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August 30, 2005
TX: Priosoner ID Gets You a Drivers License
http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2005/08/few-new-laws-i-like.html
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Prisoner ID Gets You A Drivers License: Astonishingly, for years one of the big barriers to prisoners' successful re-entry into society has been acquiring a drivers license. The Texas Department of Public Safety wouldn't accept photo ID cards from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which runs the prison system, as valid. So ex-prisoners had to run around looking for their birth certificate or other forms of identification, which at a minimum causes delays. In other cases, they just wouldn't get a drivers license, or would use falsified documents to get a fake one. So the lapse not only harmed reintegration efforts, it created new security risks -- a double dipper. New legislation forces Texas DPS to accept TDCJ identification cards as valid ID to get a drivers license. It's about time.
Posted by lois at August 30, 2005 10:19 AM