314TH DlSTRICT COURT

1200 CONGRESS

HOUSTON TEXAS 77002

(713) 222-4910

April 5 2012

To Whom It May Concern

In 2008 a group ofpeople from Austin began a push for a public defender

system in Harris County They were granted an opportunity to do a feasibility

study for a four-year pilot program We have heard the claim made that the cost

per case for the Public Defender is almost always lower than costs for assigned

counsel However by this groups own research their study showed that with

respect to the Juvenile Courts the average cost per case for a Public Defender

would be $64900 compared to $26400 or 2 Y2 times the current cost of our

assigned counsel system (see document 1) This higher cost for the Public

Defender does not include the cost of building out the thirteenth floor of the

criminal courthouse for public defender offices which approximated $18 million

dollars

WHAT THE FEASIBILITY STUDY FAILED TO CONSIDER

At about the same time the feasibility study was starting the juvenile judges

and juvenile probation department began implementing significant reforms After

several years of effort we were finally able to institute our Non-petitioned

Deferred Prosecution Program (youth placed on a special 6 month probation

without coming to court) which reduced case filings from approximately 12000 to

approximately 7500 cases per year (see document 2) The feasibility study team

used the 12000 case filing figure to formulate the percentage of cases they wanted

for their grant This was a huge mistake for which they have only themselves to

blame They failed to look into what we were doing in the Juvenile Courts

HARRIS COUNTY JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORMS

In 2009 after two years of careful study we instituted the Juvenile Mental

Health Court (see document 3) We were given the Public Policy and Law Center

award by Children at Risk for our efforts Further at about that time we partnered

with the Annie E Casey Foundation and continued our reforms which are

documented in the July 2010 edition of Harris County JDAI (see document 4)

We reduced the admissions to the Detention Center by 25 and eliminated the

Westside Detention Center We reduced TYC commitments by more than 70

which brought funds back to Harris County to assist with our programs and we

implemented expanded GED programs at our placement facilities Our programs

and efforts save Harris County millions of dollars and allow many juveniles to

avoid detention or placement and provides them with specialized treatment (see

document 5)

We created a racially neutral risk assessment instrument to determine

whether a juvenile is detained or released (see document 6) We established the

first Evening Reporting Center to further reduce detention placements and set up a

Youth Advisory Council in which successful probationers serve as peer mentors to

current probationers (see pages 3 4 document 4)

More than two years passed between the September 292009 approval of the

tnncept of the Public Defenders office and their opening for business in October

2011 By that time our petitions filed were down to just over 7000 and our many

other reforms were solidly in place (see document 7) This did not happen

overnight and the proponents of the Public Defender did not pay attention As a

result they hired more staff than they need and have become even more insecure

about meeting grant requirements concerning caseloads

Recently the Public Defender has decided to politicize their circumstance by

going to a group of pastors and to the media in an attempt to intimidate Harris

County Judges into using or expanding their use of the Public Defenders Office

(see document 8) I find this to be unprofessional and it has the appearance of

desperation Our reforms were all done without the existence or use ofa Public

Defenders Office Harris County is now a model for the rest of the country for

Juvenile Justice reform The millions of dollars we have saved Harris County

should continue to sustain and improve our reforms and should not be wasted on

another bureaucracy

In short there is no evidence that a Public Defenders office can be of any

benefit to the Harris County Juvenile Justice System

bull We know for a fact that they carit claim to save money over our

current system because their own figures show the Public Defenders

Office costs 2 liz times our current costs millions of dollars more than

we currently spend This is money that should be spent on mental

health treatment and vocational training for juveniles

bull The Public Defender cannot make the claim that they reduce detention

overcrowding because detention overcrowding doesnt exist

bull The Public Defender cannot claim that they can provide better

representation because many of their lawyers were hired from our

system and they were not the best in our system The assistant public

defender can visit his or her client at the detention center as many

times as they desire but that alone cannot affect or help to compare the

outcome ofa case

bull The Public Defender office is a four year pilot program However the

Public Defender office study team failed to put in place any

meaningful specific performance evaluation criteria that would allow

outcome comparison After the grant period of this pilot program the

Public Defenders office should be able to show why Harris County

tax payers should pay for this program

We are proud of our efforts and our results It is unfortunate that there are many

who are not aware of these achievements However our partners stakeholders

and families we serve know that historic reforms have been accomplished in Harris

County Juvenile Justice (see document 9)

John Phillips Judge 314t District Court Harris County TX

FEASffiILITY OF A JUVENliE PUBLIC DEFENDER OFFICE IN HARRIS COUNTY TEXAS

1 Indigent Caseload for fiscal year 2007-2008 (For the Period 1012007 Through 9302008)

Total Indigent Disposed Cases 9655 (excluding CPS cases)

Number of juveniles 8610 Total Amount Paid Assigned Counsel $2552044 $444

Assigned Counsel Cost Per Disposed Case $264 $444

Cases per attorney 94 avg

2 Public Defender Staff

Public Defender

Caseload (60 of 23 indigent disposed cases 9655) 3862

Number of attorneys

Needed (276 casesyr) (2 district courts 2 associate judges 1 detention court) 14 1 division chief

