The Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) is a state agency in Texas, headquartered in the George H. W. Bush State Office Building in Austin.

It was created on December 1, 2011, replacing the Texas Youth Commission and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission."Home". Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Retrieved on April 28, 2012.

History

The implemented changes occurred after the 82nd Texas Legislature abolished the Texas Youth Commission due to the scandals surrounding this agency that was responsible from 1957 to 2011. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department was established by the legislature to manage and oversee the agencies that were abolished. There is a board that includes 11 members that are responsible for overseeing juvenile justice services from entry to the discharge of the youth; the board was selected by the Governor of Texas with Texas Senate approval."History Information ".History of TJJD. Retrieved April 22nd, 2014.

Criticism The TJJD has gone through several iterations of major and moderate reform following scandals marked by sexual abuse and violence, including a full rebranding from the Texas Youth Commission in 2011.

In 2021, the United States Department of Justice announced that it would examine whether children detained in the Texas Juvenile Justice Department’s five lockups are reasonably protected “from physical and sexual abuse by staff and other residents, excessive use of chemical restraints and excessive use of isolation.” The investigation followed an incident reported in July when a detention officer was arrested for allegedly touching the breast of an 18-year-old detainee.

In August 2022, The Texas Tribune reported on severe understaffing in the prisons that routinely left children inside cells alone for up to 23 hours a day, forcing them to use water bottles and food trays as toilets. Almost half of the nearly 600 kids in the prisons had been on suicide watch. In response, a youth-led criminal justice reform group, Finish the 5, spent the next five months at the Texas state Capitol, urging lawmakers to close Texas’ five remaining juvenile prisons. The Finish the 5 campaign, led by the Texas Center for Justice and Equity, proposes phasing out the five prisons by 2027.

Facilities

Juvenile offenders are court ordered to reside in Texas Juvenile Justice Department facilities. The detained individuals must be at least 10 years of age and no older than their 19th birthday. Most juvenile records are sealed as this will allow the youth to gain a second opportunity, but there are exceptions to sealing records as those individuals that commit serious crimes may be required to complete their sentence in an adult system, therefore unable to get their records sealed."". TJJD Purpose/Usage of Entity. Retrieved April 21, 2014.

Texas Juvenile Justice Department operates and maintains institutions and halfway houses statewide. Several of the juvenile detention centers are public and privately operated facilities. Texas Juvenile Justice Department maintains records and registry of the registered facilities in operation. Detained young offenders can only be placed in detention centers that are registered by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, under the Texas Family Code.

Registered facilities house, educate, train and rehabilitate young offenders, the treatment and programs are based on the needs of the individual within the facility. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department includes high, medium and low security facilities. A high security facility is fenced and the majority of juvenile offenders that are placed in a high security facility tend to complete their sentence in a correctional institution. The medium to low facilities are not fenced and consist of houses that the Texas Juvenile Justice Department operates or contracts with outside organizations to provide low to medium treatment for the juvenile offender."Facilities". TJJD Facility Process. Retrieved April 17, 2014.

According to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department report of 2011, the total amount of secure facilities registered include "34 post-adjudication, 31 public and 3 privately operated; 49 pre-adjudication facilities, 47 public and 2 privately operated"."2011 Facility Information". State Juvenile Probation Activity in Texas 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2014.

Institutions: Evins State Juvenile Correctional Facility - Edinburg Gainesville State Juvenile Correctional Facility - unincorporated Cooke County Giddings State Juvenile Correctional Facility - unincorporated Lee County Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Facility - Formerly Brownwood State School"Facility Address List". Texas Youth Commission. February 2, 2002. Retrieved on May 6, 2010. - partially in Brownwood Serves as the admissions and orientation center for the TJJD inmates. All girls in secure residential care remain at Ron Jackson. In addition boys who are younger are in the Ron Jackson young offenders program."PREA Audit Report Eon Jackson." Texas Juvenile Justice Department. p. 5 (PDF p. 5/64). Retrieved on October 7, 2018. - Address on page 1: "600 FM 3254, Brownwood, Texas 76804" Most male students stay at Ron Jackson for orientation for about four to six weeks."Understanding: The Texas Juvenile Justice Department & the Parents' Bill of Rights." Texas Juvenile Justice Department. PDF p. 4/60. Retrieved on October 7, 2018. A public road separates Units I and the former Ron Jackson Unit II, which operated independently from Unit I under the Texas Youth Commission."Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex Unit II". Texas Youth Commission. Retrieved on June 16, 2010. The facility is named after former TYC director Ron Jackson."Brownwood complex renamed for Ron Jackson". Texas Youth Commission. September 17, 2003. Retrieved on August 10, 2010. Unit I houses the gateway program for females entering the TYC system. Most females in TYC remain at Ron Jackson SJCC I. Some girls may be placed in the WINGS mother-child and pregnant girl program and contract facilities. Unit I has been a female-only complex since it opened in September 1970."Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex Unit I". Texas Youth Commission. Retrieved on June 16, 2010. Mart State Juvenile Correctional Facility (Unit I and Unit II) - Partially in Mart, mostly inunincorporated McLennan County"How Offenders Move Through TYC ". Texas Youth Commission. Retrieved on May 6, 2010."Facility Address List ". Texas Youth Commission. Retrieved on July 19, 2010."Mart city, Texas ". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 6, 2010. As of 2011 units I and II were combined into one facility."TYC Announces Closure of Three Facilities ". Texas Youth Commission. Retrieved on July 3, 2011. The TYC governing board's original agenda had plans to close both McLennan County units, but the board changed its plans."Texas Youth Commission to consolidate Mart facility" (). KCEN. June 3, 2011. Retrieved on August 29, 2011. The units are about south of Waco."TYC to close three units, cut staff" . KXAN. Friday June 3, 2011. Retrieved on September 29, 2011. It formerly housed admissions and orientation for male TJJD inmates."How Offenders Move Through TJJD ." Texas Department of Juvenile Justice. Retrieved on October 7, 2018.

