TJJD News & Announcements

GIDDINGS, Texas – Staff and students welcomed youth ministry group, Mirror Image, to Giddings State School in July. Those in attendance were blessed to share in their worship and praise and to receive their message of encouragement. The One Step Away tour is a traveling choir organized by the First Baptist Church of Spartanburg, South Carolina, and includes youth in grades 9 through 12. They perform and travel through several states during the summer months spreading their message of faith, hope, and God’s love. This year’s tour brought them through Texas and included stops in San Antonio, Austin, and other TJJD facilities. Giddings State School youth sang along to "Man in the Mirror" and listened to the powerful message in the lyrics of every song the group performed. Mirror Image members shared with Giddings youth their own personal struggles through testimonials on cardboard signs that, when reversed, showed how God’s love helped them overcome. The One Step Away t...

AUSTIN, Texas – The National Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Neglected or Delinquent Children and Youth (NDTAC), in conjunction with the American Institute for Research, just released The Mentoring Toolkit 2.0: Resources for Developing Programs for Incarcerated Youth, and it features TJJD’s Mentoring Program. NDTAC serves as a national resource center to provide direct assistance to states, schools, communities, and parents seeking information on the education of children and youth who are considered neglected, delinquent, or at-risk. Tammy Holland, TJJD’s manager of community, family, and chaplaincy programs, helped launch the Toolkit during a nationwide webinar for juvenile justice officials on August 31, entitled “Designing Effective Mentoring Programs for Neglected, Delinquent, and Incarcerated Youth.” Mentoring can provide the opportunity for at-risk youth and youthful offenders, who often have limited contact with positive adult role models, to form and susta...

AUSTIN, Texas – The last newsletter we issued was around the time of Hurricane Harvey. For many, it is has been a long two months. I am particularly impressed with the preparedness of each of the affected counties. TJJD made contact with them and mostly heard, “We’ve got this!” Well done. One of my favorite things about being part of the Texas juvenile justice system is the support each corner of the system provides to the remainder. Harris, Victoria, Galveston and Hardin Counties each evacuated some of their kids. I know many counties offered bed space, transportation help, and other support. I am proud of our system and how we pull together as a team, especially when a critical series of events demands no less. At TJJD, we sheltered in place. Evins Regional Juvenile Center was well prepared but enjoyed blue skies. Giddings State School received a lot of rain, some of which ended up in the gymnasium due to a damaged roof. Our Houston District Office was closed for just over a week...

Bill Glass Ministries, “Behind the Walls,” held a Day of Champions on July 15, 2017, at 12 juvenile correction facilities in North Texas, ten county facilities and two state halfway houses – McFadden Ranch and Willoughby House. The evangelism event allowed “platform speakers” and “teammates” to address youth at the facilities with a message of hope and forgiveness. The platform speakers were especially inspiring and motivational. NASCAR Driver William Blakely and evangelist Sandy Boyd spoke at McFadden Ranch, and USC football star and current NFL free agent Dominic Miller and “I Am Second” representative Karen Green spoke at Willoughby House. The Men’s Biker Bible Study and the Women of Valor from the First General Baptist Church of Irving were the teammates at McFadden Ranch. In addition to their message, they shared a pizza lunch with all of the youth. Blakely and the Bikers roared into McFadden Ranch early Saturday morning with motors revving and burning rubber, as they put on...

AUSTIN, Texas – TJJD would like to recognize the following employees who have received a tenure award since June 2017. On behalf of the agency, we extend our sincerest gratitude and appreciation for their dedication and service to the State of Texas. June 2017 FIVE YEARS OF SERVICE Vanessa Williams, Giddings Darrell Logan, Jr., McLennan Carmen Urbina, Evins Maricela Trevino, McLennan Pete Calvert, Giddings Keith Williams, Ron Jackson Jeanette Krenek, Gainesville Veronica Barrera, Evins Gregory Winn, McFadden Ranch Tasharra Norwood, Gainesville Sharon Russell, Giddings Luther Taliaferro, Austin - Education Alfonso Tamez, Jr., Evins TEN YEARS OF SERVICE Eric Herring, Austin - Probation & Community Services Christina Huddleston, Ron Jackson Larry Shupe, Giddings Sara Wakefield, Ron Jackson Sergio Avila, Jr., Evins Martha Garcia, Evins Javier Rosales, Evins Linda McDonald, Ron Jackson Michael Meyer, Austin - Financial Services Brandi Cain, Austin - Offic...

