SPOTLIGHT: Joe Barton, Chief Juvenile Probation Officer, Randall County Juvenile Probation/Youth Center of the High Plains
My path to juvenile justice truly began when I was only 13 years old. That was the beginning of my transition into the Texas Foster Care system, which officially occurred at the age of 14. That experience instilled in me a deep desire to raise awareness and catalyze positive change for children and families. Of course, at that time, I did not know how I would be a part of creating that awareness and change; only that I had a gut-deep commitment to do so.
That desire eventually led me to pursue a career in clinical mental health counseling. I earned a BA and MA in Psychology and am currently completing my doctoral dissertation, which is the last requirement toward my Ph.D. in psychology, which I hope to have conferred in 2016. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Board-Approved Supervisor. Before working for Randall County, I spent several years working in clinical mental health counseling settings, including owning my own counseling practice for four years in Amarillo. Part of my clinical practice included providing counseling services to adolescents, both on and off of juvenile probation.
In 2013 the Randall County Juvenile Probation department was seeking to fill a new Director of Behavioral Health position, and I was selected. In that position I had the unique and distinct honor of learning from my friend and mentor: Jane Anderson King. Chief King had been the Chief JPO in Randall County for over 30 years and she and I worked extremely well together. I respected Jane’s unapologetic passion and drive to serve children and their families and was refreshed to see the tenets of Cognitive and Behavioral treatments being implemented with such high fidelity within the Youth Center of the High Plains. In short: I found a home in Randall County.
In 2015, Chief King announced her retirement. I applied for the Chief JPO position and was officially appointed by my local juvenile board, effective October 1st of 2015.
What types of facilities do you operate?
In partnership with our sister county, Potter, we operate both pre- and postadjudication secure programs in our facility. Our flagship post-adjudication secure residential program is known as the Constructive Living Unit, or “CLU”. This is an “earn-your-way-out” program that is built upon the core principles of Rational Behavior Training (RBT); individual responsibility; and positive reinforcement strategies within a token economy system. However, what really sets CLU apart is our dedicated staff. They forge relationships with our kiddos that are built upon trust, consistency, and dignity. Our staff truly honors the unique inherent value and intrinsic worth of each and every child we have the honor to serve in our facility. Let me tell you, this is difficult work! Yet, our amazing staff carries it out in a way that I find humbling. To be a part of their team is something I wake up excited about each day.
We have also just started a shortterm, time-base (90-day) tract within our secure residential programs. The Progressive Intervention Unit offers basic behavioral and life skills to those youth better suited for a short-term secure setting who are not necessarily in need of more intensive therapeutic interventions.
Additionally, we operate a community intensive drug education program. The Potter Randall Intensive Drug Education (PRIDE) program is an outpatient intensive drug educational and support program, which utilizes the evidencedbased Matrix Model for Teens curriculum. Our team of LCDC’s does an excellent job helping juveniles and their families learn to manage and overcome substance abuse challenges within an atmosphere of dignity, positivity, and accountability. PRIDE is unique to our area and a valuable resource to our community.
Lastly, within our community Probation department, we offer the evidencedbased practice known as Functional Family Therapy (FFT). This is an intensive family counseling model, which focuses on helping families reduce negativity and blame, increase motivation, learn specific behavioral skills, and become self-sufficient. Our FFT team is currently completing its final year in a 3-year certification process provided by Functional Family Therapy Associates.
What programs do you feel have proven most successful?
To date, our most successful program has been the CLU. This was really the visionof Jane King and it continues to be the foundation of who we are at the Youth Center. I think the relational culture, along with positive reinforcement and good ‘ol fashioned common sense parenting practices, catalyze the growth and changes we see in the youth we serve. We are therapeutically minded, as evidenced by our team of licensed counselors, and our fidelity to Cognitive and Behavioral intervention practices. We are less interested in simply teaching children, and more interested in growing them so that they become independent learners — and teachers — themselves.
Secondly, we are finding marked success with our community FFT program. I think what I like most about this model is its core philosophy that we cannot give-up on families. We must meet families where they are and work through issues with them, even when it becomes extremely difficult. The motto we espouse with our FFT program is “If not us, then who?”.
What do you see as the biggest challenges for juvenile justice in Texas?
Easily the degradation of the family, as well as the nearly complete lack of healthy boundaries, we are experiencing currently in our society. Helping children today requires a dynamic and multifaceted biopsychosocial approach, encompassing life skills, parenting skills, improved mental health functioning, and instilling a sense of personal accountability and individual responsibility. In my opinion, issues of “right” and “wrong” have become increasingly blurred for today’s youth. We seem to be adopting, more and more, an “anything goes” mentality in our society. Human development research is clear on this point: Children and adolescents absolutely need clear and consistent boundaries. They are necessary for healthy development. Without such boundaries, children become confused, anxious, angry, and lost. As such, we are asking so much of today’s juvenile probation officers. They must be experts on juvenile law, possess excellent interpersonal and emotional boundaries, specialized communication skills, and excellent case management and social work skills. Juvenile justice truly is a unique and highly specialized profession. I remain so impressed by our team of JPOs. Their caring dedication and expert professionalism are a salient aspect of our success with children and families. Our officers juggle the demands of today’s JPO, with an air of professionalism I consider to be exceptional. They make it look easy!
Are there any changes that you are considering in your county?
Since being appointed as Chief, I have really pushed to get some of our new programs up and running. The Progressive Intervention Unit (our short-term residential tract in our post-adjudication programs) and “Unlocking Hope”, which is a K-9 program in partnership with our local Humane Society, are two changes I am quite excited about. PREA compliance and Regionalization are also important changes to which we are strategically adapting.
What do you want others to know about your department?
I think what I most want people to know is that the heart and soul core principles Chief King built our department upon are clearly and absolutely continued through me. Our mission and goals clearly highlight those tenets that are most important to us: Safety, Intrinsic Self-Worth and Value, the Capacity to Change, Prosocialism, Individual Responsibility and Accountability, and the necessity for Healthy Growth to take place within Healthy Relationships. These principles are what provide the direction and guidance of who we are and where we are going. Our staff and officers are what bring these core principles to life with the youth and families we serve. We have such a unique team of caring, accountable, and dedicated individuals serving our youth. They stay with us because they believe in what we do and who we are. Those things—our core values and mission—will not change under my watch.
When you are not working, how do you spend your time?
With my family. Being a father and husband to my wife and two children are my top priorities. There is much to do with two active kiddos. Basketball, Karate, Music, and Star Wars are majorly important in my household! I also play lead guitar at my church, as well as serve as Chairman of my church’s Staff Parish Relations Committee. For the last several years much of my time outside of work has been consumed by my doctorate coursework and writing my dissertation. I have been working toward earning my Ph.D. for 6 years now. It has been exhausting, but worth it. I have the first draft of my complete dissertation completed and hope to graduate sometime this year.
What is the best part of your job?
Being a part of a team of individuals with such high character and dedication to catalyzing positive change in others’ lives and then seeing that dedication result in concrete positive outcomes for the children and families we serve. I know that is a mouthful, but it is the truth! To put it simply: I get to see that what we do works. It’s just that simple. Watching people dare to accept help, dare to change, dare to believe that they have absolute worth—that is something pretty special.
What advice would you give to a young new juvenile justice professional?
Be open to change, but never lose sight of your core values. Don’t allow yourself to become jaded or apathetic. Believe that people can change. Be prepared to juggle multiple roles and to wear many professional “hats”. In the end, remember this: “The work we do can be difficult. Yet, it is always—yes: Always—worth it.”