TJJD News & Announcements

Saturday, October 7 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Bob Havins Fields (Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park) 12138 North Lamar Blvd. Austin, Texas 78753 Come out and enjoy this day in honor of the fantastic work you do every day in service of our youth.  Featuring: The 2 nd Annual TJJD Softball Tournament (Contact Carla Bennett-Wells at carla.bennett.wells@tjjd.texas.gov or 254-297-8273 for more info) face painting   moon jump silent auction door prizes complimentary bar-b-que plates and much more! Traveling from out of town? Take advance of a secured group rate of $119/night with the TownePlace Suites Austin North/Tech Ridge. Reservations must be made by September 29. Click here to make your reservation. TownePlace Suites Austin Nortth/Tech Ridge 12427 Tech Ridge Blvd., Austin, Texas 78753 Phone: 512-643-7445 Fax: 512-339-4203 Reservation Deadline: September 15 Start Date: October 6 End Date: October 8

DALLAS, Texas – Advisory Councils (DYRAC) A.R.T. Program for youth at Cottrell House. A.R.T. stands for Assessing Real Talent. The program is meant to teach youth how to improve their talents as well as give them resources to pull from for future use. Wachelle Williams, DYRAC Chairperson stated, “Many of the youth at Cottrell House are so talented in music, cooking, sports and many other areas. I want to make sure that they have resources and contacts to help them pursue their talents.” With that goal in mind, DYRAC applied for and received a grant from the State Volunteer Resource Council to help youth reach their potential in the A.R.T. Program. Cherika (Che) Roundtree of Strictly DFW Radio is an active member of DYRAC. She also mentors youth at Cottrell House and knows firsthand of the talent that many youth have. Che stated, “Youth have talents that need to be guided. I want to help youth that are interested in the music business.” Lavator (Ms. T) Jefferson, Artist Manager, a...

MART, Texas – On Monday, July 24, the City of Mart notified the TJJD McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility (MCSICF) that the town’s water pump station was out of service.  The Mart facility immediately began instructing staff to pick up water from the warehouse for their areas on campus. The city advised the facility’s maintenance supervisor, Jimmie Jenson, that it would take approximately six to eight hours to repair the water pump. The following day, it was clear the problem would not be resolved so easily, and 18 portable toilets and handwashing stations were delivered to the campus for staff and students to use. On Thursday morning, the facility was blessed with much needed relief. The Texas Baptist Men Disaster Relief program (TBM), a unit sponsored by the Austin Baptist Association, delivered a portable trailer equipped with four showers and five washers and dryers. The City of Riesel Water Department supplied the facility with approximately 7,500 gallons o...

MART, Texas – The McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility is hosting their 1st Annual Golf Tournament at Battle Lake Golf Course on September 16, 2017. Entry fee is $80 per person and includes green fees, cart, catered lunch and beverages. The funds raised will benefit the McLennan County Community Resource Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rehabilitating the youth in TJJD. Payment to Tanya Rosas at MCSJCF due no later than September 8. Contact Tanya at 254-297-8289 for more information.

AUSTIN, Texas – TJJD would like to recognize the following employees who have received a tenure award since March 2017. On behalf of the agency, we extend our sincerest gratitude and appreciation for their dedication and service to the State of Texas. March 2017 FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE Michael Reta, Evins Enrique Moreno, Evins Mary B. Crocket,t Gainesville Rosezetta V. Candley-Audu, Gainesville Deborah L. Brackee,n Gainesville Kristy R. Kauffman, Giddings Lucas C. Stringfellow, Giddings Arthur D. Balfour,  Giddings Chester D. Rittgers,  Giddings Calvin M. Hill, McLennan Monique J. Brown, McLennan LaTesha T. McGinnis, Schaeffer HWH TEN YEARS OF SERVICE Benjamin Ramire,z Evins Kymberli L. Parks, Giddings Marsha J. Killgore, McLennan Karen A. Conner-Vergari, McLennan Earl W. Mason, McLennan FIFTEEN YEARS OF SERVICE Gloria D. Riley, Gainesville Rosa M. Montes, Gainesville Latonji R. Brown, Giddings Francis A. Phillips, McLennan Elida P. Garcia, McLenna...

FORT WORTH, Texas – For the 65th Annual National Day of Prayer, Willoughby House’s special guest was Reverend Kathy Mack. Reverend Mack met with the youth and discussed how prayer can be essential, especially during the times that we’re living in. She gave a very interactive presentation, providing youth an opportunity to speak openly. Several youth reached out to Reverend Mack regarding areas of their lives that were troubling them and creating barriers, asking for her help to have peace within themselves. Willoughby House Superintendent Diane Eunice said, “It was such a moving presentation. One youth even stated that having National Day of Prayer should take place all year long, rather than just once a year! The youth have been dropping their prayers in the prayer box that was provided for them and Reverend Mack was able to acknowledge their prayers. Although our youth are from various religious backgrounds, they were open to learning about prayer and how it can be individualized...

