Alexander Thomas Ives is currently serving a twenty year sentence for murder within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He has been incarcerated for almost sixteen years and was arrested when he was only twenty years old.
Alexander has confessed to his crime, showed true remorse for his actions, and has made every effort to rehabilitate himself. Yet, despite his every effort, he has been denied parole three times. This situation is not unique to him; it is a systemic issue that affects many inmates within the TDCJ system. The parole board's guidelines are often disregarded, leading to many inconsistencies in their decisions as to who makes parole. He has had letters of support written on his behalf by a unit chaplain, volunteers, and a prison college instructor that was a correctional officer for over twenty years. These individuals deal with prisoners every day and even they believe that Alexander deserves a second chance, yet parole still believes that this man is a threat to his society. This system refuses to release individuals that have made every effort to rehabilitate themselves, while releasing those that have not made any effort and are likely to recidivate. Rehabilitation is apart of the TDCJ Mission Statement, yet this core value does not appear to be truly valued when it comes to the decision of parole. Keeping an individual incarcerated that has rehabilitated himself is punishing him for doing good, which can reverse its progress.
Each time Alexander Ives has seen parole, they have used two of the same reasons for denial: 1D Criminal History and 2D Nature of the Offense. On his second setoff, they added that "the record indicates a history of alcohol and substance abuse". For it to not be used to determine his setoff on his first review date, only to become a reason to give him a setoff the second time, and again not be used for his third setoff is evidence that no true consideration has actually been placed in Alexander's rehabilitation. Proving this even more is that Alexander Ives has never had a drug or alcohol related disciplinary infraction throughout his entire incarceration. In fact, Alexander has only had two petty disciplinary infractions throughout his sentence (Failure to Turn Out to Work Assignment and Out of Place) and has not had one since 2019. A prison disciplinary record should be considered an extension of one's criminal history. That being said, the fact that Alexander has behaved for almost sixteen years, a rarity within prison, should be a positive statement on his criminal history, not a negative one.

Alexander recently completed Prison Fellowship Academy, the nation's leading program of rehabilitation. Those who complete this program are less than half as likely to recidivate as those who do not. He has completed almost every program offered by TDCJ, including: Bridges to Life, Quest for Authentic Manhood, Voyager, Christians Against Substance Abuse, Celebrate Recovery, Bridges to Life, Life's Healing Choices, Kairos, Cognitive Intervention, Anger Management, Financial Management, Faith  and  Finance, Alpha, Resolving Everyday Conflict, Search for Significance, John Maxwell's How Successful People Think, Faith-Based Dorm, and Toastmasters. He has completed vocational training as an Auto-Brakes Specialist and is ASE-Certified, college vocational training in Horticulture, is OSHA-Certified, and is only four classes away from attaining his Associate of Applied Science. He has attained multiple On-the-Job Trainings on various sewing machines and as an accountant clerk.
Alexander has also volunteered his free time outside of work and education. He has been a Peer Educator, a GED Tutor, a Faith Counselor, a mentor in the Faith-Based Dorm, and a servant at Kairos, He has been a leader over his spiritual community, both delivering messages and leading in praise and worship. Most impressive to me about Alexander is his grit and resilience. Even after receiving three setoffs, he refuses to just give up when most would have. He still continues to attend Toastmasters, be involved with Prison Fellowship Academy's graduates programs, and follow the rules of his governing authority. Even right now, he is utilizing the Edovo app on his tablet to continue to educate himself in various subjects such as ServSafe Certification and Cisco Networking (CCNA). While rehabilitative programs, spiritual growth, and acquiring job skills are essential to rehabilitation, the true sign of it is refusing to give up in the face of adversity. Alexander refuses to resort to negative behavior even when his positive behavior doesn't pay off. He does good for the sake of doing good; this is what a rehabilitated citizen looks like. To deny him the chance to rejoin society is not only a crime to him, it is a crime to the community that is being robbed of an asset such as Alexander Ives.
I knew Alexander Ives prior to his incarceration and can testify on his behalf that he is not the man that the parole board perceives him to be. He helped me escape from an abusive relationship without taking the law into his own hands, putting my safety first. I know for a fact that Alexander is not a bad person; he is a good person that made some bad decisions in his youth. Though violent crimes are a serious issue and should be treated as such by society, if an individual is eligible for parole and has shown true signs of rehabilitation, they should be granted a chance to show that they've changed. Our society is based on rewarding good behavior and punishing the negative. By continuing to deny an individual parole regardless of how much change they've made, you are instilling within the a mindset that no matter what they do, they will always be judged for their past. This can cause a person to give up on even trying and will continue to fuel the cycle of recidivism that is plaguing our country.
Please, I am asking for your support in trying to bring Alexander Ives home. This petition is an effort to have Alexander Ives granted a special review by the Parole Board. This will show that the people that will be affected by his release want Alexander to be given a chance to show that he is a changed man. Please sign this petition and share it with your loved ones, church, or anyone else that desires true justice within our nation's justice system and believes in second chances. Thank you so much.