3 district court chiefs 3 district court 2 7 district court 3

Number of support Staff Needed 8

Feasibility of a Public Defenders Office In Harris County Texas

3 Public Defender BudgetSummary (5 of HCDA for estimation)

Total Staff Salary amp Benefits

Operating Expenses

Total Budget

Public Defender Cost Per Disposed Case

Amount Paid Assigned Counsel (40 cases of 23$264case 100 of 13 cases $264case)

Total amount paid Assigned Counsel amp Public Defender For Indigent Juvenile Cases

$ 2407959

$100809

$ 2508768

$649

$679712 $849640

$4038120

4 District Attorney Caseload for fiscal year 2007-2008

Office-wide Dispositions Felony Dispositions

Misdemeanor Dispositions

Juvenile Dispositions

Total

Budget

Cost per Case

Caseload

51188

83350

18161

152699

$50175344

$329

527 casesatty

Office-wide Positions Attorneys 289

Investigators 64

ClericalSupport 164

Juvenile Diyision Attorneys 19 fullmiddottime

1 part time Investigators 2

Clerical 6

Juvenile Division Caseload 931 cases per attorney

Juvenile Division Case Filings 2002 to 2011

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Delinquency 12000 12180 14040 13291 15172 14847 12810 8625 7443 7122

CPSAncillary 1265 1036 1005 1140 985 778 722 1118 964 1146

bull Delinquency iii CPSIAncillary

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

20000

15000

10000

5000

Note A pretrial diversion program was put in place beginning in 2009

Source Harris County District Clerk

Some of Our Partners

Special Needs Program (SNPMHMRA) The SNP is funded by TCOOMMI through MHMRA and offers four teams each comshyprising a probation officer and a therapist to provide intensive in-home monitoring and treatment for youth with chronic and serious mental health problems

Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) MST is an evidence based treatment that attempts to address behavioral and mental health issues through intensive family and comshymunity based intervention

Wraparound Care Team The Care Team consists of a Parent Partner and a Therashypist The team seeks to promote the full potential of every child and youth by supshyporting the family with wraparound sershyvices to address their physical emotional intellectual cultural and social needs

Judge John Phillips 314th Juvenile District Court

Judge John Phillips JD earned his doctor of jurisprudence degree from the South Texas College of Law and is a native Houstonian Judge Phillips has an extensive background in practicing law beginning as an Assistant District Attomey (1981 1985) and moving on to a private practice for nearly two decades until 2002 when he was elected to the 314th District Court Judge Phillips was re-elected to the bench in 2006 and currently serves as the Administrative Judge of the Juvenile Division He is coshychair of the Harris County Juvenile Board and Chair of the Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Altematives Initiative (JDAI) Manshyagement Oversight Committee

Judge Phillips presides over the Juvenile Mental Health Court (MHC) of Harris County in the 314th District Court and considers it highly rewarding and one of his proudest accomplishments

-- Juvenile Mental Health Court

of Harris County

I

3 1

I ~

314th Juvenile District Court Judge John Phillips

I tarns County Juvenile Justice Center 1200 Congress

Houston Texas 77002 7132224100

How did we get here

Nationally the prevalence of mental illness among youth in the community is approxishymately 20 percent however for youth in the Juvenile Justice system menta illness estimates range from 50 to 80 percent A lack of accessible community mental health services forces families to resort to the juvenile justice system as they struggle to manage their childs escalating behavshyioral and emotional problems This is a parshyticularly critical issue in Texas which ranks 49 th in funding for mental health services

In Harris County 52 of our juvenile ofshyfenders in detention have some form of menta illness and 57 have substance abuse problems

-11[ rbull l

The Challenge

Mentally ill juvenile offenders are often adshyjudicated and placed in facilities that are ill -equipped to address underlying clinical issues Not surprisingly placement in a punishytive environment often exacerbates mental illness and leads to an escalation in sympshytoms and behavior which most institutional staff are not trained to manage effectively Worse recent research indicates simply placing a child in detention or a secure facility exponentially increases the likelishyhood of future criminal involvement likely the result of exposure to delinquency peer -modeling

Building Strong Families

Removing a youth from famishyly and commushynity isolates the child in an artifishycial environshyment and makes successshyful reintegration

unlikely In many cases the roots of a childs delinquency are deeply embedded in the larger family context Any progress is unlikely to be sustained without family involvement

Our Solution

For mentally ill youth who can be safely manshyaged in the community the ideal Intervention is an intensive community-based program that focuses on the entire family

Mental health courts were developed to efshyfectively address the underlying issues related to offending behavior while emphasizing pubshylic safety and personal accountability Further by encouraging community-based treatment instead of residential placement mental health courts foster the development of altershynatives to detention for troubled youth

In response to the growing number of mentally ill youth appearing before him Judge John Phillips of the 3141h Juvenile District Court proshyposed such a court In 2008 Commissioners Court approved the funding for Harris Countys first Juveshy

~I I ~ J nile Mental Health

~-~1 ~~ Court In 2009 the first cohort was enshy ~ Irolled and docketed

For more information contact us

Rebecca deCamara JD 7132224252

RebeccaDecamarahcjpdhctxnet II

Or visit our website at httpwwwhcjpdorg

MentalHealthCourt indexhtml

Deferred Prosecution Program (youth placed on a special 6 month probation

without coming to court) which reduced case filings from approximately 12000 to

approximately 7500 cases per year (see document 2) The feasibility study team

used the 12000 case filing figure to formulate the percentage of cases they wanted

for their grant This was a huge mistake for which they have only themselves to

blame They failed to look into what we were doing in the Juvenile Courts

HARRIS COUNTY JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORMS

In 2009 after two years of careful study we instituted the Juvenile Mental

Health Court (see document 3) We were given the Public Policy and Law Center

award by Children at Risk for our efforts Further at about that time we partnered

with the Annie E Casey Foundation and continued our reforms which are

documented in the July 2010 edition of Harris County JDAI (see document 4)

