At last the House and Senate are talking to each other at the Texas Legislature to iron out differences in their approaches on juvenile justice. Several hours of testimony yesterday about proposed pilot programs and the future of TYC revealed a surprisingly high amount of support for the county pilots on all sides—albeit with some caveats. There were some tense moments in the discussion, often even when conflicting legislators basically agreed. But by the end of the evening, it might not be a stretch to say the Lege is finally moving toward a consensus for supporting more community-based programs to divert kids from TYC.
The most significant development was probably a commitment from Sen. John Whitmire to try to replace the Title IV E foster care funds that have dried up from the federal government. Additional funds to fill the gap were in the House budget but not the Senate’s, which was Juvenile Probation Executive Director Vicki Spriggs’ primary concern. “I have never been against the pilots,” Spriggs said four times. “I have been for Title IV E dollars, and those are very important to me for the bigger picture.”
Counties were concerned that the legislature was going to fund the pilot programs instead of replacing Title IV-E funding. Several people who testified thanked Whitmire throughout the hearing for making the commitment to try to find replacement funds for the lost Title IV E funds
Travis County District Judge Jeanne Meurer, who has been working closely with Sen. Whitmire to develop his diversion initiative, declared the proposed “pilots” are not new, experimental, or untested programs as the phrase might imply. She said they would provide “tried-and-true programming” to divert kids from TYC, though she also strongly supports adequately funding the agency. Meurer said the counties need funding to keep diverting kids, but she does not support a competitive grant program because it doesn’t make sense to compare different counties with different populations and different needs.
Meurer said that the scandal at TYC forced her to fundamentally rethink her approach about who Travis County should be sending to TYC and who could be helped in community based settings. Not long ago, she said, Travis County sent more than 100 kids per year to TYC; in 2008 they sent 16.
Dallas juvie probation chief Michael Griffiths suggested pilot counties would accept a "cap" on the number of commitments to TYC - perhaps cutting the total they send each year by half - if they received new funding for diversion programming. He said the program could be structured so that counties must return money to the state if they go over the cap. (The decision whether to send youth to TYC will still be made by judges, he pointed out, not the probation departments - see a memo describing his suggestions.)
William Carter from Fort Bend Counties gave legislators a copy of a plan (downloadable here) from counties in the Southeast region of the state and said he believes they can divert many youth currently going to TYC if the pilots are adequately funded.
Rep. Ruth McClendon, who authored the House Sunset bill, said even with the most ideal pilot program in “Timbuktu county,” focused on mental illness and substance abuse programs and keeping kids out of TYC, it’s still necessary to make sure TYC gets the funding it needs:
“There are going to be SOME kids who are not going to fare well in my program, and no matter innovative my program is, those kids are just not going to be able to complete my program successfully and those judges are not going to sit back and let those kids terrorize the community because the state says it’s better for them to stay at home. They’re going to be burning down three and four house a night, biting off their neighbor’s ears and feet and toes, and the judge is going to say this kid cannot stay here. Timbuktu is going to be safer if I send this kid somewhere, and TYC is the place that kid is going to go. You can’t TYC down to the minimum bones.”
Whitmire bristled at the suggestion that he wants to underfund TYC, insisting that he simply doesn’t believe the reduced TYC population merits a higher budget than the Senate proposed. “There is no way that an organization that used to have a population of 5000 needs the same money” they used to get when they’re now “about the size of a junior high,” he said. “I’ll give them more damn money if they want to justify it,” he added.
Sen. Whitmire lauded TYC chief Cherie Townsend, “who’s got great vision” for continuing to implement SB 103 reforms, but emphasized that it “should be the legislature doing vision and planning with [Cherie’s] input.” Townsend made it clear that the pilot programs are not inconsistent with trying to regionalize TYC but expressed the hope that there is a clear plan for evaluating the pilots’ success. “We need evidence-based models,” she told them, but assured the committee, “whatever the will of the legislature is, we’ll participate in that.”
