Kevin Garrett

As a Hogg Peer Policy Fellow, Kevin Garrett works with the Texas Jail Project on issues related to mental health and contributes to their mission to improve conditions and treatment of people in Texas county jails. Garrett was formerly incarcerated in two county jails and in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) prison system. While in TDCJ, he saw that individuals in need of mental health and substance abuse services were given generic diagnoses and housed in the general population with other offenders. Garrett went from being homeless in 2006 to earning a BA in Paralegal Studies and graduating magna cum laude from Texas Wesleyan University in 2011. He holds a JD from the Oklahoma City University School of Law, where he received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Texas criminal procedure, given to the highest scoring student. Garrett hopes someday to be eligible to take the Texas Bar Examination.