Halfway houses:"TJJD Facilities Address List ." Texas Department of Juvenile Justice. Retrieved on December 19, 2015.

Ayres House - San Antonio Schaeffer House - El Paso Edna Tamayo House - Harlingen

Former facilities: Corsicana Residential Treatment Center - Corsicana The center was for youth with mental illnesses or severe emotional disturbances"Corsicana Residential Treatment Center ". Texas Youth Commission. Retrieved on June 16, 2010. - Closed in 2013Chammah, Maurice. "Closing a troubled symbol of Texas juvenile justice". Center for Public Integrity. February 12, 2014. Retrieved on March 3, 2014. Beto House - McAllen"TJJD Facilities." Texas Department of Juvenile Justice. June 17, 2013. Retrieved on December 19, 2015. "Turman House 7308 Cameron Road PO Box 14866 Austin, Texas 78752" Turman Halfway House - Austin Brownwood Halfway House - Brownwood Cottrell House - Dallas McFadden Ranch - Roanoke Willoughby House - Fort Worth York House - Corpus Christi Karen's House - Willis, Texas

Programs CoNEXTions CoNEXTions is an integrated, system-wide rehabilitative program offering various therapeutic techniques and tools that are used to help individual TJJD youth. The name, CoNEXTions, stems from the basic goal of the program – to prepare youth to take the NEXT step, to connect youth to healthy, law-abiding relationships with their peers, families, and communities"."CoNEXTions Program". CoNEXTions Program Information. Retrieved April 15, 2014.

Educational Programs' TJJD has year round education for incarcerated youth in each of their institutional schools. The faculty at these schools are TJJD employees. The students also participate in all state required assessments as well as the national test, Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE)"Education Information". Education Program. Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Retrieved April 2014. The school district of the TJJD is the Lone Star School District. The following correspond with each unit: Central: McLennan County North: Gainesville South: Evins Regional Southeast: Giddings State School West: Ron Jackson

Workforce Development Program A program to help prepare the youth to successfully enter the workforce and maintain employment."Workforce Program Information. Workforce Development Programs. Retrieved April 2014.

PAWS (Pairing Achievement With Success) In the PAWS program, TJJD youth are assigned a canine for a minimum of 12 weeks. The TJJD youth are completely responsible at all times for their dog. At the end of the 12-week program, there is an Adoption Day held where the youth helps show the dog and its new tricks to new owners looking to adopt a pet."Pairing Achievement With Success. Programs. Retrieved April 2014.

Demographics

As of 2016, of the children under TJJD jurisdiction, including confinement in secure facilities, youth parole, contract facilities, and halfway houses, 3,925 (93.68%) were U.S. citizens and 224 (5.35%) were Mexican citizens. Other countries include Australia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Iraq, Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Venezuela, and Vietnam."TJJD Population with Known Citizenship." Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Retrieved on January 3, 2016.

Funding

TJJD gets its funding from the Texas Legislature in grant form. TJJD got its funds through the State Financial Assistance Contract that encompasses grants to each of the 164 local juvenile probation departments. Most of the funding comes from the local county government. The TJJD grants goes toward operating juvenile probation departments, juvenile detention and correctional facilities and providing basic and special services to children in the juvenile probation system. According to the TJJD's State of Juvenile Probation Activity in Texas report for calendar year 2024, county commissioners' courts contributed approximately 73% of total juvenile probation funding in fiscal year 2024, while state funds channeled primarily through TJJD accounted for the remaining 27%. In fiscal year, 2014: