Answer: It’s an Institutional Parole Officer (IPO) who is an investigator for the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.
They will come around and talk to the inmate about his or her potential for being paroled. The IPO Officer will take some statements from the inmate. The IPO Officer will have the inmate sign a form stating what he or she has accomplished and what his or her goals are for the future. This is an important conversation and one in which the inmate needs to be prepared for.
Is the IPO Officer the same as a parole board member? No. The IPO is an investigator for the Board, but the IPO is not part of the board nor is he or she a board member.
After an inmate has met with the IPO Officer, there is not much time remaining before the Board will likely schedule a Parole Hearing.