Skip to main content

TJJD Advisory Council – A Review and Analysis

By Doug Vance, PhD, Chief Probation Officer, Brazos County Juvenile Probation Department


In order to provide relevant information to readers regarding TJJD Advisory Council projects and activities, the Advisory Council has recently been afforded the prestigious opportunity of submitting a news and information article for each publication of TJJD’s newsletter Juvenile Justice Today. For this initial installment, I thought it might be of interest to provide readers with some basic background information regarding the establishment, purpose, and benefits of the Advisory Council.

The Texas Juvenile Justice Department’s Advisory Council on Juvenile Services is a legislatively mandated body that reports directly to the TJJD Board of Directors. Advisory Council membership consists of the following appointments:
  • TJJD Executive Director
  • TJJD Director of Probation Services
  • Executive Commissioner of Health and Human Services
  • One County Commissioner
  • Two Juvenile Court Judges
  • Seven Chief Juvenile Probation Officers.


Chief Juvenile Probation appointees are determined by a collaborative process involving each of the seven juvenile probation chief associations nominating member candidates for appointment consideration. The TJJD Board of Directors then acts upon those nominations.


Legislatively mandated duties of the Advisory Council consist of:
  • Determining the needs and problems of county juvenile boards and probation departments.
  • Conducting long-range strategic planning.
  • Reviewing and proposing revisions to existing or newly proposed standards affecting juvenile probation programs, services, or facilities.
  • Analyzing the potential cost impact on juvenile probation departments of new standards proposed by the board.
  • Advising the board on any other matter on the request of the board.

Since its 2012 inception, the Advisory Council has been very active in discussions and related work pertaining to a variety of important juvenile justice matters that include standards of care, funding formula revision, risk/need assessment, and mental health funding to name a few. In this vain, rather than work in a vacuum, the Advisory Council has deemed it profitable to work closely with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and the many Juvenile Probation Departments in Texas in order to successfully create enduring partnerships with a multitude of individual practitioners and strategic organizations that include the Texas Probation Association, the Juvenile Justice Association of Texas, the Texas Juvenile Detention Association, as well as various Child Advocacy Organizations and Child Service Agencies.

Without an Advisory Council, Juvenile Probation Departments and Child Service Agencies would be left with limited means available for systemic and formalized representation in the major decision-making processes occurring at the State level that have direct impact upon juvenile probation and the multitude of children and families served throughout the system. In this sense, the Advisory Council is that formally recognized vehicle that enables meaningful participation by designated stakeholders in shaping the scope and course Texas Juvenile Justice.

The Advisory Council, by its very design, provides that indispensable bridge between Juvenile Probation, Child Service Agencies, and the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, so that together, and in unison, we can more effectively assuage the many daunting challenges of today and secure the means necessary to forge for posterities sake, a promising future, thereby ensuring that the Texas Juvenile Justice System will continue to be for generations to come, second to none.

Popular posts from this blog

McFadden Sends Youth Home with Backpack of 'Hope'

By Y. Denise Caldwell Community Resource Coordinator, Northern District Parole Office FLOWER MOUND, Texas - Larry Bossaler, McFadden volunteer  McFadden Ranch Volunteer Larry Bossaler enjoys his assignment: Making sure that every youth who leaves the McFadden halfway house knows that people are praying for him and wishing him the best in his future. He is the man who brings them their “Good-Bye” backpack.    When he delivers the backpacks, he makes sure to do three things – visit with the youth, show the contents of the backpack (because staff put them in the lockers until the youth leaves),   and lastly close the visit with a heartfelt prayer. The youth enjoy and appreciate the backpack, the visit and the prayer. Many are a little anxious and scared to leave but knowing that the McFadden volunteers care enough to send them off in this special way, helps them feel a bit less worried. “I always bring an extra backpack,” Larry said. ...

IN MEMORY AND APPRECIATION: Trayce Haynes Alexander

Trayce Haynes Alexander, of Cat Spring, Texas passed away in April.  She was a JCO IV at the Giddings State School and began her employment with the Texas Youth Commission on January 5, 2009, as a JCO III.  She was promoted to a JCO IV on April 1, 2010.  Trayce was a hardworking, loyal and dedicated staff member and friend.  Her number one priority was the youth in her dorm and she would drive one hour and forty minutes everyday (even in ill health) to try to make a difference in the lives of the youth she worked with. She was well respected by both staff and youth due to her extraordinary work ethic.  The boys could always depend on her to hold them accountable. She is survived by her husband Geoff Alexander and two daughters, Kristyn and Robyn Alexander. Trayce was born on September 3, 1952.  She earned a BS from Southwest Texas State University in Law Enforcement.

Canyon Lake Evening Reporting Center

When Comal County Juvenile Probation Chief Kris Johnson joined the department in March 2011, he brought with him a long-term vision to open an Evening Reporting Center (ERC) in the county.  ERCs, which require youth offenders to report to specified locations during evening hours for programming, skills building and community service, were first used in Chicago, where juvenile justice advocates needed after school programs to keep their higher risk kids from getting involved in the gang scene.  They also serve as an alternative to detention pending a youth’s hearings.  ERCs have become common detention alternatives in many communities throughout the United States and are based on research and best practices recognized by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Johnson believed implementing an ERC in Comal County would reduce juvenile crime by providing supervision during the hours crime is most likely to occur.  Additionally, it could significantly reduce the cost of deten...