Texas Juvenile Justice Department

Several managers and executives from TJJD attended the Outstanding Women in Texas Government Awards today in support of this year’s honorees. Congratulations to: Monica Huffer, portfolio director for the Texas Municipal Retirement System -- the “Rising Star” award; Angie McCown, director of victim services for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice -- “Outstanding Community Involvement” award; Marie Cohan, digital accessibility program administrator for the Texas Department of Information Resources -- Outstanding Professional Development; Mary Landrum, deputy commissioner for Health and Safety at the Texas Department of Insurance and Margo Richards, senior VP of Community Resources at the Lower Colorado River Authority – Outstanding Leadership. First Lady Cecilia Abbott was a special guest speaker and Nathali Parker-Weisman, chairwoman of the Texas Governor’s Commission for Women, emceed. They and other speakers congratulated the winners and praised their strong leadership. Speaking of outstanding leadership, TJJD boasts two prior recipients of these biennial awards, which are sponsored by the Texas Governor’s Commission for Women and State Agency Council. TJJD Executive Director Shandra Carter won the Outstanding Professional Development Award for 2020, when she was serving as deputy executive director of the agency. Her award recognized her “selfless service” to Texans and her leadership role as a changemaker at the agency. Terri Dollar, TJJD’s director of Monitoring & Inspections, won a leadership award in 2004, when she was deputy director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, where she oversaw a broad range of support services. This year, TJJD Deputy Director for Business Operations Emily Anderson was a nominee for the Outstanding Leadership Award. Several hundred women and men attended the luncheon awards ceremony at the JW Marriott in Austin, which called out that 56 percent of Texas government agency and commission leaders are women! Goals of the Governor’s Commission for Women include making Texas the #1 state for women-owned business, promoting fostering and adoption and preventing human trafficking. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gTEYxR-i

At TJJD, the Regulation Zone and the MAPS Room are specially designed places 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, 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 land them in serious trouble, or worse, hurt someone. In the Regulation Zone or MAPS Room, youths can steady themselves in a quiet place and access sensory items to help them relax. They can speak with staff about their issues and get quality feedback. They can reflect on what caused their agitation and how they put the brakes on the situation. This is a big win for the rehabilitative process. The 15 or 30 minutes a youth spends in the RZ keeps them from possibly landing in a more restrictive setting. They can resume their rehabilitative path. In fact, they’ve learned something about how to steer away from trouble. Watch the video with TJJD Executive Director Shandra Carter and Operations Director Alan Michel to learn more about how the RZ and MAPS Rooms are improving safety, reducing the use of security and expanding options for youth and staff at TJJD. (Videography by TJJD's Daniel Doggett)

Texas Juvenile Justice Department has long been aware that many youths committed to state care for crimes such as aggravated assault, burglary or other felonies also have been victims of sex trafficking. These youths need counseling and services to help them recover from their exploitation. This is why, since 2018, TJJD has been screening all youths committed to state care for trafficking history. The agency uses the state-approved screening tool, called the Commercial Sexual Exploitation-Identification Tool or CSE-IT (pronounced “See It” because it shines light on an hidden problem). Youth who have a clear history of having been trafficked are coded as “clear concern” in their records. This tells case workers, counselors and others working with them at TJJD that they were likely trafficked. The other categorizations are “possible concern,” which means a youth may have been trafficked, and “no concern,” when a youth’s background does not involve trafficking or there’s a lack of information. Those who work with vulnerable youth may not be surprised to learn that typically more than half of the girls committed to state secure facilities are assessed as clear concern for having been trafficked. Taking a snapshot of the 991 youth under state supervision (in residence and on parole) this week shows that 51 girls and young women and 133 male youths are listed as “clear concern” for trafficking. Add those youths listed as “possible concern” and the group of youth affected grows much larger. For girls especially. Currently, 53 percent of the girls and young women under TJJD purview are assessed as clear concern and 90 percent are listed as either clear or possible concern. Research shows that trafficked youth typically have high ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) scores stemming from earlier abuse or neglect, a background that sets them up for being exploited. And, once exploited, their criminal offenses are often an outgrowth of those activities, said Ally Matteson, manager of Specialized Treatment Programs at TJJD. For instance, a youth might steal a car at the behest of her trafficker. “These adverse experiences end up having a cascading or snowball effect which I think contributes to the high needs of most trafficked youth in our system,” Matteson said.  Youth who’ve been trafficked have high rates of PTSD, depression, addiction and suicidal ideations. These youths are offered a variety of counseling while at TJJD that addresses their unique needs. Therapies may include Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). They are provided specific safe housing plans and may be referred to a trafficking advocacy group for help as they transition home. If you suspect someone is being trafficked and in danger, reach out to local law enforcement or call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP to 233733. More resources here: https://bit.ly/47LHrFB

A group from TJJD recently toured youth correctional facilities in Utah, anticipating the agency’s proposed new builds in Texas. The group -- State Programs Sr. Director Alan Michel, Training and Programming Director Chris Ellison, Sr. Director of Treatment Evan Norton and Director of Construction and Engineering Zachary Valdez -- visited three Utah facilities. They looked at modern building practices and safety features for youth corrections installations, with an eye to what TJJD would want to incorporate in new planned and budgeted state facilities in Texas. “I was impressed by the integration of natural light, the flow from one space to another and the safety elements that didn't feel classically correctional,” Norton said. “We spent time with a number of Utah staff and youth as we toured the facilities and were struck by the professionalism and dedication they showed.” The facilities toured were the Decker Lake Youth Center in West Valley City; the Weber Valley Youth Center in Ogden; the Salt Lake Valley Youth Center, in Salt Lake City.

