Found 55 matches.
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One size fits all report series: Out of Sight: LGBTQ Youth and Adults in Texas’ Justice Systems
Tags: Texas
This is the third of four reports in TCJC’s One Size Fails All report series. This series explores the failures of Texas’ criminal justice system to adequately address the needs of vulnerable and marginalized populations, including teenagers and young adults, people with substance use and mental health issues, the LGBTQ community, and people without stable housing supports. Not only are these populations failed by the justice system, but Texas families and communities are harmed as more people are driven into incarceration, and taxpayers are left to foot the bill for unsuccessful policies and practices. We urge you to join us in calling for reforms that will create healthy, safe, thriving Texas communities. The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition advances solutions and builds coalitions to reduce mass incarceration and foster safer Texas communities. Keywords: Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Report, LGBTQ report, LGBTQ youth, Texas member report
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BULLIES IN BLUE: THE ORIGINS AND CONSEQUENCES OF SCHOOL POLICING
Tags: Federal | Texas | Washington | Crime Data and Statistics | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Family and Youth Involvement | Gangs | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Research
This report explains the unfavorable result of school policing, especially in low-income Black and Latino communities with the evidence from some states. Police is often seen using force or violence against youth, such as arresting and handcuffing students, even for minor crimes or misbehaviors. In addition, more presence of police in school including their presence in a classroom has increased fear among them. All these facts help support why schooling policing should be reconsidered.
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Class, Not Court: Reconsidering Texas' Criminalization of Truancy - Texas Appleseed
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Reports | Member Publications
This report continues Texas Appleseed's school-to-prison pipeline work by delving into how Texas' approach to truancy is driving more children away from school and into the adult criminal courts. Te report explores causes of truancy, evaluates the current approaches to addressing truancy, highlights the disproportionate impacts of truancy charges on certain groups of students, and makes recommendations for ways that the Texas Legislature, the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and school districts can increase attendance and help children in a meaningful way.
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Closer to Home: An Analysis of the State and Local Impact of the Texas Juvenile Justice Reforms
Tags: Texas | Deinstitutionalization | Research
This study of 1.3 million Texas juvenile case records over eight years shows youth incarcerated in state-run facilities are 21% more likely to be rearrested than those who are supervised closer to home. When they do reoffend, youth released from state-secure facilities are three times more likely to commit a felony than youth under community supervision.
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Letter: Militarizing School Police and the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
A letter co-authored by Texas Appleseed urging an end to the transfer of military weapons to school climates.
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Breaking School's Rules: A Statewide Study of How School Discipline Relates to Students' Success and Juvenile Justice Involvement
Tags: Texas | National | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Research
This combined report by the Justice Center and Public Policy Research Institute shows that students who receive more school disciplinary action have a greater likelihood of becoming involved with the juvenile justice system. The research also shows that more focus needs to be put towards whether these school disciplinary actions are having the deterring effect they are intended to.
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The Comeback and Coming-from-Behind States: An Update on Youth Incarceration in the United States
Tags: California | Connecticut | Illinois | Missouri | Mississippi | Nebraska | New York | Ohio | South Dakota | Texas | Washington | Wisconsin | Wyoming | National | Deinstitutionalization | NJJN Publications
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The Comeback States: Reducing Juvenile Incarceration in the United States - NJJN, TPPF
Tags: California | Connecticut | Illinois | Mississippi | New York | Ohio | Texas | Washington | Wisconsin | National | Deinstitutionalization | NJJN Publications
Nine "comeback states" are featured for their dramatic reversal of youth incarceration rates in the past decade and for adopting policies that will promote further reductions.
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Breaking Rules, Breaking Budgets: Cost of Exclusionary Discipline in 11 Texas School Districts
Tags: Texas | Fiscal Issues and Funding | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports | Member Publications
In this report, Texas Appleseed details the cost of the current disciplinary procedures in 11 school districts and recommends strategies for cost-effective school discipline.
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Girls' Experiences in the Texas Juvenile Justice System
Tags: Texas | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Reports | Member Publications
In this report by Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, a survey of girls at one Texas juvenile correctional facility shows there is a great likelihood that many traumatized girls in the Texas juvenile justice system are being re-traumatized due to current policies and procedures.
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Community Solutions for Youth in Trouble
Tags: Texas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Reports
This report by NJJN member Texas Criminal Justice Coalition identifies juvenile justice programs that have proven successful despite real-world challenges and restraints.
