(a) The department shall establish a procedure through which an inmate being discharged from the department or being released on parole or to mandatory supervision is discharged or released, as applicable, from:
(1) the facility in which the inmate is serving the inmate’s sentence; or
(2) the facility designated as a regional release facility under Subsection (b) that is nearest to the facility in which the inmate is serving the inmate’s sentence.
(b) The department shall designate six or more facilities operated by the department as regional release facilities from which an inmate being discharged from the department or being released on parole or to mandatory supervision may be discharged or released, as applicable, rather than being released under Subsection (a)(1). If the department determines that discharging or releasing an inmate under Subsection (a) is not in the best interest of the inmate or would threaten the safety of the public, the department may release the inmate from a regional release facility designated under this subsection other than the facility described by Subsection (a)(2).