We reduced the admissions to the Detention Center by 25 and eliminated the

Westside Detention Center We reduced TYC commitments by more than 70

which brought funds back to Harris County to assist with our programs and we

implemented expanded GED programs at our placement facilities Our programs

and efforts save Harris County millions of dollars and allow many juveniles to

avoid detention or placement and provides them with specialized treatment (see

document 5)

We created a racially neutral risk assessment instrument to determine

whether a juvenile is detained or released (see document 6) We established the

first Evening Reporting Center to further reduce detention placements and set up a

Youth Advisory Council in which successful probationers serve as peer mentors to

current probationers (see pages 3 4 document 4)

More than two years passed between the September 292009 approval of the

tnncept of the Public Defenders office and their opening for business in October

2011 By that time our petitions filed were down to just over 7000 and our many

other reforms were solidly in place (see document 7) This did not happen

overnight and the proponents of the Public Defender did not pay attention As a

result they hired more staff than they need and have become even more insecure

about meeting grant requirements concerning caseloads

Recently the Public Defender has decided to politicize their circumstance by

going to a group of pastors and to the media in an attempt to intimidate Harris

County Judges into using or expanding their use of the Public Defenders Office

(see document 8) I find this to be unprofessional and it has the appearance of

desperation Our reforms were all done without the existence or use ofa Public

Defenders Office Harris County is now a model for the rest of the country for

Juvenile Justice reform The millions of dollars we have saved Harris County

should continue to sustain and improve our reforms and should not be wasted on

another bureaucracy

In short there is no evidence that a Public Defenders office can be of any

benefit to the Harris County Juvenile Justice System

bull We know for a fact that they carit claim to save money over our

current system because their own figures show the Public Defenders

Office costs 2 liz times our current costs millions of dollars more than

we currently spend This is money that should be spent on mental

health treatment and vocational training for juveniles

bull The Public Defender cannot make the claim that they reduce detention

overcrowding because detention overcrowding doesnt exist

bull The Public Defender cannot claim that they can provide better

representation because many of their lawyers were hired from our

system and they were not the best in our system The assistant public

defender can visit his or her client at the detention center as many

times as they desire but that alone cannot affect or help to compare the

outcome ofa case

bull The Public Defender office is a four year pilot program However the

Public Defender office study team failed to put in place any

meaningful specific performance evaluation criteria that would allow

outcome comparison After the grant period of this pilot program the

Public Defenders office should be able to show why Harris County

tax payers should pay for this program

We are proud of our efforts and our results It is unfortunate that there are many

who are not aware of these achievements However our partners stakeholders

and families we serve know that historic reforms have been accomplished in Harris

County Juvenile Justice (see document 9)

John Phillips Judge 314t District Court Harris County TX

FEASffiILITY OF A JUVENliE PUBLIC DEFENDER OFFICE IN HARRIS COUNTY TEXAS

1 Indigent Caseload for fiscal year 2007-2008 (For the Period 1012007 Through 9302008)

Total Indigent Disposed Cases 9655 (excluding CPS cases)

Number of juveniles 8610 Total Amount Paid Assigned Counsel $2552044 $444

Assigned Counsel Cost Per Disposed Case $264 $444

Cases per attorney 94 avg

2 Public Defender Staff

Public Defender

Caseload (60 of 23 indigent disposed cases 9655) 3862

Number of attorneys

Needed (276 casesyr) (2 district courts 2 associate judges 1 detention court) 14 1 division chief

3 district court chiefs 3 district court 2 7 district court 3

Number of support Staff Needed 8

Feasibility of a Public Defenders Office In Harris County Texas

3 Public Defender BudgetSummary (5 of HCDA for estimation)

Total Staff Salary amp Benefits

Operating Expenses

Total Budget

Public Defender Cost Per Disposed Case

Amount Paid Assigned Counsel (40 cases of 23$264case 100 of 13 cases $264case)

Total amount paid Assigned Counsel amp Public Defender For Indigent Juvenile Cases

$ 2407959

$100809

$ 2508768

$649

$679712 $849640

$4038120

4 District Attorney Caseload for fiscal year 2007-2008

Office-wide Dispositions Felony Dispositions

Misdemeanor Dispositions

Juvenile Dispositions

Total

Budget

Cost per Case

Caseload

51188

83350

18161

152699

$50175344

$329

527 casesatty

Office-wide Positions Attorneys 289

Investigators 64

ClericalSupport 164

Juvenile Diyision Attorneys 19 fullmiddottime

1 part time Investigators 2

Clerical 6

Juvenile Division Caseload 931 cases per attorney

Juvenile Division Case Filings 2002 to 2011

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Delinquency 12000 12180 14040 13291 15172 14847 12810 8625 7443 7122