Michele Deitch, a UT LBJ School professor representing the Blue Ribbon Task Force on TYC, testified that the task force “strongly supports the proposed juvenile probation pilot projects” and that the pilot project proposals address numerous recommendations in the Blue Ribbon Report. The Report called on policymakers to “emphasize keeping youth in the community” and to redirect savings from decreased incarceration to prevention and community-based programs. The Task Force had also recommended limiting TYC placements to high-risk and chronic felons, and moving TYC towards a more regionalized system of care, consistent with the proposals discussed at the hearing.
Advocacy groups also support the programs as long as they “promote evidence-based nonresidential programs,” testified Isela Gutierrez from the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition. Several also called for a system of independent data collection that shows what’s really working in the programs.
MORE: See coverage of the hearing from the Austin Statesman's Mike Ward.
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67 comments:
What does the author think about the following:
1) juveniles convicted of crimes not only being allowed to return to public schools BUT NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO KNOW THAT A CONVICTED STUDENT IS IN THE ROOM WITH THEM
2)the names not released of convicted juveniles
10:07, though it's not germane to this post, Tara had a prior item on that topic here..
Good job Tara. Just a quick note, Vicki Spriggs is the Executive Director of TJPC, she is not a chief juvenile probation officer.
The link from the Dallas News blog is about 20 days old. HB 3689 is out of committee and has been sent to calendars.
HB 4451 has also been voted out of committee and sent to calendars.
Sorry about the bad Dallas News link, which I eliminated - that was my error, not Tara's.
Also, calling Spriggs the "chief" of JPC was just a euphemism for E.D.. You're right, though that it's a little confusing since the term is used more formally at the local level, so I edited it as per your comment to be more clear.
Fascinating report, thanks Tara and Grits.
It's reassuring to see the involvement of people like Judge Meurer as well as the Blue Ribbon task force folks.
However, count me among those you mention in the final sentence who would like to see specific data about what works and what doesn't in each of these pilot programs.
Bill Bush
This looks promising. Anything that can be done to divert a kid from tyc is a good thing.
I also think it’s important to have solid data to know what works and what doesn’t so that programs can be tweaked accordingly. I understand there are some kids you just can’t reach. IMO, a nice farm where they can grow/raise their own food to cut expense should be set up for this type of juvenile offender. This way tyc can not only continue to get the children ready for prison mentally but physically as well. It’s good for the tax payers and for tyc’s counterparts in the adult system.
Now about the statement from Rep. Ruth McClendon, if these kids are burning down several houses a night and biting off the neighbors body parts, I don’t think tyc is the place for them. But, is she talking about former tyc kids who are simply acting out their fully developed issue with authority from having spent time in tyc’s system with its “role models” or are they pre-committed tyc kids who need real psychological help? I would think either way these kids need real psychological help and should be somewhere else other than tyc. Her Honor obviously is under the impression that tyc is a juvenile delinquent warehouse, so why not let them earn their keep, on a farm.
Sheldon tyc#47333 II c/s
You know, I read the majority opinion, which clearly lays out the facts and the majority's reasoning. There was no question that the evidence was insufficient.
Then I read Keller's dissent and I was appalled at the way she contorted the evidence to support the original verdict. She'd have been better off by remaining silent (surely that concept is not lost on her). The citizens of Texas will be best served if Keller never again serves in any decisionmaking capacity.
Leviathan
Regarding the 1st poster ... Prosecutors are currently required to send notification of adjudications to the school districts in which these juveniles attend. Whether your school sends the information down the chain, I can't speak to that.
I'm confused by Judge Meurer's testimony. If you reduced committments from 100 in 2006 to 16 in 2008?
Why do you need money from the state to continue to do this?
Your already doing it, are you losing money in order to continue with the low number of committments to TYC?
"are you losing money in order to continue with the low number of commitments to TYC?"
That's exactly right. She said how much their costs increased but I don't remember the (rather large) number.
they paid for it somehow? the funding went away?
3:13 - while I do not begrudge the pilots, I do know that Travis tried to work out its own deal with Whitmire while Mike sent his in unsolicited. SE chief's sent theirs in unsolicited and probably will not be funded. As far as I know, Whitmire did not solicit proposals from other chief's assn's although other assn's are now scrambling to throw something together ( and they won't be funded either.) Restoring the $17 million IV-E finds is Whitmires wave of the hand buying everyone else off. By the way, I watched the entire hearing on the stream.