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Cost-Saving & Public Safety-Driven Strategies for Texas’ Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Educational Primer
Tags: Texas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Fiscal Issues and Funding | General System Reform | Reports | Member Publications
The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition created an educational primer that outlines six criminal and juvenile justice areas in need of improvement, with realistic reform solutions in each area.
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Texas Criminal Justice Coalition: Sealing Your Child's Juvenile Records
Tags: Texas | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Member Publications
Provides detailed information on what is in your child's juvenile records as well as how to seal those records.
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Texas Criminal Justice Coalition: The Juvenile Court Process
Tags: Texas | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Member Publications
Explains the step-by-step process of the juvenile court system, including the purpose of each judicial hearing.
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Texas Criminal Justice Coalition: What Can I Expect When My Child is Locked Up
Tags: Texas | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Member Publications
Provides information for parents of children who have just entered the juvenile justice system, including what to expect and how it will effect schooling.
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Texas Criminal Justice Coalition: When Can I Visit My Child
Tags: Texas | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Member Publications
Explains the type of facilities in which children are detained as well as when parents can visit their children.
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Bringing Youth Home: A National Movement to Increase Public Safety, Rehabilitate Youth and Save Money, National Juvenile Justice Network
Tags: Alabama | California | District of Columbia | Florida | Kansas | New York | Ohio | Texas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Crime Data and Statistics | Deinstitutionalization | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Reports | NJJN Publications
Report highlighting positive news stemming from and of interest to budget conscious and public safety-minded states. The publication includes examples of states that reduced their juvenile facility populations and are now not only reaping the rewards of newfound funds that can be directed into more effective community-based services for youth, but are also seeing a better return on their investment in terms of juvenile rehabilitation and public safety.
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End Class C Misdemeanor Truancy Prosecutions for Children Under 12, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Fact Sheet on S.B. 1489, 2011
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Schools in Texas are prohibited from ticketing students ages 10-11 and 18-21 for failing to attend school. The law also requires schools to adopt truancy prevention measures in order to reduce truancy referrals to court. Lastly, courts are now required to expunge “failure to attend” convictions if the youth successfully complies with the court’s conditions and obtains a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate by age 21. An additional 2011 Texas law eliminated the practice of issuing tickets to youth in grades six and below for violation of the school discipline code.
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Testimony of Texas Criminal Justice Coalition on H.B. 961, Restricting Access to Youth Records
Tags: Texas | Collateral Consequences | Confidentiality | Testimony
A Texas law makes all records or files related to a youth convicted of a fine-only misdemeanor (other than a traffic offense) confidential. Prior to the legislation, any youth convicted of a fine-only misdemeanor had to wait two years before his or her record was sealed; within the two-year window, a background check by a public entity would reveal the conviction.
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Texas Increases Protections for Youth Transferred to Adult System, S.B. 1209
Tags: Texas | Youth in the Adult System | Legislation
A Texas law requires that the sight and sound protections for youth in the juvenile system also now apply to youth under age 17 who are tried as adults; all such youth must be separated by sight and sound from adults in the same facility. Additionally, the law mandates that counties develop policies specifying whether certain transferred youth under 17 years of age may be held pre-trial in a juvenile detention facility, rather than an adult jail. Prior to the change, counties were prohibited from holding transferred youth in juvenile detention facilities.
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Texas Limits School Ticketing of Youth in Grades Six and Below, H.B. 359
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Schools in Texas are prohibited from ticketing students ages 10-11 and 18-21 for failing to attend school. The law also requires schools to adopt truancy prevention measures in order to reduce truancy referrals to court. Lastly, courts are now required to expunge “failure to attend” convictions if the youth successfully complies with the court’s conditions and obtains a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate by age 21. An additional 2011 Texas law eliminated the practice of issuing tickets to youth in grades six and below for violation of the school discipline code.
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Texas Limits School Ticketing, S.B. 1489
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
Schools in Texas are prohibited from ticketing students ages 10-11 and 18-21 for failing to attend school. The law also requires schools to adopt truancy prevention measures in order to reduce truancy referrals to court. Lastly, courts are now required to expunge “failure to attend” convictions if the youth successfully complies with the court’s conditions and obtains a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate by age 21. An additional 2011 Texas law eliminated the practice of issuing tickets to youth in grades six and below for violation of the school discipline code.