CPSAncillary 1265 1036 1005 1140 985 778 722 1118 964 1146

bull Delinquency iii CPSIAncillary

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

20000

15000

10000

5000

Note A pretrial diversion program was put in place beginning in 2009

Source Harris County District Clerk

Some of Our Partners

Special Needs Program (SNPMHMRA) The SNP is funded by TCOOMMI through MHMRA and offers four teams each comshyprising a probation officer and a therapist to provide intensive in-home monitoring and treatment for youth with chronic and serious mental health problems

Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) MST is an evidence based treatment that attempts to address behavioral and mental health issues through intensive family and comshymunity based intervention

Wraparound Care Team The Care Team consists of a Parent Partner and a Therashypist The team seeks to promote the full potential of every child and youth by supshyporting the family with wraparound sershyvices to address their physical emotional intellectual cultural and social needs

Judge John Phillips 314th Juvenile District Court

Judge John Phillips JD earned his doctor of jurisprudence degree from the South Texas College of Law and is a native Houstonian Judge Phillips has an extensive background in practicing law beginning as an Assistant District Attomey (1981 1985) and moving on to a private practice for nearly two decades until 2002 when he was elected to the 314th District Court Judge Phillips was re-elected to the bench in 2006 and currently serves as the Administrative Judge of the Juvenile Division He is coshychair of the Harris County Juvenile Board and Chair of the Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Altematives Initiative (JDAI) Manshyagement Oversight Committee

Judge Phillips presides over the Juvenile Mental Health Court (MHC) of Harris County in the 314th District Court and considers it highly rewarding and one of his proudest accomplishments

-- Juvenile Mental Health Court

of Harris County

I

3 1

I ~

314th Juvenile District Court Judge John Phillips

I tarns County Juvenile Justice Center 1200 Congress

Houston Texas 77002 7132224100

How did we get here

Nationally the prevalence of mental illness among youth in the community is approxishymately 20 percent however for youth in the Juvenile Justice system menta illness estimates range from 50 to 80 percent A lack of accessible community mental health services forces families to resort to the juvenile justice system as they struggle to manage their childs escalating behavshyioral and emotional problems This is a parshyticularly critical issue in Texas which ranks 49 th in funding for mental health services

In Harris County 52 of our juvenile ofshyfenders in detention have some form of menta illness and 57 have substance abuse problems

-11[ rbull l

The Challenge

Mentally ill juvenile offenders are often adshyjudicated and placed in facilities that are ill -equipped to address underlying clinical issues Not surprisingly placement in a punishytive environment often exacerbates mental illness and leads to an escalation in sympshytoms and behavior which most institutional staff are not trained to manage effectively Worse recent research indicates simply placing a child in detention or a secure facility exponentially increases the likelishyhood of future criminal involvement likely the result of exposure to delinquency peer -modeling

Building Strong Families

Removing a youth from famishyly and commushynity isolates the child in an artifishycial environshyment and makes successshyful reintegration

unlikely In many cases the roots of a childs delinquency are deeply embedded in the larger family context Any progress is unlikely to be sustained without family involvement

Our Solution

For mentally ill youth who can be safely manshyaged in the community the ideal Intervention is an intensive community-based program that focuses on the entire family

Mental health courts were developed to efshyfectively address the underlying issues related to offending behavior while emphasizing pubshylic safety and personal accountability Further by encouraging community-based treatment instead of residential placement mental health courts foster the development of altershynatives to detention for troubled youth

In response to the growing number of mentally ill youth appearing before him Judge John Phillips of the 3141h Juvenile District Court proshyposed such a court In 2008 Commissioners Court approved the funding for Harris Countys first Juveshy

~I I ~ J nile Mental Health

~-~1 ~~ Court In 2009 the first cohort was enshy ~ Irolled and docketed

For more information contact us

Rebecca deCamara JD 7132224252

RebeccaDecamarahcjpdhctxnet II

Or visit our website at httpwwwhcjpdorg

MentalHealthCourt indexhtml

More than two years passed between the September 292009 approval of the

tnncept of the Public Defenders office and their opening for business in October

2011 By that time our petitions filed were down to just over 7000 and our many

other reforms were solidly in place (see document 7) This did not happen

overnight and the proponents of the Public Defender did not pay attention As a

result they hired more staff than they need and have become even more insecure

about meeting grant requirements concerning caseloads

Recently the Public Defender has decided to politicize their circumstance by

going to a group of pastors and to the media in an attempt to intimidate Harris

County Judges into using or expanding their use of the Public Defenders Office

(see document 8) I find this to be unprofessional and it has the appearance of

desperation Our reforms were all done without the existence or use ofa Public

Defenders Office Harris County is now a model for the rest of the country for

Juvenile Justice reform The millions of dollars we have saved Harris County

should continue to sustain and improve our reforms and should not be wasted on

another bureaucracy

In short there is no evidence that a Public Defenders office can be of any

benefit to the Harris County Juvenile Justice System

bull We know for a fact that they carit claim to save money over our

current system because their own figures show the Public Defenders

Office costs 2 liz times our current costs millions of dollars more than

we currently spend This is money that should be spent on mental

health treatment and vocational training for juveniles

bull The Public Defender cannot make the claim that they reduce detention

overcrowding because detention overcrowding doesnt exist

bull The Public Defender cannot claim that they can provide better

representation because many of their lawyers were hired from our

system and they were not the best in our system The assistant public

defender can visit his or her client at the detention center as many

times as they desire but that alone cannot affect or help to compare the

outcome ofa case

bull The Public Defender office is a four year pilot program However the

Public Defender office study team failed to put in place any

meaningful specific performance evaluation criteria that would allow

outcome comparison After the grant period of this pilot program the

Public Defenders office should be able to show why Harris County

tax payers should pay for this program

We are proud of our efforts and our results It is unfortunate that there are many

who are not aware of these achievements However our partners stakeholders

and families we serve know that historic reforms have been accomplished in Harris

