Central Texas College Chancellor Jim Yeonopolus recently completed his service on the governor-appointed Task Force on Academic Credit and Industry Recognition for offenders. Created by House Bill 553 during the 85th Texas Legislative Session in 2017, the task force undertook a four-year process to explore the current rehabilitation and education programs in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The groupâs final report was sent to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last month. The 10-member task force was comprised of various representatives from key areas of support within TDCJ and higher education. The goal was to identify opportunities for awarding high school or college credit or industry-recognized credentials or certificates. The task force discussed current data, the benefits to post-secondary training for offenders on parole and identified areas for improvements and recommendations.