Improve Efficiency and Positive Outcomes Within Independent Juvenile Justice Agencies
Background Key Findings Solutions
Frustrated by the lack of coordination between the Texas Youth Commission (TYC), the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (TJPC), and local juvenile probation departments, the Sunset Advisory Commission (“Sunset”) recently recommended that the two agencies be consolidated into one Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Sunset staff hopes that this will at last lead to the development of a seamless continuum of juvenile justice services that operates according to national standards and recognized best practices – something all Texans want to see.
However, lawmakers must avoid viewing consolidation as a panacea for a dysfunctional system. Consolidation is most likely to result in further disruption of the state’s role in Texas’ juvenile justice system, creating an additional burden on county governments in a time of economic insecurity, and further delaying the implementation of the 2007 legislative reforms to TYC. Likewise, while some may believe that consolidating the agencies will potentially save Texas money on administrative expenses, the real savings to the state derives from a strong probation system.[i] If TJPC were to merge with an agency dedicated exclusively to incarceration of the state’s most serious offenders, it is likely that the agency’s focus on delivery of community-based rehabilitative services for youth would be weakened. One of TJPC’s primary objectives is a reduction of commitments to TYC through the use of various preventative “risk-reduction” (rehabilitation and early intervention) strategies, including family-oriented, community-based residential and non-residential services.[ii] This approach saves Texas money in juvenile incarceration costs, and has been shown to result in better outcomes for youth, families, and communities.
A deliberate movement toward systems coordination is more likely to produce needed results than yet another sudden and haphazard change in administrative structure. Especially with the 2007 reforms still winding their way toward implementation, now is not the time to upset the system again. Doing so places the real youth, families, and communities served by the juvenile justice system at risk of falling through the cracks and not receiving the services needed to prevent recidivism – something Texas cannot afford. Improving collaboration and synchronicity between TYC and TJPC, ensuring that state juvenile justice dollars follow proven programs, and reserving state facilities for only serious, violent juvenile offenders are critical policy goals that can and should be implemented through the existing administrative structure.
[i] Levin, Marc. New Day for Texas Juvenile Justice. Texas Public Policy Foundation, http://www.texaspolicy.com/commentaries_single.php?report_id=2341, 12/30/2008
[ii] Texas Juvenile Probation Commission. About Us. Retrieved 01/02/2009 from http://www.tjpc.state.tx.us/about_us/default.htm#Our%20Mission.