County Juvenile Justice (see document 9)

John Phillips Judge 314t District Court Harris County TX

FEASffiILITY OF A JUVENliE PUBLIC DEFENDER OFFICE IN HARRIS COUNTY TEXAS

1 Indigent Caseload for fiscal year 2007-2008 (For the Period 1012007 Through 9302008)

Total Indigent Disposed Cases 9655 (excluding CPS cases)

Number of juveniles 8610 Total Amount Paid Assigned Counsel $2552044 $444

Assigned Counsel Cost Per Disposed Case $264 $444

Cases per attorney 94 avg

2 Public Defender Staff

Public Defender

Caseload (60 of 23 indigent disposed cases 9655) 3862

Number of attorneys

Needed (276 casesyr) (2 district courts 2 associate judges 1 detention court) 14 1 division chief

3 district court chiefs 3 district court 2 7 district court 3

Number of support Staff Needed 8

Feasibility of a Public Defenders Office In Harris County Texas

3 Public Defender BudgetSummary (5 of HCDA for estimation)

Total Staff Salary amp Benefits

Operating Expenses

Total Budget

Public Defender Cost Per Disposed Case

Amount Paid Assigned Counsel (40 cases of 23$264case 100 of 13 cases $264case)

Total amount paid Assigned Counsel amp Public Defender For Indigent Juvenile Cases

$ 2407959

$100809

$ 2508768

$649

$679712 $849640

$4038120

4 District Attorney Caseload for fiscal year 2007-2008

Office-wide Dispositions Felony Dispositions

Misdemeanor Dispositions

Juvenile Dispositions

Total

Budget

Cost per Case

Caseload

51188

83350

18161

152699

$50175344

$329

527 casesatty

Office-wide Positions Attorneys 289

Investigators 64

ClericalSupport 164

Juvenile Diyision Attorneys 19 fullmiddottime

1 part time Investigators 2

Clerical 6

Juvenile Division Caseload 931 cases per attorney

Juvenile Division Case Filings 2002 to 2011

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Delinquency 12000 12180 14040 13291 15172 14847 12810 8625 7443 7122

CPSAncillary 1265 1036 1005 1140 985 778 722 1118 964 1146

bull Delinquency iii CPSIAncillary

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

20000

15000

10000

5000

Note A pretrial diversion program was put in place beginning in 2009

Source Harris County District Clerk

Some of Our Partners

Special Needs Program (SNPMHMRA) The SNP is funded by TCOOMMI through MHMRA and offers four teams each comshyprising a probation officer and a therapist to provide intensive in-home monitoring and treatment for youth with chronic and serious mental health problems

Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) MST is an evidence based treatment that attempts to address behavioral and mental health issues through intensive family and comshymunity based intervention

Wraparound Care Team The Care Team consists of a Parent Partner and a Therashypist The team seeks to promote the full potential of every child and youth by supshyporting the family with wraparound sershyvices to address their physical emotional intellectual cultural and social needs

Judge John Phillips 314th Juvenile District Court

Judge John Phillips JD earned his doctor of jurisprudence degree from the South Texas College of Law and is a native Houstonian Judge Phillips has an extensive background in practicing law beginning as an Assistant District Attomey (1981 1985) and moving on to a private practice for nearly two decades until 2002 when he was elected to the 314th District Court Judge Phillips was re-elected to the bench in 2006 and currently serves as the Administrative Judge of the Juvenile Division He is coshychair of the Harris County Juvenile Board and Chair of the Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Altematives Initiative (JDAI) Manshyagement Oversight Committee

Judge Phillips presides over the Juvenile Mental Health Court (MHC) of Harris County in the 314th District Court and considers it highly rewarding and one of his proudest accomplishments

-- Juvenile Mental Health Court

of Harris County

I

3 1

I ~

314th Juvenile District Court Judge John Phillips

I tarns County Juvenile Justice Center 1200 Congress

Houston Texas 77002 7132224100

How did we get here

Nationally the prevalence of mental illness among youth in the community is approxishymately 20 percent however for youth in the Juvenile Justice system menta illness estimates range from 50 to 80 percent A lack of accessible community mental health services forces families to resort to the juvenile justice system as they struggle to manage their childs escalating behavshyioral and emotional problems This is a parshyticularly critical issue in Texas which ranks 49 th in funding for mental health services

In Harris County 52 of our juvenile ofshyfenders in detention have some form of menta illness and 57 have substance abuse problems

-11[ rbull l

The Challenge

Mentally ill juvenile offenders are often adshyjudicated and placed in facilities that are ill -equipped to address underlying clinical issues Not surprisingly placement in a punishytive environment often exacerbates mental illness and leads to an escalation in sympshytoms and behavior which most institutional staff are not trained to manage effectively Worse recent research indicates simply placing a child in detention or a secure facility exponentially increases the likelishyhood of future criminal involvement likely the result of exposure to delinquency peer -modeling

