Primer on TX juvie issues set for Jan. 24th

For those concerned with juvenile justice topics, a much needed primer for Texas legislators, staff, and opinion leaders on the myriad troubling issues facing the state's juvenile system - from the lack of rehabilitation and reintegration services to abuse of juvenile inmates, attacks on guards, and chronic understaffing - will be held in Austin January 24.

Mark your calendars and register here ahead of time if you'd like to go.

The event is co-sponsored by the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Texas Coalition Advocating Justice for Juveniles. From the promotional material for the event:

Approximately 50,000 juveniles are placed in detention facilities every year, and these placements cost Texas taxpayers over $96 million dollars. Some 4,800 of these youngsters are then incarcerated at the Texas Youth Commission at a per person cost of $55,932 per year, resulting in a total cost of over half a billion dollars per biennium, and the Commission has requested more than $100 million in exceptional items for the 2008-09 biennium.

While violent juveniles need to be secured to protect public safety, many of these youngsters are nonviolent drug and property offenders. Missouri has received national acclaim for shifting its focus from incarceration to community-based programs for juvenile offenders, resulting in less recidivism and lower costs.

This primer will examine the lessons learned from Missouri and other jurisdictions and highlight bills filed in the 80th Legislature that would make similar reforms in Texas.

Join us and a panel of experts including:

• Rep. Jerry Madden, Corrections Committee Chairman
• Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa
• The Honorable Dennis Kehm
• Mark Steward, Director, MO Youth Services Institute

Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2007
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Register here.