Terms Used In Texas Government Code 497.096

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Justice: when applied to a magistrate, means justice of the peace. See Texas Government Code 312.011
  • Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.

An employee of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, sheriff, employee of a sheriff’s department, county commissioner, county employee, county judge, employee of a community corrections and supervision department, restitution center, or officer or employee of a political subdivision other than a county is not liable for damages arising from an act or failure to act in connection with community service performed by an inmate imprisoned in a facility operated by the department or in connection with an inmate or offender programmatic or nonprogrammatic activity, including work, community service, educational, and treatment activities, if the act or failure to act was not intentional, wilfully or wantonly negligent, or performed with conscious indifference or reckless disregard for the safety of others.