YEE-HAW. Texas is doing something right--Senate Bill 653.

 Amidst the budget debacle and the numerous cuts to several important services that help Texans, many people (including me) are discouraged more than ever about Texas politics. However, even though it seems like the only legislative news is bad news, shockingly there is a policy area that has been improving steadily- the juvenile justice system.

Looking at the history of the juvenile justice system, this is a surprise. For example, in 2007 the entire system was shook by a scandal that uncovered not only the sexual abuse of inmates by top TYC officials, but also a failed cover-up effort. Even more, the remote, far-off facilities, the poor staff ratios, inadequate surveillance, and improperly trained corrections officers made the Texas juvenile system not only insufficient, but also unjust.

Since then, reform efforts have been high in order to combat the “get tough on crime” technique that saturates Texas criminal justice.  Laws have been enacted that prohibit sending young people that were merely guilty of misdemeanors from being locked up, and $100 million was poured into effective community-based programs.

This legislative session, the “sunset bill” was passed with a unanimous vote (Senate Bill 653). This abolished the Texas Youth Commission and Texas Juvenile Probation Commission to form the Texas Juvenile Justice Commission. This system will work in partnership with the courts and communities to provide effective services to those involved in the juvenile justice system and their families. This is predicted to save the state $150 million annually, because with the new stress on local treatment and probation, many state facilities will no longer be needed. Thus, three out of the ten state youth prisons will be closed, and the funds will be sent to local rehabilitation programs.

This is great news for the welfare of juvenile offenders, because according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, community-based treatment programs show statistically significant positive effect sizes for institutionalized offenders. Even more, they will help youth get to the roots of their negative behavior, which often is the result of mental health needs. County probation departments will now have the funds to help youth learn better coping methods in relation to past abuse, family issues, or substance abuse. Even more, the community programs allow families to be involved in the rehabilitation process, which helps to transform not only the individual but also the entire family system.

 
However, in order for these reforms to continue the improvement of juvenile justice programs and help offenders avoid recidivism, close attention will need to be paid to the new bureaucracy of the Texas Juvenile Justice Commission and the counties in charge of rehabilitation services. Not only does the efficacy of the programs need to be regularly audited, but also local governments must have sufficient resources to serve juvenile offenders.

 Sources:

In Texas, scandals rock juvenile justice system

Lawmakers in lockstep on juvenile-justice bills