AUSTIN, Texas – TJJD’s Juvenile Justice Training Academy offers Motivational Interviewing (MI) as a course for departments or regions to assist in the development of skills necessary to facilitate positive change in the thoughts and behavior of individuals. MI is a client centered, evidence based program that allows effective prosocial communication between people. This training provides a thorough introduction on how to use the program techniques to enhance communications between staff and youth and among staff. The 16-24 hour course begins with an overview of basic communication skills and principles of effective interventions. It is followed by stages of change models and the fundamental principles of MI. This interactive course was developed so participants engage in active listening with others, identify target areas for further exploration, and have the tools needed to respond in nonconfrontational ways. If staff have already been trained in MI, TJJD also offers an 8 hour MI ...

Chaplain Rachel Ellington from the Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Facility in Brownwood created a blog to share her experiences and reflections from her day to day interactions with youth at the facility. The following is an excerpt from her blog regarding the observance of National Day of Prayer, earlier this month. BROWNWOOD, Texas – None of us have the answers we want. We all crave to understand why things happen the way they do, the way we don’t want them to, the way they always have. The National Day of Prayer is a day that was set aside in 1775, before the United States was even a nation. The founding fathers knew that we didn’t have the answers, but prayer was the solution. This year, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department knew this as well. Every state school (the politically correct term for maximum security juvenile detention center) was tasked with proving that prayer still works. On May 4th, all five institutions participated in this incredible event where staff...

EL PASO, Texas – Schaeffer House youth were inspired to work with Seed For His Harvest Ministries and New Harvest Christian Academy for their Youth Global Service Day project. This academy serves as a school for children under a faith-based foundation and also serves as food distribution location held every month. Students, staff, and volunteers prepare bags of various food items and then hand them out to families who are in difficult economic situations. This location was in need of a paint job, so Schaeffer youth jumped straight to work. The youth painted rooms, and brightened up the area with various color schemes and cleaned up the area. They also assisted in the food distribution that day, carrying food items for people and preparing the bags of food. The youth’s work made a difference for the organization, for hundreds of El Paso-area families, and for all the students at the school!

EDINBURG, Texas – Since 1994, Emma Joe and Herbert Snyder have been traveling the state of Texas to juvenile and adult corrections facilities to tell their story. Their story is not one easily shared by others, but for them it has become a life journey. It’s a story of joy, sorrow, court battles, parole hearings, and their willingness to see justice and prevent such tragedies from happening to others. Throughout the years they have touched thousands of lives and made an impact on many juveniles, adult inmates, and staff alike. As part of National Crime Victims Week, they traveled a 572 mile round trip to the Evins Regional Juvenile Center (ERJC) to speak to the youth. Their true story recounts how February 7, 1992, was not a typical day for the Snyders. In their hearts they felt something was terribly wrong and how a phone call would in an instant forever change their lives. They recounted how their 30-year-old son Atch (Pronounced “H”) was last seen alive and how he was trying t...

HARLINGEN, Texas – When Tamayo House Community Services Coordinator and Human Services Specialist IV Ruben Trevino was unable to obtain a Global Youth Services Day mini-grant to feed the homeless in Harlingen, he didn’t take “no” for an answer. Ruben, who has been with TJJD for more than 20 years, approached the local Sam’s Club and was able to get $250 worth of food donated to the Local Loaves and Fishes. On April 7, Ruben and Tamayo House youth, along with six volunteers, were able to prepare, cook, and feed 365 needy people with a sandwich lunch plate and spaghetti dinner. The crew performed more than 300 hours of community service, an opportunity that never would have happened if Ruben had taken “no” for an answer. PHOTO: 365 community residents were fed because of the determination of  TJJD’s Ruben Trevino.

The following article was first published in GM Financial’s Inside GMF. Adrian Terry, AVP Process Excellence, works with teens at McFadden Ranch. ROANOKE, Texas – When Adrian Terry, AVP Process Excellence, starting mentoring at McFadden Ranch in 2015, he never imagined the impact he would make on the young men in the facility. McFadden Ranch is a community-based residential program located in Roanoke, Texas, which provides for the care and treatment of juvenile offenders. The approach to treatment at McFadden Ranch, a 48-bed facility, focuses on making lasting lifestyle changes. While at the Ranch, these young men obtain vocational and social skills training, individual and group mentoring, GED tutoring, and a variety of transitional support planning services. Youth at McFadden are referred to community service projects and can be streamlined into job placement on and off campus. The residents, ages 13-18, usually stay at McFadden Ranch for six to 18 months. “Every time I mento...