TJJD News & Announcements

GAINESVILLE, Texas – The Gainesville State School broke ground Wednesday, Dec. 20, on a new, unique facility and program that will help students in custody learn agricultural skills and access a special type of horse therapy that has been proven to help at-risk youth with complex trauma, attachment disorders, and mood disorders. The dedication of Tornado Ranch, as it’s named, honored retiring TJJD Director David Reilly, who has championed animal therapy programs as a way to reach and help troubled teens. Reilly was the impetus behind both the equine program, which will begin operation shortly at Gainesville, and the PAWS (Pairing Achievement with Service) canine program, already in place at the Gainesville, Giddings and Ron Jackson campuses. Gainesville Superintendent Mike Studamire and Assistant Superintendent Deidra Reece presented Reilly with a handcrafted metal Texas “badge” made by youth in the metal shop and also unveiled photos of the new animal shelter...

By Daniel Burgess, Staff Writer DENTON, Texas – A new specialty court directed at juveniles with mental illnesses who are at higher risk of committing another crime is seeking to help young offenders and their families and to protect the public from crime. Denton County Court at Law No. 1 Judge Kimberly McCary, along with staff at the Juvenile Probation Department, described the new juvenile mental health court, called Soar, at a presentation Thursday night at Emily Fowler Central Library in Denton. The National Alliance on Mental Illness Denton County hosted the presentation. The county is calling the program Soar, but McCary said it’s not an acronym — it means whatever the kids believe it means. The court itself is an intensive, phased six-month program that places a high level of accountability on the juvenile participants. It provides access to outside counseling and therapy to those who could not otherwise afford it and ensures the parents are part of the child’s rehabilit...

AUSTIN, Texas – I must start off by welcoming new board members to the TJJD team. Governor Abbott appointed James Castro, Stephanie Moreno, Allison Palmer, and Jimmy Smith recently to complete the Texas Juvenile Justice Board. I am excited about what these individuals will bring to the leadership of TJJD and look forward to working with each of them. With the 85th Texas Legislative Session behind us, it is now time to assess the results. While no legislation passed that makes sweeping changes to the system, there were a few bills that passed worth noting. SB 1304, known as the Juvenile Records Advisory Committee bill, passed, thanks in large part to the diligent efforts of William Carter, CPO in Lubbock County along with Mark Williams, CPO in Tom Green County. There was a focus on foster children this session that resulted in several bills passing that would increase sharing of information between the Department of Family and Protective Services and juvenile justice agencies, incl...

BROWNWOOD, Texas – Youth incarcerated at the Ron Jackson facility in Brownwood, Texas, got a rare and well-earned opportunity for a field trip to reunite with service dogs they had trained when the dogs first emerged from their own humble beginnings at Texas animal shelters. On January 11, 2017, four boys in the program, along with staff from Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD), traveled three and a half hours to Dripping Springs, Texas, near Austin, to visit the campus of Service Dogs, Inc. The boys and other TJJD youth have been working with trainers from Service Dogs, Inc. for over a year in the nation’s first and only juvenile offender service dog training program. “Youth in the PAWS program (Pairing Achievement With Service) have been living with and training shelter dogs for pet adoption since 2010,” explains PAWS administrator and dog trainer for TJJD Cris Burton, M.Ed. “Youth must pass a psychological screening and have enough time left to work with the dogs throug...

ROCKWALL, Texas – Angie Scalf, the Department Director for Rockwall County Juvenile Services, has been an outspoken advocate for changing the methodology of working with at-risk youth, providing more at-home services for the families, providing free outpatient drug counseling, and using innovative techniques to avoid detention, placement or commitment to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. The Department, which employs five probation officers and two licensed counselors, provides drug education, supportive outpatient drug counseling, intensive outpatient drug counseling, anger management, family preservation, individual counseling, a 1st Offender Program, a gardening program, in-house community service and Experiential Education. Rockwall County’s Experiential Education Program began with the assistance of Marla Burns, an adventure-based counselor with Williamson County Juvenile Services and Texas State University. Burns facilitated several camp outs with youth and probation of...