Texas parole laws allow many domestic violence offenders — including those who strangle their victims and repeat abusers — to be released far too early. I am a survivor of domestic violence strangulation, and I’m asking lawmakers to change the law so domestic violence felonies are treated as aggravated for parole. At minimum, repeat offenders and any offense involving strangulation must be included to protect current and future victims.

What this petition asks for

We call on the Texas Legislature to amend the Texas Government Code so that:

Primary reform

• All domestic violence felony convictions — including first-time convictions — are classified as aggravated offenses for parole purposes.

At minimum, if the Legislature will not adopt the full reform, it must immediately:

• Classify all repeat domestic violence felony offenders as aggravated for parole, and
• Classify any domestic violence offense involving strangulation as aggravated for parole, whether it is a first or subsequent conviction.

Strangulation is one of the strongest predictors of homicide in abusive relationships. Victims who experience non-fatal strangulation by an intimate partner are far more likely to later be killed by that partner. Domestic violence itself is a leading cause of serious injury and death in intimate relationships, and repeat offenders frequently escalate over time.

By treating domestic violence strangulation and repeat domestic violence as non-aggravated for parole purposes, Texas is ignoring clear, evidence-based warning signs.

This reform would:

• Require high-risk domestic violence offenders to serve significantly more of their sentence before becoming parole-eligible
• Reduce premature release of offenders whose histories and behaviors show clear escalation
• Provide survivors more time and stability to relocate, heal, and plan for their safety
  Protect future victims who may never know the abuser’s full history
• Finally align parole law with what we already know about lethality and risk

My story – why this matters

I am a survivor of domestic violence strangulation. During my assault, he strangled me multiple times, punched me in the face, and hit me in the face with a boot. I believe I came close to losing consciousness — the kind of moment where everything feels like it could go black. When I screamed for help, he insinuated he was going to “shut me up.” What followed was pure fight-or-flight instinct after I unsuccessfully tried to defend myself. I am genuinely lucky to have gotten away. If I hadn’t, I don’t believe I would be here today.

What makes this even more unacceptable is that this was not his first violent offense. He had already been convicted of domestic violence before he assaulted me — including pushing his previous victim to the ground and strangling her. He was still on parole for that crime when he attacked me. The violence he inflicted on me was a clear escalation of a pattern that had already been proven in court.

I did not even know the reason he was on parole until later in our relationship. And when my assault occurred, I didn’t call the police — I was terrified he would return and hurt me further. The only reason law enforcement became involved was because another resident requested a welfare check on him after he left heavily intoxicated. When officers knocked on my door, they saw the injuries on my neck and face. By then, the damage had already been done.

Since then, I have had to relocate and change my phone number to regain even a basic sense of safety.

This is where the system failed. A man with a documented history of strangulation — a known warning sign for future homicide — was able to walk free and escalate his violence yet again. Strangulation is not a “domestic dispute.” It is a life-threatening act that can render someone unconscious in seconds and kill them soon after. It is real. It is terrifying. And it escalates every time it happens.

If stronger parole laws had been in place — if his first domestic violence strangulation conviction had been treated as aggravated for parole — I would likely never have met him, and this traumatizing event would never have happened to me.

I refuse to let this terrifying experience only be a source of fear and pain. I cannot change what was done to me, but I can choose what comes from it. I am determined to transform my survival into something meaningful and protective — a change in the law that prevents violence before it happens. If my story can create even one reform that stops another person from being strangled, terrorized, or nearly killed, then this experience becomes a force for protection, not just a reminder of what I endured.

This is why this petition matters.

What Texas must do

Texas must:

• Classify all domestic violence felony convictions — including first-time convictions — as aggravated offenses for parole purposes.

And at minimum:

• Classify all repeat domestic violence felony offenders as aggravated for parole, and
• Classify any domestic violence offense involving strangulation as aggravated for parole, no matter how many prior convictions the offender has.

Offenders with proven histories of violent control and strangulation should not be released early and given the opportunity to find their next victim. This change would ensure longer incarceration for high-risk abusers, reduce unjust early releases, and protect people who haven’t yet become victims.

Stronger parole laws won’t erase what I endured — but they can stop the cycle before it reaches someone else.

This is how we protect survivors.
This is how we prevent future harm.
And this is how we save lives.

Please sign and share this petition. Together, we can change Texas law so that my story doesn’t become someone else’s future.