TJJD News & Announcements

The Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter threw a “Very Merry Un-Birthday Party” on April 13 at the McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility (MCSJCF) in Mart. Forty-four youth and 111 family members attended the “Alice in Wonderland”-themed party and spent the afternoon playing party games together. Volunteers with the McLennan County Community Resource Council for Troubled Texas Youth served hotdogs, chips, cupcakes, and punch/water to the youth and their families. Families were permitted to bring an “un-birthday” present to their child during this event, in lieu of a gift for their child’s actual birthdate, which is not allowed. The gifts had to be one of four designated items - a pair of socks, a pair of house shoes, an age-appropriate book or a pair of pajamas, in black, white or gray or some combination of that. All gifts were inspected as family members entered the facility, and turned over to staff. Mary Garrity, family liaison, organized the Family...

MART, Texas – The Capstone team and youth at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department’s McLennan County facilities collected over 200 toys for the Waco Boys & Girls Club!! Ernest Akers and Debra Noles went above and beyond with their efforts to get the toy drive started, and then following through on the details to make a huge success! A special thank you to them and all who donated as well as the HR department and business services because they donated an abundant amount of toys. The executive director of the Boys & Girls club was very appreciative of the work that was put in, and most off all, for providing holiday gifts to the children in Waco. Capstone youth and staff distributed flyers around our campus and also posted them on our dorms to promote the event. They also developed a sign in sheet for donators to place their name and list how many toys they have given. To promote the toy drive, the youth also came up with the idea of making the drive a completi...

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.

MART, Texas – On Saturday, May 6, Mart Residual Treatment Center hosted their mother/son luncheon to allow the youth to celebrate Mother’s Day. Nineteen youth and 42 family members participated in the event. Families were served a holiday meal and then participated in a worship service. At the end of the event, several boys presented poems and sang songs they dedicated to their mothers. Each youth also presented his mother/guardian with a Mother’s Day card and a rose bush they could take home and plant, signifying the beauty of their relationship and growth and blossoming of their child making changes in his life. PHOTO: A Mart youth and his mother celebrating Mother’s Day.

MART, Texas – Juvenile Justice Training Academy trainer Terry Williams took a break from teaching staff in the classroom to teach CPR to youth in TJJD’s Capstone Project at McLennan County Juvenile Correctional Facility. Mr. Williams has been an employee with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department for over 33 years and sees great value in the opportunity to utilize his passion for teaching others beyond the scope of training staff. “Teaching these kids skills that could potentially save lives is another great way the agency is making a positive impact toward empowering our youth to return back to the community and help others,” says Williams. The Capstone Project is an agency wide initiative implemented at each of the five secure facility locations to assist youth with skills necessary to successfully transition back to the community and achieve long-term positive outcomes. The program targets leadership, social, life and job skill development based on the youth’s specific risk factor...

MART, Texas – Visitors to the McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility (Mart) campus will be greeted in a more welcoming gatehouse lobby in an effort to make the facility more family friendly. In addition to new and more soothing paint, more comfortable chairs and couches have been provided. The family visitation area was also repainted and a reading center and interactive play area were created for younger children to play in and youth who have children here could sit with their child and read them a book. More than 200 books were ordered – 100 in English and 100 in Spanish. Staff have been supportive of this renewed push toward family engagement and a family friendly environments. Staff appreciate the new color schemes and welcoming environment and parents have commented how much easier is it to visit their kids in a more family friendly environment rather than a correctional environment.

On Friday, July 8th, the staff of the McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility in Mart were honored for their role in helping the facility to achieve Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) compliance. The on-site portion of the PREA Audit was conducted in January 2016 and the facility received the final reports for official PREA compliance in May 2016. Not only was 100 percent compliance achieved but the campus actually exceeded standards in five areas. This was a true accomplishment because no other facility has received five "exceeds" during this entire first round of PREA audits within the agency. PREA Compliance Managers took an active role in ensuring that the staff were adequately rewarded for the dedication and hard work that was put forth towards accomplishing this goal. The PREA Staff Appreciation Carnival was a collaborative effort and sponsored through a partnership with the McLennan Police & Firemen’s Insurance Association, TJJD’s own Unity C...