Oh - and thanks to Vicki for keeping IV -E funding at the forefront.
More money (resources) in the front end of the juvenile justice system should reduce committments to the back end. Seems like a fairly common sense approach.
How and who you distribute the resources to is where things get political and complicated?
When was the RFP (request for proposals) put out?
Ok soI guess the new funding system for Texas works. Everyone put in bids for yourself and leave the rest of the state hanging. Then let Ms. Spriggs actually do her job by taking up for the rest of the state, but bash her for months for not joining in on the state wide screwing of the departments that didn't get the memo about going to get your own funding.
So I guess it all works out in the end, counties got that know the right people got thier money and TJPC was right about the "private" funds replacing lost 4-E but managed to get some of that back!
Lets just see if the "private" counties will work with the rest of us and TJPC since we are now all on the same page...UNTIL SOMEONE ASK A QUESTION OR TWO THEN IT WILL ALL BLOW UP AGAIN!
Because after watching yesterday explanation from the "private" counties, there really should be alot of questions.
Travis County is not the only county that responded quickly to the TYC-debacle by reducing their commitments. Most of the counties numbers went way down because judges, like Judge Meurer--who made the most dramatic commitment to keeping kids in the county (bringing an average of well over 100 commitments a year, down to 14 for 2008)--just wouldn't send kids to TYC with the scandal in the background.
To accommodate the influx of higher-risk kids, the counties shifted their existing populations of lower-risk offenders out of contract beds, in turn out of residential treatment, all pushed into less-intensive probation programs. They basically internalized costs, went way over budget, and the funds for these diversions given through TJPC were helpful but barely enough to cover even the smallest percentage of these youth.
The counties, including Travis, are simply saying, this isn't sustainable. No way, no how. We now realize through this debacle that we CAN treat these kids locally, but we'll need sustained resources to do it. If they don't get the funding, they'll have no choice but to send the kids back to TYC. And in Travis County's case, that will be a dramatic spike back up to pre-2007 figures.
As for the solicitation of proposals, it is my understanding that the various chiefs have been in dialogue on this from the beginning, when Dallas sent in their proposal. The idea never came from Whitmire-other states have developed this model (Ohio and Illinois) and the skeleton of the pilots was in Sunset's report for anyone to pick up on.
The proposals are innovative and if supported with appropriate accountability measures, they could truly be the way of reform for Texas. TYC will continue with its reforms and the counties will be equipped with their own. There is no reason we can't have these visions work in tandem.
Well said, and if these programs are successful, there will be a future for not just the counties that have come forward now, but for all counties in Texas who want to commit to developing stronger community alternatives to TYC. Hopefully we can all take a longer view and see the potential here.
3:54 FYI the NE and SE plans WERE solicited atthe same time the Travis plan was. Stick to writing about what you know, not speculation. Also, Vicki had nothing to do with keeping IV-E money alice. That was worked out without her input.
Congratulations, Travis County and Dallas County. You have all the non-profit services at your becken call. The small to medium counties with facitlies end up with crumbs. Funding should be based on the needs of counties without services then whats left over to the counties with thier own large budgets. Small counties and medium counties are cutting budgets not increasing budgets.
Give us and our kids some thought and funding, please
It's good to hear IV-E was kept alive, apparently, according to 5:51, regardless of Ms. Spriggs' input; that means that the various counties (Travis, Dallas, SE, NE, Harris, etc.) making "private proposals aren't completely irresponsible money-grubbers.
7:41 if these regional pilots go as planned then this could be the statewide plan. NE and SE cover 55+ counties, 9 of them medium size, all the rest small rural areas. I wish our West Texas region had been in on it but I understand that may be in the works listening to Senator Whitmire. As for the poster at 3:54 sounds like jealousy talking. Are you upset you did not get to meet with Senator Whitmire and get asked to submit a plan? The 2 regional plans have more merit to them than Travis and Dallas. I did not see the Harris plan but they had the most TYC kids. If anyone gets funded that should be the program.