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Texas Restricts Access to Youth Records, H.B. 961
Tags: Texas | Collateral Consequences | Confidentiality | Legislation
A Texas law makes all records or files related to a youth convicted of a fine-only misdemeanor (other than a traffic offense) confidential. Prior to the legislation, any youth convicted of a fine-only misdemeanor had to wait two years before his or her record was sealed; within the two-year window, a background check by a public entity would reveal the conviction.
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Texas Establishes Disproportionality Council, S.B. 501
Tags: Texas | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Legislation
Texas’ Interagency Council for Addressing Disproportionality will examine the level of disproportionate involvement of youth who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group at each stage of the juvenile justice, child welfare, and mental health systems. Stages include points of entry, points at which treatment decisions are made, and outcomes for youth exiting the systems. The council will also make recommendations on ways to reduce the number of racial and ethnic minority youth in the juvenile justice, child welfare, and mental health systems.
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Texas Establishes Disproportionality Council, S.B. 501
Tags: Texas | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Legislation
Texas’ Interagency Council for Addressing Disproportionality will examine the level of disproportionate involvement of youth who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group at each stage of the juvenile justice, child welfare, and mental health systems. Stages include points of entry, points at which treatment decisions are made, and outcomes for youth exiting the systems. The council will also make recommendations on ways to reduce the number of racial and ethnic minority youth in the juvenile justice, child welfare, and mental health systems.
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Texas Youth Commission Merges with Texas Juvenile Probation Commission, S.B. 653
Tags: Texas | General System Reform | Legislation
The Texas Legislature merged the Texas Youth Commission and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission to form the new Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD). According to the legislation, TJJD’s purpose is to create a unified juvenile justice system that provides a full continuum of effective services, prioritizing community- and family-based programs over commitment to secure facilities. The specific goals of the merger are to support a county-based system that reduces the need for out-of-home placement; locate facilities close to youths’ families and facility employees; encourage regional cooperation; enhance continuity of care; and use secure facilities, when necessary, that are sized for effective rehabilitation.
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Texas' School-to-Prison Pipeline, Ticketing, Arrest & Use of Force in Schools
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline
Documents the explosion in referrals of youth in schools to the courts for low-level infractions that do not compromise safety. Recommends training and policy steps to assist school safety officers and reduce the number of youth sent unnecessarily from school to court.
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Treatment, Not Punishment: Untangling the Mental Health-Juvenile Justice Knot, Josette Saxton, Texans Care for Children
Tags: Texas | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Reports
Report discussing how too little focus on the promotion of children's social and emotional health, inappropriate or missed identification of mental health issues, and lack of access to appropriate treatment and supports has led to the Texas juvenile justice system being the de facto provider of mental health services. Report also identifies as an alternative the early recognition and treatment of mental health disorders in a community setting.
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The Officer Will See You Now: Reversing the Trend Toward the Juvenile Justice System as Default Mental Health Provider for Texas Kids, Texans Care for Children
Tags: Texas | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Reports
Report discussing how in Texas, the juvenile justice system acts as a de facto provider of mental health services. Report discusses how juvenile justice systems are not made for treating mental illness, and putting mentally ill youth into these systems does not work at preventing later delinquency and offers alternatives for mentally ill youth
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Texas' School-to-Prison Pipeline, School Expulsion: The Path from Lockout to Dropou
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline
Report analyzes expulsion data and policies in Texas schools and finds that unnecessary discretionary expulsions outnumber mandatory expulsions two-to-one, unintentionally feeding teens into the juvenile justice system Contains policy recommendations.
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Getting More for Less in Juvenile Justice: Innovative and Cost-Effective Programs to Reduce Crime, Restore Victims, and Preserve Families, Marc Levin, Texas Public Policy Foundation
Tags: Texas | General System Reform | Reports
Report including a comprehensive review of juvenile justice programs across Texas and the country, measuring their effectiveness based on a range of factors - including cost, recidivism rates, and education and vocational outcomes. The report also makes recommendations for improvements in data collection and analysis.
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Texas Task Force for Children with Special Needs, 2011-2016 Five-Year Plan
Tags: Texas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Risk Assessment and Screening | Reports
The Texas Legislature created the Interagency Task Force for Children with Special Needs in order to improve the coordination and quality of services for children and youth with special needs. The report includes several objectives related to juvenile justice, including diversion and minimization of youth involvement in the juvenile justice system; improved assessment of youth entering the system; and improved services for youth with special needs, both within the system and upon reentry to their communities.
