Pro Bono Criminal Attorneys, Help???

Q: I have a friend who was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and he is now serving two years in TDC. He was sentenced under Texas Penal Code 4212, subsection 3g2. He has served 7 months and is now in Diball. There are a great many folks who know this individual and regularly collect monies to make it possible for him to have whatever benefits he can buy like cigarettes, toiletries, and the like. Some of these friends have been informed that he will have to serve the complete two years with no good time allowed. Does anyone know how the good time system works? Where can you find rules on this system? Who is responsible for running the system? Is there such a thing as filing a writ, forcing the state to grant good time? Are there any organizations that can be contacted that assist individuals in these matters?

A: I'm not in the advice business, but here it goes. If this were a friend of mine, I'd find a local criminal

attorney with specific experience in representing prisoners' rights. I'd pass the hat among my friends with the idea of coming up with a couple of $K, for some basic review of the case, explanation to you, and to start representation of the prisoner. I'm not sure where I'd look for pro bono representation in Texas. Maybe you have a National Lawyer's Guild chapter that can recommend someone who represents prisoners for reduced fees. The Guild is sort of like the left-wing version of the ABA, except it sponsors lots of legal work for specific causes. They'd be in the phonebook in Houston, Dallas, or Austin. I really don't know if they'd be able to help though.