On May 27, Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 42, which increases security for judges by expanding security reporting requirements and creating a judicial security division, among other measures. The bill is named in honor of state District Judge Julie Kocurek, who survived an attempted assassination outside her home in 2015. Judge Kocurek and her family attended today's signing by the Governor.

Senate Bill 42 provides the following changes to judicial security:

This law will go into effect September 1, 2017.

On May 27, Gov. Abbott signed into law SB 510, which adds current and former employees of a state or federal judge to the list of people who can have their home address information removed from the appraisal records of the tax appraisal district. State judge is broadly defined in the section to include all judges in the state. SB 510 is effective immediately.

 

In 2015, the Texas Legislature significantly changed the nondisclosure statute. The new statute applies to offenses occurring on or after September 1, 2015. For offenses occurring before September 2015, regardless of when the petition is filed, the old law still applies.

Before the changes in the nondisclosure law, there was one petition form, one order form, and one set of instructions used in all nondisclosure cases. Now, there are multiple petitions, orders, and sets of instructions, and a petitioner must decide which petition, order, and set of instructions, if any, apply to him or her. The Office of Court Administration has published a nondisclosure overview to help petitioners navigate the various types of nondisclosure and forms. The overview takes the petitioner through a step-by-step process to determine if he or she is eligible for an order of nondisclosure, and if so, to identify which forms and set of instructions to use. You may access the nondisclosure overview and other forms available on the website for the Texas Judicial Branch under Rules & Forms. These forms are required to be posted on district and county clerk websites.

The following resources may help you address juvenile justice issues.

2016 Juvenile Justice Handbook

The Juvenile Justice Handbook provides an overview of the modern juvenile justice system in Texas. Part I introduces the juvenile system, starting with the state and local agencies and officials who implement the law. Parts II and III describe the system from the point when a child is first reported to law enforcement authorities, through intake, adjudication, disposition and imposition of the court's order. Part IV describes a chapter in the Family Code titled Rights and Responsibilities of Parents and Other Eligible Persons, and Part V reviews the types of cases involving children that are handled by justice and municipal courts.

Source: Office of the Attorney General

Why Early Matters for Healthy Brain and Child Development

Advances in medical technology and the social sciences have given us a better understanding of adolescent brain development. During adolescence areas of the brain associated with decision-making develop at different rates.  This impacts a youth's ability to process information and the behavioral choices they make.  Environmental influences from parents, peers and social systems also contribute to a youth's current and future functioning. These aspects of brain development highlight the need for juvenile justice professionals to consider the impact of interventions and programs that are used with youth in the justice setting.  This lecture by Dr. Pat Levitt form the Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, explores these issues. 

Source:  The Urban Child Institute

Raising the Age: 17-Year-Olds in the Criminal Justice System

This report provides a look at arrests, jail bookings, and case outcomes among 17-year-olds in Texas from 2012 to 2015. The data show that 17-year-olds are much like their 16-year-old peers when it comes to offense patterns. Most of the crimes for which they are arrested for are low-level misdemeanors, dispelling concerns that raising the age would pose a significant threat to public safety. In fact, the higher decrease in arrest rates for 16-year-olds suggests that their 17-year-old peers will benefit from the more rehabilitative focus of the juvenile system, enhancing the odds that raising the age will lead to a greater reduction in crime.

Source: Texas Appleseed

Racial and Ethnic Disparities Reduction Practice Manual

The Racial and Ethnic Disparities Reduction Practice Manual (RED Practice Manual) is a tool for public officials, agency administrators, community leaders, parents, and other advocates for children who are working to create more equitable and effective juvenile justice systems. The RED Practice Manual provides practitioners with concrete guidance and strategies, downloadable tools and resources, and examples of successful reform work in jurisdictions throughout the country.

Source: Center for Children's Law and Policy

Essential Elements of a Trauma-Informed Juvenile Justice System

This resource was created by mental health clinicians, juvenile justice professionals, researchers, and family members, to help programs who work with justice-involved youth better understand the steps they can take to recognize and respond to the trauma-related needs of youth, family members, and staff.

Source: The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

Screening and Assessment in Juvenile Justice Systems: Identifying Mental Health Needs and Risk of Reoffending

Each year, more than 2 million children, youth, and young adults formally come into contact with the juvenile justice system, while millions more are at risk of involvement with the system. Of those children, youth, and young adults, a large number (65-70 percent) have at least one diagnosable mental health need, and 20-25 percent have serious emotional issues. This brief highlights the benefits of adopting screening and assessment tools for both mental health problems and risk of reoffending among many youth populations.

Source: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation:  Models for Change - Systems Reform in Juvenile Justice

 

This month, the national Joint Technology Committee released "Courts Disrupted," which focuses on how technology and innovation have the potential to disrupt the business of the court community. The paper provides several specific examples of disruption likely to occur and suggests how courts should prepare and respond to the potential disruption.