TJJD News & Announcements

AUSTIN, Texas – TJJD welcomed juvenile justice professionals from across the state to Austin for the 11th biennial Post-Legislative Conference and Budget Workshop, held July 31-August 2, 2017, at the Omni Southpark Hotel. The TJJD Post-Legislative Conference had approximately 360 participants in attendance and provided individuals with an overview of changes made during the 85th Texas Legislative session, specifically bills impacting juvenile justice, DFPS, victims of crime, human trafficking, sex offenders, the Code Of Criminal Procedure, the Penal Code, and county government with some of the most notable changes occurring with juvenile records. In addition, audience members heard about legislative appropriations to TJJD and the overall impact of funding changes to the juvenile justice system, along with the enhancement of regionalization efforts. Representative Gene Wu provided the keynote presentation to participants as a supporter of TJJD’s mission and to the Texas juvenile jus...

AUSTIN, Texas – The Juvenile Justice Training Academy has been working diligently over the last year with the Regional Training Officers, Chapter 344 subgroup of the TJJD Advisory Council, and other statewide stakeholders to develop an automated competency exam for applicants seeking certification as a juvenile supervision officer. Anyone hired on or after September 1, 2017 as a juvenile supervision officer will be required to successfully pass the automated JSO certification exam prior to being certified by TJJD. TJJD piloted the juvenile supervision officer certification exam over a six-month period. Three different versions of exam questions were piloted, each for a two-month period. The pilot exams consisted of a total of 150 possible questions that may be used on the certification exam. During the six-month pilot, a total of 626 people took the test, equating to 58% of the total number of new JSO certification applications received from last fiscal year. The average score was 85...

AUSTIN, Texas – TJJD is pleased to announce that the Juvenile Probation Officer Certification Exam that was implemented September 1, 2016, will be moving to a TJJD-hosted platform. No changes will be made with regard to the exam itself; however, this will remove the required fee that is currently associated with taking the exam. As of September 1, 2017, no one will be required to pay a fee for taking the exam. This first year of the JPO certification exam has proven to be successful, which in the end, should lend additional credibility to the certification process. TJJD has updated the resources available for taking and proctoring the exam and they may be found on the Training Academy’s website . TJJD will soon send additional information to the designated department or facility proctors. If your department or facility has not yet assigned an individual to be an official proctor, please contact the TJJD Training Division. For more information, please contact Kristy Almager at 512.4...

GAINESVILLE, Texas – Late at night on July 21, a young man escaped from the Gainesville State School, and an exceptional team effort ensured that he was found the very next day. Employees from TJJD State Programs, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, local law enforcement, and TJJD Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigators from Gainesville, Brownwood, Mart, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin all answered the call that night. Sgt. Gabriel Medellin was contacted at approximately 2:00 a.m., on July 22. He left San Antonio for Gainesville at approximately 6:00 a.m. to meet with other investigators and begin searching for the youth. At approximately 12:25 p.m., Sgt. Medellin observed a male walking down a highway in Gainesville who matched the description of the youth. Sgt. Medellin made contact, confirmed his identity, and made the arrest without incident. He was assisted by OIG Sergeants Walker Willey (Ron Jackson) and Tom Hamilton (Mart). OIG Chief Forrest Mitchell s...

What enticed you to become a Probation Chief? My aspiration growing up was to be a private investigator, a lawyer, a stockbroker, or a therapist. I have always had the desire to help others. After being a volunteer Big Brother and then an intern at Michigan State University with the Ingham County Juvenile Probation Department, I realized that I wanted to spend my career working with troubled youth. What drives you to do a good job? Knowing that we as an agency and we as a profession have the obligation to do the best we can at creating opportunity for youth to be successful while also taking into consideration the protection of the community. The youth and family “needs” change and we have to position ourselves to be flexible enough to meet their changing needs. What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen during your career? I have seen many changes in my 34 years of employment at the Juvenile Probation Department from advances in technology to changes in philosophical ap...

GIDDINGS, Texas – On June 28, 2017, TJJD hosted a Legislative Open House at the Giddings State School. About 40 guests converged on the campus to learn more about the work of TJJD and specifically about the Youth In Custody Practice Model and how it is being woven into facility operations. Guests were able to hear from the YICPM consultants, tour the facility, visit with youth and staff, and hear about how the YICPM will affect TJJD’s approach to serving youth in state facilities. It was a unique opportunity for Capitol office legislative staff and an elected official to see what the agency does, rather than simply hearing about it. Other guests included members of the Texas Juvenile Justice Board, a juvenile judge from Williamson County, the Independent Ombudsman, and representatives from partner agencies. Executive Director, David Reilly, said, “I believe that as more people ‘come and see,’ more will understand and fully support the work we do. This is in large part because guests ...

AUSTIN, Texas – TJJD, along with other agencies, will be recognized at the upcoming TIBH Industries 10th Annual Artie Hines Awards Dinner on September 27, 2017. TJJD is ranked number seven out of all state agencies in the dollars spent on products purchased from TIBH. TIBH Industries is a non-profit corporation that markets the products and services of thousands of Texans with disabilities, linking them to meaningful career options. Their WorksWonders program helps Community Rehabilitation Programs employ over 6,000 people, making them productive taxpayers by keeping them in the workforce. The State of Texas has a set-aside program with TIBH in which state agencies can order products and services without the need for competitive bidding. TJJD made over $600,000 in purchases through TIBH between October 2015 and September 2016, a tremendous success for the agency purchasers: Dorene Corsentino, Central Office; Jackie Schmaltz, Gainesville; Brenda Medack, Giddings; Deb Baize, Mart; Sh...

HARLINGEN, Texas – On May 30, 2017, the Edna Tamayo House was visited by Becky Lee Meza, who portrayed young Selena Quintanilla in the 1997 movie Selena. Meza told her life story and shared how she pulled herself out of poverty, being a victim of bullying as a teen, and turning to drugs and away from her family to cope with these problems. Meza shared with the boys how finding a spiritual solution, helping others, and turning her back on negative influences in her life helped her change and become the successful person she is today. She was very inspirational, positive and uplifting. The boys where excited to have a star come and talk with them and were very respectful and attentive while she gave her talk.

EL PASO, Texas – After their participation in a national survey last year, the El Paso County Juvenile Probation Department’s Drug Court staff was selected to contribute to a focus group on family engagement. During that time, the case managers and probation officers were instrumental in providing feedback and input as to operations and policies. Their participation in the survey included a 28-page brief. The National Association of Drug Court Professionals and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges are now distributing that brief nationwide. Out of 157 different drug treatment courts participating from 38 different states, the El Paso County Juvenile Drug Court program was one of only two that were highlighted as having a strong commitment to family engagement as part of their design. The program was also recently featured in the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges “What’s New From the Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Information Center” newsletter....

AUSTIN, Texas – I am happy to announce Lou Serrano as our new Senior Director of Probation and Community Services. Lou has served in an interim capacity to liaise with the field since the end of February while continuing his role as Regional County Administrator. Lou was Director of Juvenile Services for Ector County for 15 years and was Chief JPO for Deaf Smith County for 11 years before joining TJJD. Lou will be headquartered here in Austin. I am particularly excited about Lou’s collaborative spirit, leadership skills, and productivity. I heard from many in the county juvenile probation field, receiving input for the selection process, and that feedback was very helpful. I owe thanks to Chiefs Homer Flores, Roger Martinez, and Edeska Barnes for sitting on the interview panel and providing county perspective to the interview process. We all recently gathered for the Post Legislative and Budget Conferences. That is a favorite of mine because it truly brings the whole system togethe...