Life on Campus

Youth who are adjudicated for serious felony offenses and committed by juvenile courts to state care first come to a TJJD Orientation and Assessment dorm. There they are assessed for treatment and educational needs. They are assigned to one of the agency’s five secure campuses where they begin working on their program. They may be in treatment for aggression, substance abuse or violent behaviors. They attend school every day where teachers help them gain credits toward a Texas high school diploma or a graduate equivalency certificate.

Dorm Life

Youth live in dorms of eight to 16 residents. They have individual rooms and share a dayroom for activities. Juvenile Correctional Officers assigned to the dorm oversee the youth and assist them in managing their daily schedule. JCOs accompany them to all functions outside the dorm and are present 24/7.

Daily 14-Hour Schedule

Youth follow a 14-hour schedule that includes academic classes, treatment sessions, individual counseling (as needed) and recreation.

All TJJD youth attend schools on their campus 11 months of the year, working toward their high school diploma or GED and also taking vocational classes as their schedules allow. Depending on the campus, the schools offer Career and Technology (CTE) classes in welding, small engines, OSHA safety standards, food technology and horticulture. These can be taken for credit and also offer certifications.

There are many enrichment and leadership opportunities for youth. They may participate in:

• TAPPS 6-Man Football, Basketball, and Track and Field – Some schools offer opportunities for students to participate in team sports through membership with the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools.
• Student Council – Dorms elect representatives to serve for the school year. The Council makes recommendations on clothing and cafeteria food and supports cultural and social events through poster contests, poetry readings or essays or music.
• Mentoring and Spiritual Care – Community volunteers mentor youth weekly and provide spiritual care and events that range from visits from a canine therapy dog to spiritual care weekends hosted by the Epiphany Ministries.
• The Canine BARK (Building Attachment and Resilience K-9) program (only at the Gainesville campus) – Youth in this dorm help foster dogs in need of temporary care. They learn how to train the dogs in basic skills and the responsibility and empathy that comes with caring for another living being.

Regulation Zone and MAPS Room

The Regulation Zone and the MAPS Room are specially designed places at TJJD secure facilities where youth who are feeling overwhelmed or dysregulated can go to calm down and re-set. They can step away – or be directed away – from a troubling or angering situation. They can slowdown and process their feelings.

This wind-down can make all the difference to the individual and the group. It helps keep everyone safe and gives the dysregulated youth an opportunity to reconsider their actions and reactions and avert a behavioral escalation that could result in a major rule violation or hurt someone.

Each of TJJD’s five security facilities has a Regulation Zone and a MAPS Room, where youths can steady themselves in a quiet place and access sensory items to help them relax. The Regulation Zones serve any youth on campus. The MAPS (Make a Plan for Success) Rooms are located within the campus schools for use during school hours.

In these spaces, youth can speak with staff about their issues and get quality feedback while reflecting on what caused their agitation and how they were able to quell it. The 15 or 30 minutes a youth spends in the RZ or MAPS Room may keep them from possibly landing in a more restrictive setting. They can resume their daily activities and keep on their rehabilitative program without a major setback. In fact, they’ve learned something about how to steer away from trouble.

Residential Contract Care

In an effort to deliver a diversity of individualized services, TJJD sometimes contracts with private sector providers. Historically, these programs have ranged from organized family care, foster group-living services, vocational trade services, secure institutional care, and gender-specific residential services.

TJJD case management specialists work with others on a youth’s treatment team to maintain contact with youth placed in residential contract programs and monitor the rehabilitative services offered.  

TJJD currently contract with the following provider:

• Pegasus Schools, Inc.

Contract Monitoring

TJJD has a residential contract monitoring system to ensure that contractors consistently provide quality services and comply with terms of their contract with TJJD. This is accomplished through collecting and monitoring quarterly performance measures; conducting an annual comprehensive review of each residential program; routine announced and unannounced site and technical assistance visits by representatives from the State Programs & Facilities Division of TJJD. Provider non-compliance is addressed through sanctions such as corrective action/performance improvement planning, moratoriums on placements, removal of TJJD youth and/or termination of the contract agreement. TJJD continues to improve and enhance its monitoring and evaluation system to ensure positive youth outcomes.

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