We know the juvenile justice system has complexities and we’ll provide some key information here, which can assist you as you travel this journey alongside your youth. We want to support you so you can support your youth. 

The Juvenile Justice Basics

The Texas Juvenile Justice Department operates five secure campuses and three halfway houses that serve youths who’ve been committed to the state’s care.

Many of the youths at TJJD have a history of multiple or violent offenses at the local level and have exhausted the local community programs available to them. A juvenile court judge who heard their case has determined that these youths need care and treatment at the state level and has committed them to TJJD. The judge will have given them a determinate or indeterminate sentence.

At TJJD, youths will receive intensive and customized treatment and educational services. Youths with an indeterminate sentence will have a Minimum Length of Stay (MLOS) they must serve. TJJD sets the MLOS based on their background and an assessment of their needs when they arrive at orientation. A youth with a determinate sentence already has a set duration to serve, set by the judge, commensurate with their committing offense. But a determinate sentenced offender (DSOs) at TJJD still has a chance to earn parole status to complete their sentence and potentially avoid incarceration in an adult prison.

In both cases, indeterminate and determinate sentences, a youth’s stay at TJJD will be most productive and earn them the best outcomes if they participate in their treatment program, try their best in school and follow the rules. Family members and mentors play a vital role. By encouraging their youth to stay with their program, they can help set them up for success and assure community safety when they’re released.

TJJD Offers a Chance to Reform through Treatment

Youths committed to TJJD will have many opportunities – in classes, group gatherings and daily life – where they can learn social skills and ways to better control their emotions and reform their behavior. They will learn techniques that can help them deal with anger and other strong emotions and how to tolerate life’s ups and downs. They may participate in specific treatment programs to help them overcome substance abuse, feelings of anger and aggressive behavior.

There’s also a special program for capital offenders and for younger violent offenders.  There are group therapies and individual counseling. But the rehabilitative efforts don’t stop there. All staff, mental health professionals and Juvenile Correctional Officers, case managers and teachers are trained in methods that can help young people learn healthier, more effective ways to connect and interact with others and better control and process their emotions.

TJJD staff use a cognitive behavioral approach, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), across many daily situations on campus. This therapeutic approach is a tool to help youth better understand their motivations and learn to tolerate distressing situations. DBT skills can help youths make stronger social connections, reducing the chances that they will harm themselves or others. Youth are taught ways to better cope, but also are held accountable for their actions. Ultimately, DBT teaches them to hold themselves accountable,

You can learn more about DBT here.

Reform through Education

In addition to treatment, all youths committed to TJJD will be enrolled in school. Schools at TJJD campuses provide the same basic core curriculum as Texas public schools. TJJD youth can stay on pace to graduate from high school or obtain a GED that will allow them to enroll in college or technical school.

They will get assistance in reading and for special needs while enrolled in a TJJD Lone Star school. They can take a variety of vocational classes, which can prepare them for good-paying jobs, and with good behavior, they may even participate in district sports in the TAPPS league. Youth have many extracurricular activities available. They may join book and garden clubs or student council.

Success in school can be the foundation for a better life when a youth returns to their community. Studies show that completing high school will provide better job opportunities and will reduce the chance that youth return to criminal behavior, keeping them and their communities safer.

How Families Can Stay in Touch

Families have several points of contact at TJJD. You should have contact information for your youth’s case manager. You can also speak with the Family Reentry Enrichment Specialist and the Institutional Parole Officer at each secure campus. The FRES and the IPO work with youth on their plans for going back to their community and help youth and families identify community resources to help them.

Please find a list of the FRES for the secure facilities at the bottom of this page.  There are other important contacts listed there as well.

Families also are encouraged to write to their youth, be available for phone calls and visit at visitation days. They are invited to periodic Family Day events and school open houses and graduations.

Find out much more in the Handbook for Parents and Caregivers.

The handbook will detail how to report issues that may arise and outlines the rights of TJJD youth and their parents. These include, for youth, the right to be free of discrimination and protected from physical or psychological harm and to receive visitors, spiritual guidance if requested, and freely send and receive letters. That’s just a partial list of youth rights.

Parents’ rights include being able to expect a safe and secure environment for their child, have access to their juvenile youth’s records, be free of judgement and informed and involved in decisions affecting their child.

The handbook also covers rules for clothing, cell phones and how to handle and send money for the youth so they can make canteen purchases. It will tell you about medical services, nutrition and special education services for the youth.

It will explain the rules youth must follow.

There’s information about the youths’ daily schedules in the handbook and on the TJJD website on the State Programs page.

Caregivers Training Series

Another way families can stay connected and informed is to attend caregiver classes. TJJD offers a series of online interactive classes in the Texas Model to caregivers quarterly. These classes cover many topics, such as Texas Model techniques, that may be helpful to parents and caregivers as they prepare for their youth to come home. They also help caregivers understand the programs at TJJD that aim to help their youth. You can sign up for these online classes, held in the evenings, through your case manager. A series of six classes is offered each quarter and each class is a stand-alone, so parents and caregivers can listen in at any time.

Content specialists from throughout TJJD present weekly, 90-minute virtual classes during each six-week series. The classes are offered using Zoom, so participants will only need an email address and a phone, tablet or computer with access to the internet. Caregivers are contacted by various agency team members a few weeks prior to an upcoming class series to provide details about how to register for the training.

The sessions will include information about Texas Model topics like: healthy coping skills, emotional/behavioral regulation tools, the importance of connection, behavioral correction strategies, and other tools and techniques for helping youth achieve success. At the end of each session, there will be time for questions or to share your experiences with your youth and the Texas Model.

Each time a parent, caregiver or family member participates in one of these six sessions, the youth’s file is updated to reflect that. After a caregiver completes the series the youth’s case manager or parole officer may reach out to the caregiver to schedule a virtual meeting to discuss how the Texas Model principles and strategies have been beneficial for the individual youth. The youth can describe the regulation tools that are effective and which portions of the Texas Model programming might be helpful upon returning home. The transition from facility to community has an increased potential for success when youth and caregivers have opportunities together to explore the Texas Model principles, tools and skills.

This series will be offered four times each year. The schedule for 2024 is:

Session 1: Feb. 20 – March 26
Session 2: May 7 – June 11
Session 3: August 6 – Sept. 10
Session 4: Oct. 15 – Nov. 19

The virtual sessions will take place on Tuesdays from 6 to 7:30 pm.

To sign up for these free sessions, or to get more information, contact your child’s case manager.

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