Legal Services · Public Affairs

The vision is that Credible Messengers not only support youth by connecting and building relationships with them but that these relationships help de-escalating issues early on.

The relationships and connections they had established resulted in the youth responding to them differently than the rest of the staff. They were often able to help the youth regulate simply by talking and being present with them.

In 2022, HCJPD hired our first two Credible Messengers, Jasmine Scott and Ronald Fleming, and they worked with Mr. Harris to implement this vision at Leadership Academy.

Our Credible Messengers spend time with our youth throughout the day building relationships and sharing their stories. They are involved in all aspects of programming, including school, various groups, and all activities on the units and have evolved into a critical part of the Leadership Academy team.

The feedback I receive about our Credible Messenger program is consistently and overwhelmingly positive.

On recent visits to Leadership Academy, I have even overheard supervisors calling for Credible Messengers to come to a specific unit as part of their response.

You may have noticed that I often use the word “relationships” when describing Credible Messengers. This aligns perfectly with the Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) approach we use throughout our facilities.

If you have been through our TBRI training, you are already familiar with the importance of building positive relationship, how it is crucial for adolescent brain development, and how it can have a significant impact on behavior.

Credible Messengers give the department an additional avenue to establish these types of relationships.

In addition to our internal Credible Messenger program, several of our community partners are establishing similar programs, and eventually, Credible Messenger programs will be available for most youth involved in the Juvenile Justice System.

I encourage all staff to become aware of these programs and include these resources in our responses and interventions with our youth.

There are many ways to get involved in preventing child abuse during this month and beyond. You can participate in local events, support organizations that work to prevent child abuse, and take steps to protect children by reporting suspected abuse and neglect and supporting families in need.

This year’s awareness and impact campaign theme is:

Prevent Child Abuse America | U.S. Department of Health · Human Services | Thriving Families Tips

Autism Speaks | United Nations

AACAP | Autism Society

The Training & Quality Assurance (TQA) unit builds authentic and meaningful relationships with community partners to provide information and training to our employees.

In February, TQA Supervisor Annie Villavicencio and trainers Maurice Hobson and Elizabeth Orozco participated in the Harris County Reimagining Juvenile Justice (RJJ) Town Hall meetings alongside non-profit organization Change Happens.

The School & Main Institute (SMI) selected HCJPD and Change Happens to participate in the professional development model to help juvenile justice professionals better support, divert, and redirect youth to appropriate and fair justice options.

HCJPD and Change Happens staff attended the trainers institute at SMI and brought back the RJJ model to Houston.

Training modules include:

The training unit is excited to be part of this initiative and looks forward to supporting the local implementation of this model!

Submit proposals for projects or initiatives that could be funded with

these resources, aiming to benefit the young people we serve.

Send proposals to your division's deputy director for further review and consideration.

Sobriety Over Addiction & Relapse (SOAR) Court aims to provide access to treatment for youth struggling with substance use while minimizing incarceration. The program goes beyond intensive supervision by guiding probation officers and parent partners in successfully implementing personalized behavioral plans.

Each youth and their family undergo an assessment to identify needs, strengths, risks, and interests, which helps us map services and interactions that are evaluated weekly. Progress is incentivized, and setbacks, non-compliance, and rule violations are addressed through multi-step interventions, including verbal redirection, sanctions, and clinical responses like cognitive-behavioral strategies to tackle refusal, resistance, and low motivation.

The agency's cornerstone values are reflected in its youth-centered service plans, which aim to serve vulnerable populations by connecting families with the best available services in the community and continuously evaluating progress and efforts during monthly court review hearings.

SOAR Court Consultation was recently established to provide substance use treatment services to youth who are statutorily excluded from participation in SOAR Court.

This initiative aims to expand the reach of the high-quality services offered by SOAR Court to a broader range of families, strengthening our community partnerships with inpatient and outpatient drug treatment providers as a result.

This collaborative effort aims to prevent further involvement in the justice system by increasing treatment accessibility, developing protective factors, and providing families with appropriate supervision and intervention services.

Through these consultations, 14 young people were placed into inpatient treatment programs from detention and another eight in outpatient services, helping these youth receive needed substance use treatment.

The SOAR Court program has been actively collaborating with the El Paso Juvenile Probation Department, State Representative Moody, Judge White, Judge Andell, and ADA Dana Legler to advocate for legislative changes to Chapter 123.002, which sets out eligibility requirements for participation in drug courts statewide.

On March 14, 2023, SOAR/GRIP Court Program Manager, Zachery Pratt, attended the 88th Texas Legislative Session in favor of House Bill 1394 to testify on behalf of the initiative, presenting data from HCJPD and voicing SOAR court's efforts in serving a broader population.

If passed, these changes intend to broaden access and allow more youth to enroll in drug court programs and receive the necessary substance use services they may not otherwise have access to.

SOAR Court is currently in the planning stages of organizing multiple educational outings scheduled to take place throughout the summer months. These outings are intended to increase the youth's access to pro-social activities by modeling fun, safe, sober activities.

To ensure participants receive the appropriate treatment level considering their psychological/behavioral needs, SOAR Court will add two new vendors to the program servicing menu. The Center for Success and Phoenix House will now provide specialized outpatient substance use services to SOAR Court participants through the SOAR Court grant.

Please monitor and redirect ALL inquiries and service requests through the OpenFox mailbox at openfox@hcjpd.hctx.net. All service requests for password resets and training will be addressed promptly upon receipt.

If your request is received after 4:30 pm, on weekends, federal or county holidays, your request will be processed the following business day.​​​​​​​

Find pictures like this and others on our social media

channels or through the Social Media Hub on SharePoint.

Become a healthier you by taking advantage of these programs, services and incentives. It is the mission of the Benefits & Wellness Office to promote the wellbeing of employees and retirees through initiatives that:

Find the March 2023 Benefits & Wellness Newsletter on SharePoint on the Benefits & Wellness Information page as an additional way to stay connected with all the incredible opportunities available to county employees.

Find all 2023 HCJPD Department Newsletters on the SharePoint home page.

Department and division letterhead have a new design!

Select from the templates below to check out the new look.

When the unit receives an Employee Spotlight, staff will be recognized internally and through the HRRM Employee Spotlight.

Find the HRRM Employee Spotlight link in the County Links tab on SharePoint.