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Youth In Custody Practice Model Underway

PHOTO: (From left to right):  Giddings State School Assistant Superintendent April Hannah, Kelly Dedel, TJJD Program Supervisor Debra Blackman, Shay Bilchik (Center for Juvenile Justice Reform), Ned Loughran (Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators), and Michael Umpierre (Center for Juvenile Justice Reform).

The Youth In Custody Practice Model (YICPM) officially kicked off on May 3-4, 2016 as four nationally recognized juvenile justice experts gathered at the Giddings State School to meet with TJJD’s core project staff and tour the facility.

The YICPM consulting team was comprised of:
  • Ned Loughran (Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators);
  • Shay Bilchik (Center for Juvenile Justice Reform);
  • Michael Umpierre (Center for Juvenile Justice Reform); and
  • Kelly Dedel (One in 37 Research, Inc).
The YICPM consultants and subject matter experts will assist TJJD with 18 months of training and technical assistance to align core, research-based principles with everyday practice and achieve more positive outcomes for youth, families, staff and communities.  It is designed to help the agency achieve four primary goals:
  • Promote safe, fair and healthy environments for youth, staff and families;
  • Prepare, equip, empower and support staff to provide effective services;
  • Increase positive youth and family experiences and outcomes; and
  • Enhance community safety.
TJJD’s three pilot sites – Giddings State School, Evins Regional Juvenile Center in Edinburg, and the McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility in Mart – will be analyzed on alignment of every day practices to core, research-based principles of best practices in four key areas:
  • Case planning,
  • Transition planning,
  • Community-based services and
  • Facility-based services (e.g. education, behavioral health, behavior management, rehabilitative programming).
TJJD Executive Director David Reilly noted that the agency was one of only four nationwide selected to participate in this highly competitive program.


“I am very proud and excited that the Texas Juvenile Justice Department was selected to participate in the Youth in Custody Practice Model,” Reilly said.  “This is a timely and tremendous opportunity for us to examine and refine every aspect of our service delivery and, with the help of nationally recognized experts, integrate and implement the next layer of best practices and reforms to improve the outcomes of the youth we serve.”


The training and technical assistance will be delivered by national experts with experience in the youth in custody arena. They will support TJJD in:


Assessing current practices compared to the comprehensive, research-based blueprint presented by the YICPM;


  • Developing a customized action plan to implement desired policy and practice improvements and achieve measurable objectives;
  • Training staff on the research undergirding the YICPM strategies;
  • Building and broadening a coalition of support for the system improvements through an implementation team and a key stakeholders group;
  • Creating strategies designed to achieve long term sustainability of the efforts, such as policy development, training, quality assurance and performance measurement; and
  • Measuring the effectiveness of the training and technical assistance in changing practices and achieving positive outcomes.
TJJD has already begun an analysis of service delivery gaps at its facilities.  Following the gap analysis, a strategic plan will be developed with priority areas addressed first.  Work groups and implementation teams will tackle each area, with national subject matter experts brought in for consultation and technical assistance as necessary.  Sustainability of reform efforts will be emphasized through changes in infrastructure and an emphasis on data collection and performance measurement.

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