It seems that the large counties with unlimited funding always get the bulk of state pilot programs. The funds for SB103 never really got funneled down to the little guys. Small counties do not have the mental health or counseling services available to them as the larger counties. It is going to take Austin the fund the little guys so that our kids get something from the state. Without it we will end up sending more kids to TYC due to the lack of resources. It's not rocket science. The have's and the have nots.
I hope the plans do call for spreading the funds to the have nots.
I was only able to stay for part of the commitee hearing yesterday due to family obligations and caught some of the rest of it (video archive) late afternoon today.
I am a Chief Juvenile Probation Officer and for those of you at the hearing then you know who this is.
I have posted on Grits blog previously but it has been awhile.
I was very impressed with the Chiefs that presented at the committee hearing yesterday. I think they did an excellent job explaining the just of their plans and handled questioning very well. Kudos to you guys. No reason to name names.
For those Chiefs or departments that feel left out. I am left out (in terms of additional funding) at this point and have had some of the same feelings.
However, for the time being I feel it is appropriate to support our fellow departments as I have full faith that if successful, these same funding streams will find their ways to all other local juvenile probation departments as well.
If you have issues or concerns with how these proposals came about, I would think twice about posting as an anonymous blogger here. Not really the forum for complaints and really doesn't make anyone look good including the blogger.
To note: My issues and concerns will be sent directly to Senator Whitmire's office soon.
If you really believe smaller counties will ever receive funding you are a lost cause. It will never happen, of course you will have those here trying to appease you, so if you would like just hold your breath an wait.
I have seen both North East and South East plans for funding distribution and YES the rural counties will receive actually very good funding for this program. I too am left out but I support my fellow departments and will beat the drums to rally the troops. I want to thank the leaders who have taken the initiative to complete these program concepts and commend them for their work. Estela, Mike, John, Lil Willie, Bing, Matt and never forget Judge Muerer, you guys are helping the rest of the state even though some out there don't see it that way.
Just let the smaller counties carry guns.
If somebody has a copy of the Northeast plan please forward it to shenson@austin.rr.com, I haven't seen it.
Them's my homies. :)
If these pilots are funded this session, there WILL be a large number of rural and mid-size counties receiving funding to develop new programs (see Southeast and Northeast plans) and increase their capacity to serve youth locally.
But the reason they would be receiving funding is not because they have been randomly selected to benefit from state funds. These counties, along with the urban ones submitting proposals, have made a commitment to cap the number of youth they send to TYC.
If other small counties are prepared to make that commitment too, to work with their boards, surrounding counties, and judges in the true collaborative effort we have seen from the Northeast and Southeast regions, they too will have an opportunity to develop stronger rehabilitation programs in the future.
I applaud the counties that have come forward and made this commitment to provide alternatives to incarceration for their youth. If they are successful with their efforts, the state will see what can be done, even by smaller counties. And that would lead to an opening for all small counties across the state to join in this effort in the future.
What's your point 8:48
no doubt all counties small or large will do everything possible to not commmit a kid to TYC. But, do they now have or will they ever have the resources the large counties have to divert these kids. If the plans do that, then great. I hope the legislature and TJPC look at the big picture and assit every county in what will be a very expensive but worthy solution to committing youth to TYC. Private services are expensive in the local community. Everybody needs to understand that. And transportation is a very big issue for the clients non compliance.
I guess all of the money in Texas belongs to Whitmire. Who does he think he is? Money should be spent according to the will of the people of Texas, not the whims of the politicians.
The problem we have is that we are too soft on crime. Criminals have more rights than those of us who work hard to pay for their incarceration. We are being victimized not only by criminals robbing us, killing us and whatever else they want to do, but we are also victimized by our legislature who takes our money and spends it according to their whims.
I did not elect Whitmire. I do not live in his district. Who is he to spend my tax dollars. It is not "his' money to be distributing.
