MART, Texas – Visitors to the McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility (Mart) campus will be greeted in a more welcoming gatehouse lobby in an effort to make the facility more family friendly. In addition to new and more soothing paint, more comfortable chairs and couches have been provided.
The family visitation area was also repainted and a reading center and interactive play area were created for younger children to play in and youth who have children here could sit with their child and read them a book. More than 200 books were ordered – 100 in English and 100 in Spanish.
Staff have been supportive of this renewed push toward family engagement and a family friendly environments. Staff appreciate the new color schemes and welcoming environment and parents have commented how much easier is it to visit their kids in a more family friendly environment rather than a correctional environment.