Building Strong Families

Removing a youth from famishyly and commushynity isolates the child in an artifishycial environshyment and makes successshyful reintegration

unlikely In many cases the roots of a childs delinquency are deeply embedded in the larger family context Any progress is unlikely to be sustained without family involvement

Our Solution

For mentally ill youth who can be safely manshyaged in the community the ideal Intervention is an intensive community-based program that focuses on the entire family

Mental health courts were developed to efshyfectively address the underlying issues related to offending behavior while emphasizing pubshylic safety and personal accountability Further by encouraging community-based treatment instead of residential placement mental health courts foster the development of altershynatives to detention for troubled youth

In response to the growing number of mentally ill youth appearing before him Judge John Phillips of the 3141h Juvenile District Court proshyposed such a court In 2008 Commissioners Court approved the funding for Harris Countys first Juveshy

~I I ~ J nile Mental Health

~-~1 ~~ Court In 2009 the first cohort was enshy ~ Irolled and docketed

For more information contact us

Rebecca deCamara JD 7132224252

RebeccaDecamarahcjpdhctxnet II

Or visit our website at httpwwwhcjpdorg

MentalHealthCourt indexhtml

bull The Public Defender cannot claim that they can provide better

representation because many of their lawyers were hired from our

system and they were not the best in our system The assistant public

defender can visit his or her client at the detention center as many

times as they desire but that alone cannot affect or help to compare the

outcome ofa case

bull The Public Defender office is a four year pilot program However the

Public Defender office study team failed to put in place any

meaningful specific performance evaluation criteria that would allow

outcome comparison After the grant period of this pilot program the

Public Defenders office should be able to show why Harris County

tax payers should pay for this program

We are proud of our efforts and our results It is unfortunate that there are many

who are not aware of these achievements However our partners stakeholders

and families we serve know that historic reforms have been accomplished in Harris

County Juvenile Justice (see document 9)

John Phillips Judge 314t District Court Harris County TX

FEASffiILITY OF A JUVENliE PUBLIC DEFENDER OFFICE IN HARRIS COUNTY TEXAS

1 Indigent Caseload for fiscal year 2007-2008 (For the Period 1012007 Through 9302008)

Total Indigent Disposed Cases 9655 (excluding CPS cases)

Number of juveniles 8610 Total Amount Paid Assigned Counsel $2552044 $444

Assigned Counsel Cost Per Disposed Case $264 $444

Cases per attorney 94 avg

2 Public Defender Staff

Public Defender

Caseload (60 of 23 indigent disposed cases 9655) 3862

Number of attorneys

Needed (276 casesyr) (2 district courts 2 associate judges 1 detention court) 14 1 division chief

3 district court chiefs 3 district court 2 7 district court 3

Number of support Staff Needed 8

Feasibility of a Public Defenders Office In Harris County Texas

3 Public Defender BudgetSummary (5 of HCDA for estimation)

Total Staff Salary amp Benefits

Operating Expenses

Total Budget

Public Defender Cost Per Disposed Case

Amount Paid Assigned Counsel (40 cases of 23$264case 100 of 13 cases $264case)

Total amount paid Assigned Counsel amp Public Defender For Indigent Juvenile Cases

$ 2407959

$100809

$ 2508768

$649

$679712 $849640

$4038120

4 District Attorney Caseload for fiscal year 2007-2008

Office-wide Dispositions Felony Dispositions

Misdemeanor Dispositions

Juvenile Dispositions

Total

Budget

Cost per Case

Caseload

51188

83350

18161

152699

$50175344

$329

527 casesatty

Office-wide Positions Attorneys 289

Investigators 64

ClericalSupport 164

Juvenile Diyision Attorneys 19 fullmiddottime

1 part time Investigators 2

Clerical 6

Juvenile Division Caseload 931 cases per attorney

Juvenile Division Case Filings 2002 to 2011

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Delinquency 12000 12180 14040 13291 15172 14847 12810 8625 7443 7122

CPSAncillary 1265 1036 1005 1140 985 778 722 1118 964 1146

bull Delinquency iii CPSIAncillary

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

20000

15000

10000

5000

Note A pretrial diversion program was put in place beginning in 2009

Source Harris County District Clerk

Some of Our Partners

Special Needs Program (SNPMHMRA) The SNP is funded by TCOOMMI through MHMRA and offers four teams each comshyprising a probation officer and a therapist to provide intensive in-home monitoring and treatment for youth with chronic and serious mental health problems

Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) MST is an evidence based treatment that attempts to address behavioral and mental health issues through intensive family and comshymunity based intervention

Wraparound Care Team The Care Team consists of a Parent Partner and a Therashypist The team seeks to promote the full potential of every child and youth by supshyporting the family with wraparound sershyvices to address their physical emotional intellectual cultural and social needs

Judge John Phillips 314th Juvenile District Court

Judge John Phillips JD earned his doctor of jurisprudence degree from the South Texas College of Law and is a native Houstonian Judge Phillips has an extensive background in practicing law beginning as an Assistant District Attomey (1981 1985) and moving on to a private practice for nearly two decades until 2002 when he was elected to the 314th District Court Judge Phillips was re-elected to the bench in 2006 and currently serves as the Administrative Judge of the Juvenile Division He is coshychair of the Harris County Juvenile Board and Chair of the Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Altematives Initiative (JDAI) Manshyagement Oversight Committee