Now, let me get this straight, Joe Criminal age 16 breaks into my house, rapes my daughter, assaults my wife and steals my car to get away. The sheriff is 30 minutes away. All of this takes place while I'm at work earning money for the legislature to blow on "pilot programs." Joe criminal is put in the pilot program so I can by lunch from him at McDonalds everyday.
Meanwhile, Whitmire and the rest of the Texas lege are sipping martinis in their gated communities.
The wrong people have all of the rights. The right people just get wronged.
9:43...You absolutely NAILED it!!!
This whole thing stinks like s**t and Whitmire is at the top of the pile directing the fumes in the taxpayers' direction.
9:43,
It is predictable to see the "soft on crime" folks pull a worst case, scary example to prove their point. I just don't see this "soft on crime" picture you portray. And I do not think they are proposing the elimination of places for those scary cases.
What you may not understand is that there have been many lower level, first offenders which have been shuffled into rather harsh settings because of a general lack of resources.
We have been on this law enforcement route for awhile now and it don't seem to be workin' too well.
I don't have all the answers, but my vote is try something different now.
I work in TYC and I guess I don't see where the "lower-level offenders" have been shuttled to TYC without extensive diversion and chances in the community.
The fact is, especially if a youth is from a larger metro area, that youth in TYC has already gone through all the diversion programs available to him. If you believe that a youth who steals a cell phone is being sent to TYC right away, you are mistaken.
Proof is in the high number of "Felony Prob. Modifications" we have seen enter our facility over the past year. We have even been getting some sentenced offenders (whose classifying offense is very serious like Agg. Sexual Assault or Agg. Robbery) who are in TYC b/c they violated the probation that was tried before a TYC commitment.
4/25/09 9:34 am
I would have to agree with the youth that come to TYC have been through diversion programs. I am wondering what will be different about the programs than the ones that they already have. Several of the larger counties have Youth Villages, so are we just saying that we will have more of these types of facilities that have not worked for many of the kids in the past.
If all of this passes the house and senate I wonder what TYC will really look like in the future?
I wonder how many TYC facilities will be closed and will this be a Sept.1 mandate with out having the new programs in place and up and running?
How many kids will this affect during the transition that will not really benifit from the sudden changing of the guard?
Where will education services come from in the counties? Will these new programs provide it on site or will public schools be accountable for these kids?
Any one with any thoughts on this?
Read the presentation posted here from South East. Talks generally about programs but has education components addressed. I don't see anything else describing what money may be used for. I like it.
History continues to keep repeating itself with Texas Juvenile Justice. There is nothing new under the sun.
Sheldon tyc#47333 II c/s
We can explain away the worst case scenarios all we want to, but after seeing from the inside what TYC and senate bill 103 is doing with Conextions it is very likely that the perpetrator of a crime (against you or your family) will be serving you your lunch at McDonalds.
They are talking about work release and a whole bunch of other nonsense. The earlier posters are right. A kid has been through program after program before they ever see TYC.
To make matters worse, TYC's omnbudsman says putting the violent ones in security to help correct their behavior is a violation of their rights. What about the staff's rights to work in a safe environment? What about the other kids rights to a safe place to sleep and a classroom in which they can learn?
As I said before, the wrong people have the rights and the right people get wronged.
Furthermore, Whitmire and the legislature continue to waste taxpayer money with ridiculous programs and poor spending policies.
You're right. Youth need severe consequences to correct their negative/violent behavior. Bring Harris back and issue some of the old timer administrators whips and water boards. Keep the staff safe, make the kids walk the walk; and let the lege talk the talk.
The old behavior modification program required youth to do written assignments. These dealt with the 7 step offense cycle among other things(unmet needs, considering choices, thinking errors,the offense,avoiding responsibility, etc.) If the youth was cooperative, behaved and did the work given him he could start returning to the dorm in 1 or 2 weeks for groups for one hour. The next week he would return for several hours a day plus regular school hours. By the end of the fourth week his program was complete. If the youth refuse to do anything they were returned to dorm life after 90 days. I have seen a youth assault his peer as soon as he set foot on the dorm ( it was ordered by the chair of his gang) If you are onje of the ones that can't figure out why the youth are getting worse despite the effort expended, the biggest factor is the increasing demand for drugs (traceable to the 60's youth who are now dope using grandparents) This creates a very lucrative market that can make a 12 year old rich. He does have to belong to a gang however to get help protecting his franchise area. And as long as he's making money selling crack, he'd be a poor businessman to no take advantage of the crack whores that come begging to his door. Stealing cars, convenience stores robberies, home burglaries and of course hits on the competition all go with the business. You want to keep from locking up kids? Get the feds to lock down the border.
