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TJJD Administrators Named Center for Juvenile Justice Reform Fellows

Seven Texas Juvenile Justice Department administrators were recently selected as Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) Fellows by the Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy in Washington, D.C.  The eight are TJJD Board Member and 386th District Juvenile Court Judge Laura Parker, Director of Secure Facility Operations Thomas Adamski, Chief of Staff Chelsea Buchholtz, Director of Treatment Services Madeleine Byrne, General Counsel Jill Mata, Director of Youth Placement and Program Development Rebecca Walters, and Senior Director of Probation and Community Services James Williams.

Members of the TJJD team attended the Youth in Custody Certificate Program hosted by the CJJR in July 2015 and were admitted to the CJJR Fellows Network in October 2015.  While in Washington, D.C., the team presented its proposed “Capstone Project.”  This project, which CJJR approved, seeks to improve the flexibility of youth scheduling and improve treatment services for youth in custody.

“This Capstone Project aims to improve services for youth involved in the juvenile justice system,” said Shay Bilchik, Director of CJJR. “Perhaps most importantly, the project has the potential to provide individualized services for youth with high level of treatment needs while in custody, thereby providing for improved public safety.”

The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, located at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, advances a balanced, multi-systems approach to reducing juvenile delinquency that promotes positive child and youth development, while also holding youth accountable.  The Center works to focus the nation's juvenile justice and related systems of care on the key principles embodied in an evidence-based juvenile justice reform agenda, utilizing a multi-systems approach.

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