Criminal Justice

SB 653 (Whitmire/Madden) reforms Texas juvenile justice system by merging two agencies into a single, newly created Texas Juvenile Justice Department.

The Texas Youth Commission (TYC) currently serves as the State’s juvenile corrections agency, overseeing youth committed to state confinement by local courts and youth on parole. The Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (TJPC) supervises the 165 juvenile probation departments in all 254 Texas counties, thus ensuring statewide access to juvenile probation services.

The legislation derives from an ongoing effort to improve juvenile justice processes and outcomes in Texas. Juvenile justice underwent substantial changes in Texas following a child sexual abuse scandal in 2007. While TYC and TJPC have made progress to implement reforms legislated in the wake of the scandal, ongoing problems have plagued the system.

Among other changes, SB 653 provides procedures for reporting complaints and clarifies the roles of administrators in order to ensure those complaints receive attention. For example, the legislation requires the TJJD to ensure that a toll-free hotline number functions twenty-fours hours a day, seven days a week in order for youths to report abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Furthermore, the legislation requires the TJJD to balance “the interests of rehabilitative needs with public safety,” and to create funding priorities without incentivizing incarceration. The new goal of the TJJD is to provide positive results for youths, their families, and the communities through a wide range of services.

Delinquency prevention and drop out prevention will be now within the purview of the new TJJD, whereas other agencies previously handled these issues.

The legislation ultimately aims to improve the experiences of all youth throughout the juvenile justice system and to further establish systems of oversight in order to ensure that reforms are implemented effectively.

William S. Bush, a special contributor to the "Austin American-Statesman," wrote a timely article on June 13, 2011 regarding SB 653.  The article discusses both the potential for the legislation and critiques potential issues.  In the article, Mr. Bush praises the merger for bipartisan support and for the promise of replacing incarceration of youth with "community-based treatment and diversion programs."  He emphasizes the need to provide the new agency with the necessary monies in order to implement the expected rehabilitative measures.  He reminds the public that the new agency will require oversight in order to realize its success.  "Local agencies must be held accountable for their actions and policies, and communication must strive for the highest level of transparency."  The article can be viewed here: http://www.statesman.com/opinion/bush-take-lessons-from-past-in-juvenile-justice-1535532.html?cxtype=rss_ece_frontpage.

Here's How They Voted On Final Passage of SB 653.

HOUSE

AYES - 146
Aliseda(R); Allen(D); Alonzo(D); Alvarado(D); Anchia(D); Anderson, Charles(R); Anderson, Rodney(R); Aycock(R); Beck(R); Berman(R); Bohac(R); Bonnen(R); Branch(R); Brown, Fred(R); Burkett(R); Burnam(D); Button(R); Cain(R); Callegari(R); Carter(R); Castro(D); Chisum(R); Christian(R); Coleman(D); Cook(R); Craddick(R); Creighton(R); Crownover(R); Darby(R); Davis, John(R); Davis, Sarah(R); Davis, Yvonne(D); Deshotel(D); Driver(R); Dukes(D); Dutton(D); Eiland(D); Eissler(R); Elkins(R); Farias(D); Farrar(D); Fletcher(R); Flynn(R); Frullo(R); Gallego(D); Garza(R); Geren(R); Giddings(D); Gonzales, Larry(R); Gonzalez, Naomi(D); Gooden(R); Guillen(D); Gutierrez(D); Hamilton(R); Hancock(R); Hardcastle(R); Harless(R); Harper-Brown(R); Hartnett(R); Hernandez Luna(D); Hilderbran(R); Hochberg(D); Hopson(R); Howard, Charlie(R); Howard, Donna(D); Huberty(R); Hughes(R); Hunter(R); Isaac(R); Jackson, Jim(R); Johnson(D); Keffer(R); King, Phil(R); King, Susan(R); King, Tracy(D); Kleinschmidt(R); Kolkhorst(R); Kuempel(R); Landtroop(R); Larson(R); Laubenberg(R); Lavender(R); Legler(R); Lewis(R); Lozano(D); Lucio III(D); Lyne(R); Madden(R); Mallory Caraway(D); Margo(R); Marquez(D); Martinez(D); Martinez Fischer(D); McClendon(D); Menendez(D); Miles(D); Miller, Doug(R); Miller, Sid(R); Morrison(R); Munoz(D); Murphy(R); Naishtat(D); Nash(R); Oliveira(D); Orr(R); Otto(R); Parker(R); Patrick, Diane(R); Paxton(R); Pena(R); Perry(R); Phillips(R); Pickett(D); Pitts(R); Price(R); Quintanilla(D); Raymond(D); Reynolds(D); Riddle(R); Ritter(R); Rodriguez(D); Schwertner(R); Scott(R); Sheets(R); Sheffield(R); Simpson(R); Smith, Todd(R); Smith, Wayne(R); Smithee(R); Solomons(R); Strama(D); Taylor, Larry(R); Taylor, Van(R); Thompson(D); Torres(R); Truitt(R); Veasey(D); Villarreal(D); Vo(D); Walle(D); Weber(R); White(R); Woolley(R); Workman(R); Zedler(R); Zerwas(R)

NAYS - 2
Shelton(R); Turner, Sylvester(D)

PRESENT-NOT-VOTING - 1
Straus(R)

ABSENT - 4
Gonzales, Veronica(D)

SENATE

Passed on 3rd reading and final passage.