RAS, you were making sense up until your comment about locking up the border.
Yes, keep the border open!
Very productive comment Sheldon...
It is so frustrating to watch this agency. It looks like they are making progress but then it is just more of the same. No one is making sensible decisions. The legislature, the governor, the ombudsman, the TYC administrators are all just knee jerking or bending over at the waist with their pants at their knees. So disheartening. Any news on what they are planning for the Capital and Serious Violent Offender Program?
Did you see the news?
Lack of leadership with direction is rearing its ugly head.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6394251.html
http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=10253413
At one point one of the men appeared to taunt a staff member with a long section of razor wire.
A Pope (TDCJ) leftover, razorwire!
Bring those TDCJ people back. Crack down now! Get rid of the wimps in charge.
This is getting really embarrassing!
The one knock against the pilots is that the focus is wrong, the goal has become keeping kids out of TYC, not rehabilitation or public safety. The states obligation is to pool its tremendous resources to create innovative programs that cannot be duplicated at a local level. The pilots appear to be a way for the state to save money, and place all responsibility at the local level. I see another significant rise in certifications(remember they are up 35% since SB 103), as this will not count against the TYC commitment caps. Additionally I can foresee children being warehoused in programs, that keep them safe but do not rehabilitate them, until they turn 17 and are released, and in all likelihood are arrested as adults. I think that the pilots should include penalties for certifications as well as children that are arrested for adult offenses. Otherwise juvenile justice takes one step closer to becoming the TDCJ hatchery.
Has anyone ever thought that sometimes it is better to take a gang member youth out of a crime ridden community to a more remote location.
I am sorry, but some of these kids grew up in gang ridden areas. To keep them there, or close to there after they have committed gang related crime may be doing them a disservice. I believe that an intelligent legislature would understand the intricate differences in a youth near their HEALTHY family environment and keeping a youth away from their UNHEALTHY environment.
Hasn't anyone noticed that some parts of towns and some schools are just more gang ridden than others?
The weak kids join gangs and commit crimes. Only the strong kids make something of themselves in many of those areas. This is especially true in Harris County!
Good luck with your "pilot programs" Whitmire, but I think that you should have funded TYC as well, because you will need them.
Guess we will just see more kiddos getting either shot by each other or the police.
Great job law makers!
1100: You/TYC had their shot at solving this problem and they blew it. No go away and cry somewhere else.
Does Whitmire want these young felons to remain in Gangland (i.e. Houston)? Is he satisfied that he represents Gangland?
Lay off Whitmire, he is trying where you TYCer' failed. Back off, lie down and take your medicine. You won it, now drink it.
Thank you for that comment, Whitfan. Or, is it Whit himself?
Whitmire failed TYC. He and others failed to monitor this agency appropriately. Complacency in the legislature and executive administration along with campaign promises, followed by exploding TYC population, followed by constant budget cuts is what failed TYC.
Whitmire had his chance to micromanage TYC and he gave us the Pope. Whitmire doesn't know what the hell he is doing. Keeping TYC kids back to unproven pilot projects in the communities that have so far failed to rehabilitate them makes absolutely no sense.
I believe in prevention but i think much more thought and development needs to go into long term detention/diversion programs.
The question still remains, why hasn't the legislature forced the issue regarding the trial of the two men who's aberrant, disgusting, but isolated behavior kicked off this whole mess, and I am not saying they didn't do what they say they did. Just why doesn't anybody care anymore and if it takes over two years to put together a case against two men, maybe it takes more than two years to figure out how to redo juvenile justice in Texas...especially with the stupid decisions made by four knee jerking administrations (not including the knee jerking tendencies of the current, more effective, administration)
The mess the so-called reformers have made of TYC is disgusting! Did TYC have problems, and did it need change? Certainly. But as one of my high school teachers said a long, long time ago, "All progress involves change, but not all change is progress." Nowhere is that more true than what has happened in TYC.