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Committed Texas Youth to Be Assessed for Health Care Eligibility Before Release, H.B. 1630
Tags: Texas | Aftercare/Reentry | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Legislation
Texas law now provides for a memorandum of understanding between state secure facilities and local juvenile probation departments to ensure that each committed youth is assessed for eligibility for state- or federal-funded health coverage before the youth’s release from placement, detention, or commitment. Previously, Texas removed youth from Medicaid- or state-funded health programs upon commitment to a facility and required the youth to reapply upon release. The new law will help streamline the process for re-enrollment and ensure that more youth have immediate health coverage upon release from a facility.
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Local Texas Juvenile Probation Departments Must Report Annually to Governor and Legislature, S.B. 1374
Tags: Texas | Aftercare/Reentry | Legislation
The Texas Legislature requires that local juvenile probation departments report annually to the governor and legislature on their operations and the condition of juvenile probation services in the state during the previous year. The report must include an evaluation of the effectiveness of community-based programs, and information comparing the cost of a youth participating in a juvenile probation services program with the costs of committing the youth to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.
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Texas Allows for More In-Depth Review by Attorneys Prior to Transfer Hearings, S.B. 518
Tags: Texas | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Youth in the Adult System | Legislation
When a youth faces transfer to adult court, at least five days prior to the transfer hearing the court must provide to the youth’s attorney and the prosecuting attorney all written matter that the court will consider in making the transfer decision. Previously, the court was required to provide this material only one day before the hearing. The goal of the law is to encourage more thorough review by attorneys, increased information-sharing, and fewer inappropriate transfers to adult court.
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Texas Clarifies Motions Procedure for New Juvenile Court Trials, H.B. 1688
Tags: Texas | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Legislation
The Texas Legislature amended the state family code to follow the criminal court rules for a motion for a new trial seeking to vacate a juvenile court adjudication. In following these rules, juvenile court attorneys will have greater clarity on how to file a motion and the process will be more efficient.
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Texas Creates Task Force for Children with Special Needs in Order to Address Service Delivery in Juvenile Justice System, S.B. 1824
Tags: Texas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Risk Assessment and Screening | Legislation
The Texas Legislature created the Interagency Task Force for Children with Special Needs in order to improve the coordination and quality of services for children and youth with special needs. The report includes several objectives related to juvenile justice, including diversion and minimization of youth involvement in the juvenile justice system; improved assessment of youth entering the system; and improved services for youth with special needs, both within the system and upon reentry to their communities.
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Texas Schools Must Consider Mitigating Factors Before Severely Disciplining Youth, H.B. 171
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Legislation
A law in Texas requires school districts to consider mitigating factors—such as self-defense, intent, a student’s disciplinary history, or any disability a student may have—before suspending, expelling, or assigning a student to a disciplinary alternative education program or a juvenile justice alternative education program, regardless of whether the disciplinary action was mandatory under the district’s code of conduct.
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Texas Youth Convicted of Capital Felonies Given Opportunity for Parole, S.B. 839
Tags: Texas | Life Without Parole and Parole Issues | Youth in the Adult System | Legislation
Youth ages 14 to 17 in Texas who are found guilty of a capital felony now have the opportunity for parole. Previously, these youth could only be sentenced to life without parole. The law is not retroactive; youth previously sentenced to life without parole will continue to serve that sentence.
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Texas Youth with Mental Illness or Mental Retardation to Receive Continuity of Care, H.B. 4451
Tags: Texas | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Legislation
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) must discharge from the state’s custody a youth with mental illness or mental retardation if the youth has completed the required minimum length of stay for the offense and if TJJD determines that the youth is unable to progress in rehabilitation programs because of his or her mental illness or mental retardation. The law will also allow youth with mental illness or mental retardation to obtain continuity of care services when they are discharged from TJJD.
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Texas Youth May Have Records Sealed Immediately After Successful Completion of Drug Court Program, H.B. 2386
Tags: Texas | Collateral Consequences | Confidentiality | Legislation
Texas juvenile courts may seal the record of an eligible youth immediately after he or she successfully completes a drug court program.