Judge Phillips presides over the Juvenile Mental Health Court (MHC) of Harris County in the 314th District Court and considers it highly rewarding and one of his proudest accomplishments

-- Juvenile Mental Health Court

of Harris County

I

3 1

I ~

314th Juvenile District Court Judge John Phillips

I tarns County Juvenile Justice Center 1200 Congress

Houston Texas 77002 7132224100

How did we get here

Nationally the prevalence of mental illness among youth in the community is approxishymately 20 percent however for youth in the Juvenile Justice system menta illness estimates range from 50 to 80 percent A lack of accessible community mental health services forces families to resort to the juvenile justice system as they struggle to manage their childs escalating behavshyioral and emotional problems This is a parshyticularly critical issue in Texas which ranks 49 th in funding for mental health services

In Harris County 52 of our juvenile ofshyfenders in detention have some form of menta illness and 57 have substance abuse problems

-11[ rbull l

The Challenge

Mentally ill juvenile offenders are often adshyjudicated and placed in facilities that are ill -equipped to address underlying clinical issues Not surprisingly placement in a punishytive environment often exacerbates mental illness and leads to an escalation in sympshytoms and behavior which most institutional staff are not trained to manage effectively Worse recent research indicates simply placing a child in detention or a secure facility exponentially increases the likelishyhood of future criminal involvement likely the result of exposure to delinquency peer -modeling

Building Strong Families

Removing a youth from famishyly and commushynity isolates the child in an artifishycial environshyment and makes successshyful reintegration

unlikely In many cases the roots of a childs delinquency are deeply embedded in the larger family context Any progress is unlikely to be sustained without family involvement

Our Solution

For mentally ill youth who can be safely manshyaged in the community the ideal Intervention is an intensive community-based program that focuses on the entire family

Mental health courts were developed to efshyfectively address the underlying issues related to offending behavior while emphasizing pubshylic safety and personal accountability Further by encouraging community-based treatment instead of residential placement mental health courts foster the development of altershynatives to detention for troubled youth

In response to the growing number of mentally ill youth appearing before him Judge John Phillips of the 3141h Juvenile District Court proshyposed such a court In 2008 Commissioners Court approved the funding for Harris Countys first Juveshy

~I I ~ J nile Mental Health

~-~1 ~~ Court In 2009 the first cohort was enshy ~ Irolled and docketed

For more information contact us

Rebecca deCamara JD 7132224252

RebeccaDecamarahcjpdhctxnet II

Or visit our website at httpwwwhcjpdorg

MentalHealthCourt indexhtml

FEASffiILITY OF A JUVENliE PUBLIC DEFENDER OFFICE IN HARRIS COUNTY TEXAS

1 Indigent Caseload for fiscal year 2007-2008 (For the Period 1012007 Through 9302008)

Total Indigent Disposed Cases 9655 (excluding CPS cases)

Number of juveniles 8610 Total Amount Paid Assigned Counsel $2552044 $444

Assigned Counsel Cost Per Disposed Case $264 $444

Cases per attorney 94 avg

2 Public Defender Staff

Public Defender

Caseload (60 of 23 indigent disposed cases 9655) 3862

Number of attorneys

Needed (276 casesyr) (2 district courts 2 associate judges 1 detention court) 14 1 division chief

3 district court chiefs 3 district court 2 7 district court 3

Number of support Staff Needed 8

Feasibility of a Public Defenders Office In Harris County Texas

3 Public Defender BudgetSummary (5 of HCDA for estimation)

Total Staff Salary amp Benefits

Operating Expenses

Total Budget

Public Defender Cost Per Disposed Case

Amount Paid Assigned Counsel (40 cases of 23$264case 100 of 13 cases $264case)

Total amount paid Assigned Counsel amp Public Defender For Indigent Juvenile Cases

$ 2407959

$100809

$ 2508768

$649

$679712 $849640

$4038120

4 District Attorney Caseload for fiscal year 2007-2008

Office-wide Dispositions Felony Dispositions

Misdemeanor Dispositions

Juvenile Dispositions

Total

Budget

Cost per Case

Caseload

51188

83350

18161

152699

$50175344

$329

527 casesatty

Office-wide Positions Attorneys 289

Investigators 64

ClericalSupport 164

Juvenile Diyision Attorneys 19 fullmiddottime

1 part time Investigators 2

Clerical 6

Juvenile Division Caseload 931 cases per attorney

Juvenile Division Case Filings 2002 to 2011

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Delinquency 12000 12180 14040 13291 15172 14847 12810 8625 7443 7122

CPSAncillary 1265 1036 1005 1140 985 778 722 1118 964 1146

bull Delinquency iii CPSIAncillary

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

20000

15000

10000

5000

Note A pretrial diversion program was put in place beginning in 2009

Source Harris County District Clerk

Some of Our Partners

Special Needs Program (SNPMHMRA) The SNP is funded by TCOOMMI through MHMRA and offers four teams each comshyprising a probation officer and a therapist to provide intensive in-home monitoring and treatment for youth with chronic and serious mental health problems

Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) MST is an evidence based treatment that attempts to address behavioral and mental health issues through intensive family and comshymunity based intervention

Wraparound Care Team The Care Team consists of a Parent Partner and a Therashypist The team seeks to promote the full potential of every child and youth by supshyporting the family with wraparound sershyvices to address their physical emotional intellectual cultural and social needs

