear before the Board for a hearing. Fewer prisoners are eligible
for DMS than parole.
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