Vision

The Texas Juvenile Justice Department has a vision of providing safety for citizens of the State of Texas through partnership with communities and the delivery of a continuum of services and programs to help youth enrich and value their lives and the community by focusing on accountability of their actions and planning for a successful future.

Mission

The mission of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department is to create a safer Texas through the establishment of a continuum of services that promotes positive youth outcomes through:

      Organizational excellence and integrity that earns and promotes public trust;

      Evidence-based performance and accountability that produces results;

      Collaboration and teamwork that builds on partnerships with youth, families and local communities; and

      Innovation and technology that results in efficient systems and services.

Philosophy

The Texas Juvenile Justice Department strives to set an example of excellence in public service within limited resources, providing quality services with innovation, vision, collaboration with partners and stakeholders, and accountability for agency impacts.

Purpose

Pursuant to SB 653, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department was created with the following public purpose:

    Creating a unified state juvenile justice agency that works in partnership with local county governments, the courts, and communities to promote public safety by providing a full continuum of effective supports and services to youth from initial contact through termination of supervision; and

    Creating a juvenile justice system that produces positive outcomes for youth, families, and communities by:

          * assuring accountability, quality, consistency, and transparency through effective monitoring and the use of system wide performance measures;

          * promoting the use of program and service designs and interventions proven to be most effective in rehabilitating youth;

          * prioritizing the use of community-based or family-based programs and services for youth over the placement or commitment of youth to a secure facility;

          * operating the state facilities to effectively house and rehabilitate the youthful offenders that cannot be safely served in another setting; and

          * protecting and enhancing the cooperative agreements between state and local county governments.

Goals

Pursuant to SB 653, the goals of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and all programs, facilities, and services that are operated, regulated, or funded by the department are to:

       Support the development of a consistent county-based continuum of effective interventions, supports, and services for youth and families that reduce the need
           for out-of-home placement;

       Increase reliance on alternatives to placement and commitment to secure state facilities, consistent with adequately addressing a youthful offender's treatment
           needs and protection of the public;

       Locate the facilities as geographically close as possible to necessary workforce and other services while supporting the youths' connection to their families;

       Encourage regional cooperation that enhances county collaboration;

       Enhance the continuity of care throughout the juvenile justice system; and

       Use secure facilities of a size that supports effective youth rehabilitation and public safety.