Diversion programs make sense for the majority of the youths who are adjudicated for crimes. But, what about the "crazy" and the incorrigible? Remember, only 3% of the juveniles who are adjudicated for crimes ever end up in TYC. 97% are already being successfully treated in community-based programs. Whitmire likes to posture about having a small TYC that only deals with the really tough cases. What, I may ask, does he think the 3% represents?
Just a thought...If travis county really reduced thier TYC commitments and I have every reason to believe they did, they did it within thier current budgets, pat them on the back and tell them good job! If over the past two years they cut by about 85%, again pat them on the back and say carry on! Why give them millions to deal with the 15% left over because folks believe or not even in Travis county some of those kids crimes required a structured LOCKDOWN like TYC.
Secondly, Whitmire didn't mess up TYC. Some perverts in West Texas did and the management from the Gov on down finished it off by not acting in responsable manner!
Whitmire's only real error was praising the difficulty of reforming TYC and talking about the needs of TYC only when Pope was there, his about face on TYC after her carpet purchase and other colossal screw-ups...well not much can said after that.
So here are some thoughts, kids almost have to break INTO TYC! Departments curently use alternate placements before useing TYC. So the big counties who have already been able to place a kid several times will now with pilot money get one more option for placement. The kid who has been placed 2 or 3 times and the consequence for continued offenses has been another alternative place is not going to know the difference between placement 4 and his new TYC reduction "Pilot Program" placement. He either ages out of the system on his next offense or goes to TYC. But for a year or two this will look like a reduction in commitments because the kid either goes to TYC later or is now in the county jail as a 17 or 18 year old. But on paper I guess this is a successful reduction....
That was just a thought, here are a few facts! Fund these programs in Travis, Fort Bend and Dallas Counties thats great..each of those directors are good hard working people that run great departments...But there are always going to be an ever growing number of young offenders that need to be in a safe TYC setting! Most important..fund these with new money! Most departments have lost enough money, reducing the funds of departments across the state to pay for the pilots will fill up what ever is left of TYC. Medium and small departments have to have people and people dont come cheap...so reducing those budgets means fewer placements, which fills up TYC.
Can we use some of the Obama stimulus money on this. Give every kid a loving mom and dad...pay them to be that way. Put a roof over thier heads and a few good meals a day. Teach mom to make apple pies and give dad a job making $45,000 a year, that should just about close down TYC and probation could handle the 15-20 candy bar thefts per year.
Just watching the waves slowly wash ashore as the snow melts from the mountain tops behind me, it suddenly became clear that these kids just need a perfect world and all would be will
I think Travis county found some other money. They did not just use their existing budget. They are out of funds.
I think it would be great if Texas can develop some truly effective diversion programs to keep kids out of TYC. Incarceration should be a true last resort. I have seen too many kids get "institutionalized" to the point that they are really afraid to leave TYC. That is just a shame. Keep as many of them out as you can, and we will deal with the rest as best we can.
Pertaining to the statement that many counties kept youth instead of sending them to TYC; how was their sex offender treatment? chemical abuse treatment? anger management treatment? capitol offender treatment? recidivicism rate?
Those specialty programs cost lots of money, which drives the cost/day/youth way up. They send those kids to TYC - saves money for the counties and drives up the cost for TYC. Simple - keeps all the politicians happy - the locals because the cost is kept down locally, and the state pols because they can make hay in the media complaining about how much money TYC is wasting. See how it works? Politics 101
Diversion is a great idea. Let's close Al Price and Evins and re-open Al Price as a 48 bed step-down, pre-release facility and give Evins to Hildalgo County as a local juvy program, since that is what they have wanted down there all along. Create diversion programs to account for the lost TYC beds. Neither unit has been able to staff up to the levels needed to meet their current bed populations.
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