Skip to main content
Find a Lawyer

Texas Health and Safety Code - HEALTH & SAFETY § 614.017. Exchange of Information

Current as of January 01, 2024 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a) An agency shall:

(1) accept information relating to a special needs offender or a juvenile with a mental impairment that is sent to the agency to serve the purposes of continuity of care and services regardless of whether other state law makes that information confidential; and

(2) disclose information relating to a special needs offender or a juvenile with a mental impairment, including information about the offender's or juvenile's identity, needs, treatment, social, criminal, and vocational history, supervision status and compliance with conditions of supervision, and medical and mental health history, if the disclosure serves the purposes of continuity of care and services.

(b) Information obtained under this section may not be used as evidence in any juvenile or criminal proceeding, unless obtained and introduced by other lawful evidentiary means.

(c) In this section:

(1) “Agency” includes any of the following entities and individuals, a person with an agency relationship with one of the following entities or individuals, and a person who contracts with one or more of the following entities or individuals:

(A) the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the Correctional Managed Health Care Committee;

(B) the Board of Pardons and Paroles;

(C) the Department of State Health Services;

(D) the Texas Juvenile Justice Department;

(E) the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services;

(F) the Texas Education Agency;

(G) the Commission on Jail Standards;

(H) the Department of Aging and Disability Services;

(I) the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired;

(J) community supervision and corrections departments and local juvenile probation departments;

(K) personal bond pretrial release offices established under Article 17.42, Code of Criminal Procedure;

(L) local jails regulated by the Commission on Jail Standards;

(M) a municipal or county health department;

(N) a hospital district;

(O) a judge of this state with jurisdiction over juvenile or criminal cases;

(P) an attorney who is appointed or retained to represent a special needs offender or a juvenile with a mental impairment;

(Q) the Health and Human Services Commission;

(R) the Department of Information Resources;

(S) the bureau of identification and records of the Department of Public Safety, for the sole purpose of providing real-time, contemporaneous identification of individuals in the Department of State Health Services client data base; and

(T) the Department of Family and Protective Services.

(2) “Special needs offender” includes an individual for whom criminal charges are pending or who after conviction or adjudication is in custody or under any form of criminal justice supervision.

(3) “Juvenile with a mental impairment” means a juvenile with a mental impairment in the juvenile justice system.

(d) An agency shall manage confidential information accepted or disclosed under this section prudently so as to maintain, to the extent possible, the confidentiality of that information.

(e) A person commits an offense if the person releases or discloses confidential information obtained under this section for purposes other than continuity of care and services, except as authorized by other law or by the consent of the person to whom the information relates. An offense under this subsection is a Class B misdemeanor.

Previous Part of Code Next Part of Code
Back to Chapter List

Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Texas Health and Safety Code - HEALTH & SAFETY § 614.017. Exchange of Information - last updated January 01, 2024 | https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/health-and-safety-code/health-safety-sect-614-017/

FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature before relying on it for your legal needs.

Was this helpful?

Welcome to FindLaw's Cases & Codes

A free source of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes, visit FindLaw’s Learn About the Law.

Go to Learn About the Law

Latest Blog Posts

For Legal Professionals

Learn About The Law

Get help with your legal needs

FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.

Go to Learn About the Law

Need to Find an Attorney?

Search our directory by legal issue

Enter information in one or both fields (Required)

Copied to clipboard