Texas senators are reviewing how the state releases violent offenders found not guilty by reason of insanity, after a Travis County judge cleared the man who fatally stabbed a University of Texas student to move from a locked state hospital to a group home.
The review could reshape when and how such offenders return to the community. More than 400 insanity acquittees live in Texas’ state mental hospitals, and their release turns on clinical judgment that some victims’ families say sidelines public safety. Any changes would go to lawmakers who convene in January 2027.
The Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, chaired by Sen. Pete Flores, took testimony at a May 5 hearing under a charge from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to examine Health and Human Services Commission policies for “murderers, robbers, rapists, and other violent offenders” found not guilty by reason of insanity, and whether the agency’s community-supervision recommendations prioritize public safety.
Jordan Dixon, HHSC’s chief behavioral health officer, testified that more than 400 such offenders were held in the state’s 10 mental hospitals in fiscal 2025, about 20% of the total hospital population, according to KXAN. Dixon said data going back about a decade showed roughly 60 acquittees who left a hospital were recommitted on new charges. “It’s a pretty small group, but there’s a handful of the crimes that are pretty heinous,” he said.
The hearing followed the case of Kendrex White, who fatally stabbed UT freshman Harrison Brown nine years ago and entered an insanity plea after doctors found he had a schizoaffective disorder. White was sent to the state hospital in Kerrville. Last October a Travis County judge approved his transfer to outpatient care at a group home, over the objection of Brown’s family. “We are profoundly disappointed with the Travis County Justice System once again, but are unshaken,” Brown’s mother, Lori Brown, told KXAN.
Under Chapter 46C of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a person acquitted by reason of insanity is committed to inpatient treatment, and a court retains jurisdiction for as long as the maximum prison term for the offense — meaning life for the most serious crimes. Flores said that structure keeps acquittees accountable: “So you’re not just going off into the ether and vanishing to the population to go victimize.” Sen. Joan Huffman, a former Harris County judge, said she was not reassured, noting judges receive no standing list of the acquittees they are supposed to monitor.
HHSC says modifying an acquittee’s commitment requires multiple independent assessments before a request reaches a judge, a process coordinated through its Office of Forensic Services and Coordination, and includes the victim or the victim’s family.
The committee will fold its findings into recommendations for the 90th Legislature. Options could include tighter statutory criteria for outpatient release or stronger victim-notification requirements.