TJJD News & Announcements

BROWNWOOD, Texas – The Brownwood Community Resource Council (CRC) raised $1,482 with a raffle it held last month on behalf of youth at the Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex.   Youth in the woodshop class participated in the fund-raising raffle by creating a beautiful picnic table. Weakley Watson Sporting Goods also provided a raffle prize, a Yeti 75 Tundra cooler at a discount price. Each member of the CRC, a group of volunteers that supports activities and projects at Ron Jackson, supported the raffle by offering tickets to the community. Lynn Humeniuk, director of the Criminal Justice Program at Howard Payne University, won the raffle and is enjoying both the picnic table and the cooler. Some may remember Humeniuk’s husband, Dan Humeniuk, who was the superintendent at Ron Jackson from 1993 to 2006. Proceeds go into a fund that supports scholarships, incentives, 4-H, choir, drama and events such as graduation receptions at the Ron Jackson fac...

Black and Hispanic youth have historically been disproportionately represented in juvenile justice systems in Texas and most states across the US. They are more likely to be committed to residential detention facilities than whites, and in many cases, end up “deeper” in the system. The reasons are complex, but what providers of services – healthcare, criminal justice, juvenile justice – are learning is that the impacts can be blunted or reversed if they are willing to dig deep to study how racial and ethnic disparities affect their practices. In 2017, Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) launched a Cultural Equity Course to help staff examine and address biases that can affect outcomes for youth of color. The course is just one part of an umbrella effort known as RED (Racial and Ethnic Disparities) that touches many aspects of operations. This three-hour interactive training helps raise awareness of the intrinsic biases that can lead to disproportionate impacts on bl...

GIDDINGS, Texas – Youthful offenders honored their mentors at an appreciation dinner at the Giddings State School in late December. About 40 youth served the mentors a barbecue dinner, then dine with the 20 or so mentors who came to the evening program.  Several youth paid tribute to the volunteers. “I appreciate mentors for coming out because they don’t have to do it,” said one young man. “This is free time for them, time out of their days and away from their families.” Said another, “Because we’re separated from family, the people who come out and talk to us become family. You find out you can trust people and people do help you even though they are strangers.   “You get closer and start knowing them and you become family,” the youth said.  “This is what mentors are to me.  They’re someone you can trust, rely on, and always look to for help.” Giddings Superintendent Jorge Gonzalez, Giddings Chaplain Frederick Horton, and Suzanne Scharle ...

Left: Lt. Johnny Thomas  receives his certificate. Right:  SIO Alex De La Garza  receives his certificate. AUSTIN, Texas – The TJJD Office of the Inspector General (OIG) said farewell to three of its employees in December, sending them off with a ceremony in the Lone Star Conference Room at Central Office. The departing employees, two of whom are retiring from decades-long state service, received framed flags and certificates commemorating their careers. Lt. Johnny Thomas retired after 23 years of state service split between TJJD and Texas Youth Commission (10-plus years) and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice . OIG Sgt. Tom Hamilton presented Thomas with a custom-made rifle that Hamilton had ordered just for his friend and fellow officer. Hamilton was uniquely positioned to procure this gift, a 35 Whelen on Mauser action rifle, for gun collector Thomas because Hamilton’s father is a gunsmith. He presented the rifle as a gift from both d...