Congrats to the latest two TJJD executives to be selected for the prestigious Governor’s Executive Development Program, a three-week intensive training for top leaders in Texas agencies and universities. Christopher Ellison, director of program development and training, and Jana Jones, chief general counsel, will attend the GEDP sessions, held in September, October and December. The Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs operates the program, which is designed for those in top positions with responsibility for developing the direction of their agencies. It covers organizational strategy, infrastructure and resource management and personal effectiveness. The trainings bring in experts to help participants learn more about leadership styles and how to best serve the public. Ellison has worked at TJJD for ten years helping shape and oversee the TJJD Training Academy, which trains staff in how to appropriately work with justice-involved youth. He previously served in leadership roles at Rite of Passage which provides programming to at-risk youth. Ellison has overseen detention and post-adjudication facilities in other states. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Texas A&M University and a master’s in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati. Jones joined TJJD in early 2024 after several years with the Special Prosecution Unit, where she was the juvenile division chief overseeing cases originating at TJJD secure facilities. She also served two terms as district attorney for the 271st District Court in Wise County. She began her career in the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office. Jones has a master’s in social work from the University of Texas at Arlington and a bachelor’s in Family Relations from Texas Tech University, where she also received her law degree. “I am honored to have been accepted into the fall 2024 class of the Governor’s Executive Development Program,” she said. “I appreciate this opportunity to elevate my leadership skills, learn more about state governance, and network with others in similar positions across the state.” TJJD Executive Director Shandra Carter nominated Ellison and Jones for the program. The Office of the Governor reviews the candidates and makes the selections. TJJD executives who’ve been selected for the program previously include: Sr. Director of Secure Facilities Alan Michel, Chief of Staff Rachel Gandy, Deputy Executive Director for Finance and Operations Emily Anderson and Deputy Executive Director Sean Grove. Michel and Grove have both lauded the program for helping them build skills, understand change management and meet peers across state agencies.

Attention, job seekers in the DFW area! The Dallas County Juvenile Probation Department will be hosting a job fair this coming Saturday, Aug. 24. The fair starts at 9 am and concludes at noon at the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center, 2600 Lone Star Dr., Dallas. The department is looking to hire juvenile detention officers, who earn $21 to $29 an hour. There also are openings for other positions and part-time opportunities. Qualified applicants can meet hiring managers and may get on-the-spot interviews. Contact [email protected] to confirm your attendance at this event or ask questions. Please bring copies of your resume with you.

Each week our staff and youth focus on one skill or set of skills taught by DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy). These were developed to help people effectively manage crisis situations and difficult emotions. DBT is being used in all aspects of daily life across TJJD campuses. This week, TJJD staffers are focusing on the DBT skill set dubbed IMPROVE, which is an acronym for a set of strategies people can use to cope with negative events and highly stressful situations. IMPROVE teaches the youth to use calming Imagery, draw Meaning from a crisis and employ Prayer and Relaxation to get through their struggle and tolerate the distress they feel. They may remind themselves, for example, that “God doesn’t give me challenges I cannot handle.” IMPROVE also counsels people to stay in that One moment as they negotiate a problem or any activity. To be “in the moment” means to be mindful, non-judgmental and accept the good and the bad. This can help a person distract themselves from a distressing event. IMPROVE further advises people to take a breather or mental break, a Vacation, from their struggle. Finally, IMPROVE encourages people using DBT skills to Encourage themselves by using their inner dialogue to say, “I can handle difficult things” or “I’m capable and I’ve got the skills to get through this.” The strategies contained within IMPROVE, as well as other DBT skills, are ultimately helping youth at TJJD build the resilience and social skillfulness they need to navigate the interpersonal situations and circumstances that previously roadblocked them from moving ahead with their goals. DBT skills help them pave the way to a more successful life. Yes, DBT can be a lot to unpack. At first blush it can sound difficult to understand -- the rarified province of psychologists and therapists. But in reality, it is a program that offers practical, social/emotional skills and techniques that adolescents can use to calm their life, accept what they cannot change and better manage or tolerate incidents that once caused them to act out against others or hurt themselves. Youth at TJJD have been learning and practicing DBT skills for several months and early reports indicate that these tools are incredibly useful. Furthermore, scientific research on using DBT with adolescents confirms its positive impact. We will talk more about the TJJD DBT program in stories and social posts to come. Stay tuned!

Congrats to TJJD’s Probation Services Director Ashley Kintzer for completing the Senior Management Program conducted by the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT-Austin. The two-week training, held in June and July in San Antonio, brought 55 state employees together to hear professors from UT and Texas State University. Classes covered leadership, communication and presentation skills, ethics, data analytics, organizational culture, negotiation and change management. 

TJJD is looking for teachers for our Lone Star High School at the McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility, in Mart. Teachers at TJJD schools provide a complete Texas public school curriculum to youth committed to secure state facilities. We are looking for talented and dedicated teachers for a range of positions with competitive salaries, strong benefits, and the chance for advancement. Perhaps most importantly, as a teacher at TJJD you can make a big difference in the lives of youths working to turn their lives around. #juvenilejustice #secondchance

Community service can help young people feel their worth and place in their world – and in the case of this project in Bryan, Texas, it is brightening both lives and townscapes. Read about this beautiful collaboration between The Arts Council of the Brazos Valley and the Brazos County Juvenile Services Department. Great work!