TJJD News & Announcements

The annual National Day of Prayer on May 3 prompted multiple gatherings across TJJD campuses. McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility held a prayer breakfast with several speakers and a bounty of food delivered by volunteers. Eligible youth attended, bowing their heads in prayer along with Mart Chaplain Larrye Weaver and other pastoral leaders who visited and spoke. At the Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Facility, a large group of volunteers arrived to lead a service in the chapel and also provide one-on-one prayer with youth who asked to participate in this very personal moment. Other secure facilities received volunteers and mentors, who organized events and prayed with youth. At Giddings State School, more than a dozen youth participated in a balloon release outside the chapel. At the Gainesville State School, an Epiphany group visited with youth. PHOTO: Youth at the Giddings State School release balloons.

GIDDINGS, Texas -- The term victim can suggest helplessness, but victims of crimes turned that into empowerment during a commemoration of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week April 7-13 at the Giddings State School. Members of the Victim Impact Panel, a group of volunteers from across Texas who use their st ories to help others understand the lasting impact victims sustain, visited the school and talked with the youth in custody. The volunteers held discussions and question-and-answer sessions with the young men in their dorms, raising awareness about how victims suffer, long after a crime has occurred. The event kicked off with a candle light vigil service that concluded with a balloon release. “Overall, Giddings State School has made a commitment to highlight the strength of the victim and provide support because the victim does matter,” said Jorge Gonzalez, facility superintendent.

This year’s winners of the Innovation Grants include practical new programs that will help TJJD youth learn how to make simple house repairs, maintain cars and improve their physical fitness and emotional well-being. The grants, which total $10,000, are made possible by the State Volunteer Resource Council for Texas Youth. Judges report they had a difficult task winnowing the many deserving proposals to the eight winning projects announced last week. Here are the winners: HOME REPAIR MADE EASY (WILLOUGHBY HALFWAY HOUSE) Grant Award: $700 In this project, community volunteers will teach the youth at the halfway house how to make simple home repairs through hands-on learning. They will focus on repairing floors, drywall and painting, and landscaping, and youth will complete a 12-week course. Grant funds will be used to purchase supplies, equipment and tools for the repair projects. CAR SMART (MCFADDEN RANCH) Grant Award: $500 Community volunteers will te...

GIDDINGS, Texas – Just as TJJD has been increasing exercise time for youth, the PAWS program is working to raise the duration of exercise and play outings for the PAWS dogs in residence at TJJD facilities. To that end, PAWS is providing more toys and longer lines (exercise leashes) to the youth who work with the dogs. The longer lines will allow greater running distances for the dogs, enabling the youth to give them a workout on the wide grassy areas available on campus. These runs will supplement the dogs’ regular play times within the PAWS fenced areas. The dogs will benefit, and so with the youth who take them for a jog. Everyone wins! And after the work out, the youth trainers and their canine charges can relax in the spring sun. PAWS operates at three TJJD secure facilities – Gainesville State School, Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex and the Giddings State School, where these photos were taken. (If you are interested in adopting a PAWS Dog, pleas...

If you are a graduate of the Capital Offender or Violent Offender group programs, you are invited to a reunion at the Giddings State School on April 7, 2018, 1:30-4:30 pm We hope you will share your successes and challenges with youth currently enrolled in COG and VOG. Please call 979-542-4571 or contact Kathryn.Hallmark@tjjd.texas.gov to register. No money is needed. There will be refreshments (i.e., food!). (If you’re on parole, please request permission to attend. Show your parole officer this announcement. Sorry, family are not invited. Bring your ID, follow dress code and expect search procedures.)

GIDDINGS, Texas – “Fill the Gap” was the theme for Giddings State School’s second Bill Glass Behind the Walls event held on Feb. 9. For the opening act, a two-man dance group named M.A.D.N.E.S.S. entertained the students. The group’s quirky humor and inspiring stories of finding faith drew the youth’s full attention. The group wrapped up with a heartfelt rap about God, faith, and staying strong on their paths. The keynote presenter was Keith Davis, ex-NFL defensive back for the New York Giants who also played with USC in two Rose Bowl championships. Davis, who lives in Dallas, used stories from his own childhood and from playing football to teach youth about faith and finding God. Davis expertly used the reference “fill the gap,” which is frequently used in football for defensive plays, to teach youth that they have to fill their own gap and they should do so by believing and trusting that God will help them find their way. Davis also wowed the audience with feats of strength inc...

TJJD has just launched a new FB page to promote our Pairing Achievement With Service (PAWS) program and to find families to adopt trained dogs. Please like the page and share it with your friends! PAWS at TJJD PAWS pairs TJJD youth with shelter dogs and service dog candidates. Qualified boys and girls age 15-18 are responsible for providing daily care, training, and companionship to their dogs. The dogs live with their human trainers for a minimum of 12 weeks while they while... they increase their adoptability by training them for the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Certification, a test designed to ensure basic good manners, while the youth gain skills such as relationship-building, patience, communication, perseverence, teamwork, and how to set and achieve goals to help them as they prepare to reintegrate into society. Youth who are interested in the PAWS program must apply and meet strict behavior criteria, while the dogs are fostered from local animal shelter partners after being ...

