I would say God did. As a child I was raised in a very dysfunctional family. My siblings and I were involved at one point the Child Welfare Department, leading to us being placed in a children’s home in Arkansas for a period of time. Eventually my mother was able to get her life together to get us all back, but there was still continued dysfunction.
When I was in high school, I wanted to be a social worker to help children. However, I did not go that direction. Instead, I enlisted in the U. S. Army for several years and came home, married, and had a family. It was not until my youngest daughter was in high school, and I was working at Wharton County Junior College that I started going to college on the Hazelwood Act, which was available to people who have served in the military and entered and exited the military with Texas as its home of record. It was with this grant paying for my tuition that I was able to work towards a degree.
Initially, I thought I wanted to be a teacher. However, while working on my degree, I gravitated towards communications and criminal justice classes. After I received my degree from the University of Houston Downtown, I went to work at the Wharton County District Attorney’s office. During the two years that I was there, I pursued and earned an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Paralegal Studies. In 2009, I went to work for Adult Probation where I was the High Risk Caseload Officer. During my two-and-a-half year tenure at Adult Probation, I aided in the facilitation and implementation of programming and supervision that was client-centered, but also focused on having "no more victims." In my supervision, I was especially sensitive to youthful offenders and those who had been victims of violent crime. When the Chief Juvenile Probation Officer position became vacant, I felt called to apply for the position, and that it was where I was supposed to be. After submitting my application, I read everything I could find on juvenile justice topics, including much literature on evidence-based practices. I have been here for four and a half years. I felt that there was a plan for me to be here, so I am now able to work with juveniles and their families and provide for some of their needs in the gaps that exist within the juvenile justice system. I went to work of Wharton County Juvenile Probation November 1, 2011, and TJJD was born in December.
So when I say that God led me to the Juvenile field it’s because I feel that He truly did, giving me the opportunity to work with youth and their families, whose needs I feel I can personally relate. So many of our juveniles have unseen needs such as sexual abuse, mental and physical abuse, mental health needs and parents who just do not know how to parent. It is not always about the offense; it’s what led up to the offense.
What types of facilities do you operate?
Our department does not have a detention facility. Our Department consists of three officers, one administrative assistant and me.
What programs do you feel have proven most successful?
My proudest accomplishment has been working around the transportation issues by finding locations that we can have the provider come to the juveniles and their families. Our department has been able to bring services to the juveniles and their families in the town where they live by working with the local library for space. This has helped us get juveniles and their families to the services helping eliminate the transportation issues we have had in the past. We have been able to contract services and bring them to our county from Fort Bend County and Harris County and to offer in home family therapy, aggression replacement training, individual therapy and counseling. One of our local licensed professional counselors was a crisis center counselor, and she helps our youth and parents deal with different types of abuse as well as anger issues. We have learned that one service does not serve all. Each family and each child is an individual with individual needs.
What do you see as the biggest challenges for juvenile justice in Texas?
The biggest challenge is our mindset and the mindset of others. While we may have fewer juvenile referrals, the ones we are getting are much more intense. The mental health issues, the number of girls and boys who have been sexually assaulted and are victims and who are also probationers has risen dramatically. They need more services than we can afford, so we work with different organizations to provide these services. The juvenile we are seeing today has higher needs than we have seen in the past. Sometimes we see so many needs, it is hard to prioritize and know where to start.
This is where a validated assessment comes in to help us make that determination. As we have learned, it has to be used properly for it to be applied with any success. My department uses the Noble assessment, and it has been effective for us. I was able to go to an American Probation and Parole Association national training last summer and hear how other states treat juvenile offenders and what they are doing to help and deter them from state facilities. They all talked about using validated assessments, and they appear to be more about assessments and about rehabilitation for juveniles to help with recidivism.
Are there any changes that you are considering in your county?
We are a small county and we, like everyone else, have gotten budget cuts the last 4 years. Due to these budget cuts, we look to start using in- house, officer-driven programming workbooks and journals. The families and the juvenile will work together at home. Our officers will then go over the material with them to discuss the positive and negative issues. This not only reinforces the materials learned, but facilitates positive interaction between the juvenile and the family and the juvenile and the officer. One of our officers and I are trained to teach NCTI classes if the need arises to teach classes.
What do you want others to know about your department?
My department has dedicated officers who are sometimes the only stable influence in the lives of our juveniles and their families. They are willing to work with each family and help give them the hope they need to move forward in a positive manner. Each juvenile is important to us and our mission is to provide for the care, the protection, and wholesome moral, mental and physical development of children coming within its jurisdiction.
When you are not working, how do you spend your time?
I have been blessed with three beautiful grandchildren who I keep as often as I can; thankfully, they live close by so I see them quite often. I am very involved in my church where I serve as Vice-President on our Christian preschool board. I enjoy working at my church helping wherever I am needed. I am part of the community Manna Meals program where we feed the hungry of body and soul twice a week. I serve on the Women’s Crisis Center Board of Directors as Secretary, and I work in the community raising awareness of abused women and children in our county.
What is the best part of your job?
The opportunities to bring hope to the juveniles and their families that we work with, so that they can break the generational cycle that some of them are in to become a successful member of our community. We always enjoy getting graduation cards, seeing our juveniles do well in sports and academically or having them come up and talk to us at Wal-Mart to tell us how well they are doing. The best part is knowing you touched their lives in some way.
What advice would you give to a young new juvenile justice professional?
This is not just a job; this is a calling. You have to have a real interest in wanting to work with juveniles and their families. Change is something that is always happening in the juvenile world, and you have to be willing to learn and to accept change. Though we may not see success immediately with our juveniles, you must remember that you have planted a seed that you can only hope will take root. Hopefully, you will be the one who can give them the hope that they need to become successful. It is one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have.
PHOTO: Billie Jean Bram