AUSTIN, Texas – TJJD will be implementing a series of new courses on September 1 designed to assist staff with additional tools to aid in the successful performance of their jobs. The Juvenile Justice Training Academy (JJTA) will provide the following courses to all new hire staff as well as tenured staff: Understanding Professional Liability; Cultural Equity; Gender and Sexuality; Engaging Families in the Juvenile Justice System; and IT Security Awareness Training. In addition, a new curriculum on Suicide Prevention was developed for tenured staff that will be included in annual training. Understanding Professional Liability was developed by the JJTA to establish a foundational understanding of TJJD job-related legal liabilities, consequences, and protections. During the course, staff will review some of the most common liabilities that may cause legal issues for staff; look at the criminal, civil, and administrative consequences staff face when they do not follow law and policy; an...

AUSTIN, Texas – The Supporting Staff Workgroup, a subgroup of the Youth in Custody Practice Model (YICPM)*, conducted an assessment to identify ways that agency leadership may better support the needs of staff. TJJD seeks to recognize staff as the agency’s most valuable resource, establish systems of support for mental and physical wellness, and develop a highly-qualified workforce to ensure employees are fully prepared to meet the challenges of their positions through training, building safe and supportive environments and avenues for responsive communication. This was this first quarterly survey sent to staff. Some of the outcomes of the survey are noted in the infographic on the following page. The Supporting Staff Workgroup has used information contained in the survey results to strategically plan how TJJD can enhance systems of support for staff and the workgroup anticipates providing staff with a regular update on measures taken as a result of these results. The first survey ...

AUSTIN, Texas – TJJD recently implemented efforts to assist new hires with receiving additional on-the-job training (OJT) and allowing juvenile correctional officers (JCO) with an opportunity to complete a satisfaction survey. Within 180 days after a JCO is approved for sole supervision, assigned JCO supervisors must observe and coach the employee through the a plethora of training modules to ensure the demonstration of competency, proficiency, and performance. State Programs and Facilities and the Juvenile Justice Training Academy solicited input from each facility on targeted training that was an identified need based on operations. Subsequently each facility has an individualized supplemental OJT plan that will be updated annually. In addition to the JCO supplemental OJT, the JCO supervisor must provide an opportunity for feedback and input utilizing the New Hire Check-In and Assessment Questionnaire. This was a need determined from the Youth in Custody Practice Model assessments ...

By Doug Vance, PhD, Advisory Council Chair AUSTIN, Texas – Introduction: Effective June 1, 2016, the TJJD Advisory Council’s Standards Committee recommended significant and important philosophical, as well as practical, revisions to the use of seclusion in the Texas juvenile probation system that were adopted by the Texas Juvenile Justice Board. As such, I thought it might be of keen interest to readers if I provided my editorial of this very momentous event in the history of Texas juvenile justice. Seclusion, the placement of a resident alone in an area from which egress is prevented, has long been a common and effective practice used in both juvenile and adult correctional facilities in order to help maintain essential levels of safety, security, and order. For many years, Texas juvenile detention centers have routinely utilized this practice. Prior to June 1, 2016, disciplinary seclusion served a dual purpose: a teaching tool issued as a disciplinary consequence for major ru...

By Jennifer Jenson, Denton County Juvenile Probation Department Working in the juvenile justice field, most cases are the same yet all cases are different. A juvenile may not have good role models as parents, the family living situation has changed or is chaotic, one or neither parent is present, the juvenile has limited intellectual ability, or the juvenile has succumbed to alcohol and drugs or possibly gang activity. Generally, a juvenile will fall into one or all of these scenarios. For Jasmin Williams (not her real name), most of these situations applied to her juvenile case. At a very early age, Jasmin was removed from her mother and father and she was adopted by her mother’s father. The mother and father had an extensive history of drug use and criminal activity. The grandfather provided for both Jasmin and her older brother. Some extended family on Jasmin’s mother’s side provided support as well. The grandfather, brother, and Jasmin found their way to Denton, Texas from Wisc...

EL PASO, Texas – El Paso County Juvenile Probation Department Senior Officer Jimmy Olivas and his 14-year-old daughter were recently faced with a situation that called for quick thinking. On June 30, they were on I-10 East following behind an SUV that appeared to be exiting the freeway, but then the driver changed her mind at the last minute. The SUV hit the exit barriers, which caused the vehicle to flip over and as a result, two small children were ejected. Before he could bring his own car to a complete stop, Olivas’ daughter was out of the car, running across morning traffic to gather up one of the children from the freeway. This little girl, who was not more than four or five years old, was severely injured and would not have been able to move on her own. The second child, who had been thrown to the middle of the freeway, stood up dazed and confused, directly in the path of a semi-truck. Miraculously, at the last second, the child took a small step to the side and avoided be...