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Keeping Our Kids at Home: Expanding Community-Based Facilities for Adjudicated Youth, Texas Public Policy Foundation
Tags: Texas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Reports
Report examines existing barriers to the establishment of community-based options for system-involved youth.
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Breaking the Cycle of Abuse in Juvenile Facilities, Barry Krisberg, National Council on Crime and Delinquency
Tags: California | Florida | Indiana | Texas | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Report focusing on abuse of youth in custody in California, Texas, Florida, and Indiana. Reviews data on abuse of youth in juvenile facilities and calls attention to areas where data is lacking.
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Parents Bill of Rights, Texas Youth Commission
Tags: Texas | Family and Youth Involvement | Reports
Bill of rights for parents of youth involved in the system.
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Understanding the Texas Youth Commission and the Parents' Bill of Rights: The TYC Family Handbook, Texas Youth Commission
Tags: Texas | Family and Youth Involvement | Reports
Guidebook explaining the Parents' Bill of Rights and the resources related to dealing with the Texas Youth Commission.
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Part II, The TYC Era: Between Rehabilitation and Punishment, 1949-2008, Protecting Texas' Most Precious Resource: A History of Juvenile Justice Policy in Texas, William S. Bush for the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
Tags: Texas | General System Reform | Reports
Report discussing the Texas Youth Council's struggle over time with the proposal to decrease the role of the state's large, remotely located institutions in favor of smaller, community-based programs.
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Part I, The Path to the Texas Youth Council: Creating a Protective Umbrella for Juvenile Offenders, Protecting Texas' Most Precious Resource: A History of Juvenile Justice Policy in Texas, William S. Bush for the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
Tags: Texas | General System Reform | Reports
Report showing that the early years of the Texas juvenile justice system were characterized by a cycle of scandal and reform, in which public outrage over the abuse and neglect of incarcerated juveniles spurred officials and policy-makers into passing reform-minded legislation. Repeatedly, however, funding and oversight diminished after problems were believed to be "fixed" and the latest scandal had passed into memory.
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K.C. v. Nedelkoff, Complaint of ACLU on Behalf of Texas Girl Inmates
Tags: Texas | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents
Court complaint filed by the ACLU on behalf of female inmates in Texas in order to stop abuses at detention centers for female offenders.
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Sex Offender Registries Called Too Harsh for Juveniles, Lisa Sandberg, Houston Chronicle
Tags: Texas | Sex Offender Registries | Media
Article about how the Texas legislature considered juvenile sex offender registration and notification laws too harsh.
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Pepper Spray in the Texas Youth Commission: Research Review and Policy Recommendations, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
Tags: Texas | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Report highlighting key findings from research on the use of pepper spray, and making recommendations for decreasing the use of pepper spray while improving safety.
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Report on Private Youth Prison, Office of the Independent Ombudsman for the Texas Youth Commission
Tags: Texas | Institutional Conditions | Privatization | Reports
Report of observations from site visit to a private youth facility in Texas. Overall report consensus is that the youth at this private facility did not have the proper programming or resources.
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Texas' School to Prison Pipeline, Dropout to Incarceration: The Impact of School Discipline and Zero Tolerance, Texas Appleseed
Tags: Texas | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Reports
Report examining disciplinary referrals for a five-year period (2001-06), disaggregated by seriousness of offense (mandatory versus discretionary referrals), race, ethnicity, participation in special education, and grade level for all Texas school districts. The findings underscore the importance of Texas school districts utilizing more effective, research-based strategies to improve student behavior, reduce school dropouts, and help stem the growth of Texas' prison system, the largest in the nation.
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Site Visit Report: Coke County Juvenile Justice Center, Office of the Independent Ombudsman for the Texas Youth Commission
Tags: Texas | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Report of observations from site visit to a private youth facility in Texas. Overall report consensus is that the youth at this private facility did not have the proper programming or resources.
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Texas Creates Ombudsman's Office for Incarcerated Youth, Texas, S.B. 103
Tags: Texas | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Mandates the creation of an ombudsman's office to oversee conditions of confinement and treatment of incarcerated youth.
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Comparison of Colorado, Texas and Missouri Juvenile Rehabilitation Programs, Pendulum Foundation
Tags: Colorado | Missouri | Texas | General System Reform | Reports
Review of facilities and operations, transfer, sentencing procedures, recidivism rates, expenditures, and cost-effectiveness.
