Texas Criminal Justice Coalition

Monthly Wrap-Up 

SEPTEMBER 2011

In This Wrap-Up    

3 Policy Implementation Briefs

TCJC's Presentation on Juvenile and Criminal Justice Reforms  

5 Juvenile Justice Educational Resources  

Welcome to the Juvenile Justice Transition Team

National Youth Justice Awareness Month

Upcoming Presentations and Events

Key Articles

"How To" Briefs for Implementing New Policies   

During Texas' most recent legislative session, policy-makers passed various smart-on-crime policies that will benefit the lives of countless Texans.   

Below, we have provided links to 3 new "How To" Briefs we created to help practitioners implement 3 of these critical bills.  Please click on the links to download a PDF version of each:

• S.B. 1055: Community Justice Plans and Commitment Reduction Plans 
• H.B. 1205: Self-Improvement Programming Credits for Probationers 
• H.B. 2649: Diligent Participation Credits for State Jail Inmates 

These are useful tools for judges, attorneys, probation professionals, programming providers, and those impacted by criminal justice system.

Juvenile and Criminal Justice Reforms:

Post-Session Conference Presentation

TCJC would like to congratulate OneVoice Texas, in partnership with United Way of Greater Houston, for hosting a successful conference on Building a Stronger Community on September 26th in Houston. 

TCJC's own Ana Y��ez-Correa served as the keynote speaker, where she provided a presentation outlining how far juvenile and criminal justice reforms have come over the last decade, major smart-on-crime policies that passed during Texas' 2011 legislative session, what must be done in the future to sustain critical reforms, and lessons learned.

To download a PDF version of the presentation, click here!

TCJC is pleased to offer 4 new informational flyers related to system-involved youth.  Please click on the links below to download a PDF version of each:

• The Juvenile Justice Court Process 
• What Can I Expect When My Child is Locked Up?  
• When Can I Visit My Child?  
• Sealing Your Child's Juvenile Record 

These are valuable resources for family members and attorneys for system-involved youth.

We also have a new brochure that explains the projects and services offered by our Juvenile Justice Initiative.  Click here to check it out!

Please keep an eye out for our next monthly wrap-up, which will include all of these materials in Spanish.  

As advocates for progressive youth justice, TCJC's Juvenile Justice Initiative would like to send out special congratulations to the seven members appointed to the Transition Team for the new Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD). After careful consideration, these members were chosen based on their merit, experience, and commitment to helping serve troubled youth. These appointments include:

• Chelsea Buchholtz - Policy Advisor, Office of the Governor's Budget, Planning, and Policy Division
• Albert Hawkins - Public Policy Consultant
• Representative Ruth McClendon - State Representative, District 120
• David "Scott" Matthew - Chief Juvenile Probation Officer, Williamson County
• Vicki Spriggs - Executive Director, Texas Juvenile Probation Commission
• Cherie Townsend - Executive Director, Texas Youth Commission
• Debbie Unruh - Independent Ombudsman, Texas Youth Commission

Though much of the background planning for TJJD is already underway, the Transition Team officially becomes active on October 1, 2011. Throughout its six-month timeline, the Team will be working on issues ranging from merging of agency logistics (e.g., emails) to establishing short-, medium-, and long-term goals, in effect shaping the direction in which the new agency will head. TJJD is expected to take effect December 1, 2011, and will be headed by a 13-member Executive Board.

We look forward to the efforts of the Transition Team members in creating a safe and rehabilitative culture for system-involved youth across Texas, and we are optimistic that the Board will continue to uphold these standards when the Team is disbanded on March 1, 2012. Given the mission and goals set forth by Senate Bill 653, TJJD's enabling legislation, the new agency can set trends for juvenile justice reform across the nation. We look forward to working with the Team, the Board, other juvenile agencies and advocates, legislators, and key stakeholders in achieving this end.

Next Month is National Youth Justice Awareness Month!

October is NYJA month, and we must all consider the needs of the approximately 100,000 children in Texas who are involved in the state's juvenile justice system every year.   

Please help us continue our critical work to address the issues surrounding system-involved youth in Texas.

Provide a tax-free donation today!  Even the smallest donation helps our efforts!  

Upcoming Presentations and Events 

October and November Forums

Don't miss out on Criminal Justice Forums, held the first Friday of each month, beginning on October 7th.

The forums will be hosted by the Criminal Justice Data Analysis Team of the Legislative Budget Board, and they will present various reports on criminal and juvenile justice issues.

Location:   Robert E. Johnson Conference Center

                 1501 N. Congress

                 Austin, TX 78701

Time:         1:30-3:00 PM

Price:         Free

Questions: Contact cjforum@lbb.state.tx.us 

  Or call Michele Connolly or Ed Sinclair at (512) 463-1200

Below are the first 2 (of 7) events. We will inform you about future forums in our upcoming e-alerts.

(1)  Overview of the LBB and Texas At-Risk Youth Services Project - October 7th

Presenters: Michele Connolly, Ed Sinclair

An overview of the Legislative Budget Board and the Criminal Justice Data Analysis team will be provided at the beginning of the first Criminal Justice Forum. Additionally, a brief overview of the Criminal Justice Forum's format will be discussed.

The Texas At-Risk Youth Services Project (ARYSP) is a research project aimed at improving service delivery to youth at-risk of juvenile delinquency in Texas. The ARYSP employed a hybrid quantitative/qualitative research method to better understand the delivery of services to at-risk youth in Texas and provide legislative recommendations to the 82nd Texas Legislature (2011). This forum will explore the background of the ARYSP, its findings, related legislative outcomes, and the next phase of the project.

Click here to read the report on ARYSP.

(2)  Uniform Cost Report - November 4th

Presenter: Laurie Molina

The Uniform Cost Report is an ongoing publication detailing cost-per-day figures for adult and juvenile correctional populations. This forum will provide audiences with insight regarding the many factors involved in determining cost figures for various populations. The forum will also explore methodologies, findings, and historical trends.

Click here to read the Uniform Cost Report.

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November Conference

Join the Texas Catholic Correctional Ministries at their 4th Annual Statewide Conference on November 11th and 12th.

Learn more about what the Church can do to assist in the successful re-entry efforts of the 72,000 individuals exiting Texas prisons every year.

Location:  Wyndham Garden Hotel 

 Woodward Conference Center

 3401 S. IH 35
 Austin, TX 78741

Time:       10AM - 9PM (Friday, Nov. 11th) and 7AM - 1PM (Saturday, Nov. 12)  

Price:       $75 per person, which includes reception, dinner Friday night,  

 breakfast Saturday morning, and refreshments Friday afternoon and Saturday.  

To register, click here!

Juvenile Justice In the News

Check out 2 juvenile justice-related articles in the September/October 2011 issue of Capitol Ideas, the Council of State Governments' magazine:

"Out of Class Into Court," discusses the impact that discretionary school discipline policies have on youth, based on findings in a key Texas report [pgs. 13-16].

In "Deal with Juvenile Offenses Early to Avoid Bigger Problems Later," Texas Senator John Whitmire speaks about the ramifications of the school-to-prison pipeline and the importance of front-end help for youth [pgs. 18-19].  

Click here to download the magazine.