The Parole Division is in charge of supervising individuals who are no longer incarcerated but not yet completely finished with their sentence. This agency is responsible for the management of your case, but it is not the one who will make the decision on whether you get released.
According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, there are three types of releases or supervision the Parole Department handles.
Parole
The most commonly understood type of supervision or release is parole. When you leave prison on parole, you do so after a parole board grants it. You usually must meet certain criteria. Sometimes, if you have a severe medical condition, you may get parole through Medically Recommended Intensive Supervision.
Mandatory supervision
Mandatory supervision is for certain types of offenders. You must meet requirements set by the parole board, but the board does not have to grant you this type of release. The amount of time you are on mandatory supervision will equal the remaining time you have in your sentence. This excludes any credit you received for good time.
Discretionary mandatory supervision
Discretionary mandatory supervision is a special situation only applying to you if your conviction occurred prior to September 1, 1996. The release does have to go through the parole board. However, the process requires a mandatory review of your case, so you will be able to try for it if you meet the time requirement.
In many cases, you will not leave prison until you complete your full sentence, but you may get one of these three options, which will allow you to leave before your sentence is complete.