GIDDINGS, Texas – Youth at the Giddings State School decorated their dorms for Christmas during their holiday break from classes. Here are photos of the amazing decor drawn, assembled and arranged by the youths from Dorm 8B and Dorm 3B.

GIDDINGS, Texas – Incentives have exploded at Giddings State School and the events just keep coming. The PBIS incentive team at Giddings State School have taken incentive programs to new heights and the youth have enjoyed a summer packed with fun. Events included a field day in which students were able to play water games and enjoy healthy snacks, a water kickball game complete with slip-n-slides and inflatable pools, and even the opportunity to ride newly purchased bicycles around campus. Along with these great opportunities, the PBIS incentive team renovated a dorm specifically for incentive use. With a boardwalk theme, bright colors, games, and relaxation stations, youth meeting criteria are able to spend leisure time with friends enjoying their day. In addition, even more is on the way. With a new dorm of the month program, students will be allowed access to themed Lego sets such as the NASA Apollo Saturn V spaceship or the Silent Mary pirate ship to build at their dorm.

GIDDINGS, Texas – On July 22, Giddings State School welcomed the Bill Glass Ministry team with the Behind the Walls event. The ministry event consisted of Behind the Walls team members who won the youth over with their inspiring life stories and extra special props. Speakers included a football player who is currently in the running to be a walk-on for the Green Bay Packers showing amazing strength and a racecar from the film Talladega Night s. Students saw the Talladega Nights racecar perform "burnouts" in front of the gym. The ministry team shared their stories of overcoming adversity through their own personal stories of struggle and finding faith. Their personal stories inspired both youth and staff alike and provided a beacon of hope and optimism for the future of our youth.

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...

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 ...

GIDDINGS, Texas – On March 31, 2017, Giddings State School welcomed friends, family, and volunteers to a graduation ceremony where 31 students received their GEDs and three students were awarded their high school diplomas. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department’s Lone Star High School Southeast is a fully accredited high school where students work to earn their GED or diplomas. After graduation, they have the opportunity to earn certification in various vocations or earn college credits. Giddings State School offers certifications in fields like automotive technologies, welding, and general construction and works with outside instructors to provide OSHA and CPS certifications. During their stay at TJJD, youth can earn college credits through Navarro College and apply for scholarships to help with their transition after they return home. For more information or to inquire about how you can help, please call Anita Schwartz, Community Relations Coordinator for Giddings State School a...

GIDDINGS, Texas – Giddings State School hosted its 2017 Victim Impact Panel (VIP) on Sunday, April 1st and Monday, April 2nd. The highly emotional gathering featured several crime victims and their families meeting with youth and staff at the facility. The event began with snacks and fellowship shared between VIP members, the Giddings youth student council, and Giddings State School staff. Aside from the many smiles shared between attendees, a wonderful program was held outdoors at the flagpole, which highlighted the true essence of the event. Giddings Superintendent Jorge Gonzalez declared April 2-9 Victim Impact Week and members of the student council shared their favorite quotes of healing and forgiveness. The event wrapped up with a balloon release in which youth, staff, and volunteers alike wrote messages of love, remembrance, and healing on their balloons in hopes of bringing a small measure of comfort to themselves and those around them. Monday was a day of sharing as VI...

Parole Officer Ricardo Leal is retiring in October 2017 after 35 years of service to the state and the juvenile justice field. He began his career with the former Texas Youth Commission in 1983, serving as a youth activity supervisor at the Giddings State School, Tamayo Halfway House and Beto Halfway House. In 1994, Ricardo made the change to become a parole officer, a position he has held for the past 24 years. Ricardo said many of his best memories are meeting young men and women who he once supervised that are now living productive lives in the community. "I’ve had 35- to 45-year-old men and women approach me in the community, introducing me to their families and sharing their life stories," he said. "After those conversations, they’ll ask if I recognize them. Some of them are now in the medical, educational or law enforcement fields." Ricardo said some of the biggest changes he’s seen during his career revolve around technology and the ability to...

Every six weeks, all TJJD education departments participate in a Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) incentive program, which addresses the youth’s individual ability to reach a set of identified expectations and behavior goals. This helps facilitate and shape behavior while building and reinforcing coping skills through targeted skill development. Overall, this offers the students directed practice, staff opportunity for modeling of pro-social skills, and positive reinforcement of targeted progress. The goal is to help youth reduce negative behavior while developing corresponding positive behaviors to build longterm, internalized changes in behavior. Below is a description of the PBIS Incentive Day held agency-wide on September 16, 2016. Gainesville: PBIS is going strong at the Gainesville State School. The last incentive was the largest yet with 68 students participating. The teachers came in early and prepared a home cooked breakfast for the students that included scra...