Judge John Phillips 314th Juvenile District Court

Judge John Phillips JD earned his doctor of jurisprudence degree from the South Texas College of Law and is a native Houstonian Judge Phillips has an extensive background in practicing law beginning as an Assistant District Attomey (1981 1985) and moving on to a private practice for nearly two decades until 2002 when he was elected to the 314th District Court Judge Phillips was re-elected to the bench in 2006 and currently serves as the Administrative Judge of the Juvenile Division He is coshychair of the Harris County Juvenile Board and Chair of the Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Altematives Initiative (JDAI) Manshyagement Oversight Committee

Judge Phillips presides over the Juvenile Mental Health Court (MHC) of Harris County in the 314th District Court and considers it highly rewarding and one of his proudest accomplishments

-- Juvenile Mental Health Court

of Harris County

I

3 1

I ~

314th Juvenile District Court Judge John Phillips

I tarns County Juvenile Justice Center 1200 Congress

Houston Texas 77002 7132224100

How did we get here

Nationally the prevalence of mental illness among youth in the community is approxishymately 20 percent however for youth in the Juvenile Justice system menta illness estimates range from 50 to 80 percent A lack of accessible community mental health services forces families to resort to the juvenile justice system as they struggle to manage their childs escalating behavshyioral and emotional problems This is a parshyticularly critical issue in Texas which ranks 49 th in funding for mental health services

In Harris County 52 of our juvenile ofshyfenders in detention have some form of menta illness and 57 have substance abuse problems

-11[ rbull l

The Challenge

Mentally ill juvenile offenders are often adshyjudicated and placed in facilities that are ill -equipped to address underlying clinical issues Not surprisingly placement in a punishytive environment often exacerbates mental illness and leads to an escalation in sympshytoms and behavior which most institutional staff are not trained to manage effectively Worse recent research indicates simply placing a child in detention or a secure facility exponentially increases the likelishyhood of future criminal involvement likely the result of exposure to delinquency peer -modeling

Building Strong Families

Removing a youth from famishyly and commushynity isolates the child in an artifishycial environshyment and makes successshyful reintegration

unlikely In many cases the roots of a childs delinquency are deeply embedded in the larger family context Any progress is unlikely to be sustained without family involvement

Our Solution

For mentally ill youth who can be safely manshyaged in the community the ideal Intervention is an intensive community-based program that focuses on the entire family

Mental health courts were developed to efshyfectively address the underlying issues related to offending behavior while emphasizing pubshylic safety and personal accountability Further by encouraging community-based treatment instead of residential placement mental health courts foster the development of altershynatives to detention for troubled youth

In response to the growing number of mentally ill youth appearing before him Judge John Phillips of the 3141h Juvenile District Court proshyposed such a court In 2008 Commissioners Court approved the funding for Harris Countys first Juveshy

~I I ~ J nile Mental Health

~-~1 ~~ Court In 2009 the first cohort was enshy ~ Irolled and docketed

For more information contact us

Rebecca deCamara JD 7132224252

RebeccaDecamarahcjpdhctxnet II

Or visit our website at httpwwwhcjpdorg

MentalHealthCourt indexhtml

Feasibility of a Public Defenders Office In Harris County Texas

3 Public Defender BudgetSummary (5 of HCDA for estimation)

Total Staff Salary amp Benefits

Operating Expenses

Total Budget

Public Defender Cost Per Disposed Case

Amount Paid Assigned Counsel (40 cases of 23$264case 100 of 13 cases $264case)

Total amount paid Assigned Counsel amp Public Defender For Indigent Juvenile Cases

$ 2407959

$100809

$ 2508768

$649

$679712 $849640

$4038120

4 District Attorney Caseload for fiscal year 2007-2008

Office-wide Dispositions Felony Dispositions

Misdemeanor Dispositions

Juvenile Dispositions

Total

Budget

Cost per Case

Caseload

51188

83350

18161

152699

$50175344

$329

527 casesatty

Office-wide Positions Attorneys 289

Investigators 64

ClericalSupport 164

Juvenile Diyision Attorneys 19 fullmiddottime

1 part time Investigators 2

Clerical 6

Juvenile Division Caseload 931 cases per attorney

Juvenile Division Case Filings 2002 to 2011

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Delinquency 12000 12180 14040 13291 15172 14847 12810 8625 7443 7122

CPSAncillary 1265 1036 1005 1140 985 778 722 1118 964 1146

bull Delinquency iii CPSIAncillary

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

20000

15000

10000

5000

Note A pretrial diversion program was put in place beginning in 2009

Source Harris County District Clerk

Some of Our Partners

Special Needs Program (SNPMHMRA) The SNP is funded by TCOOMMI through MHMRA and offers four teams each comshyprising a probation officer and a therapist to provide intensive in-home monitoring and treatment for youth with chronic and serious mental health problems

Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) MST is an evidence based treatment that attempts to address behavioral and mental health issues through intensive family and comshymunity based intervention

Wraparound Care Team The Care Team consists of a Parent Partner and a Therashypist The team seeks to promote the full potential of every child and youth by supshyporting the family with wraparound sershyvices to address their physical emotional intellectual cultural and social needs

Judge John Phillips 314th Juvenile District Court

Judge John Phillips JD earned his doctor of jurisprudence degree from the South Texas College of Law and is a native Houstonian Judge Phillips has an extensive background in practicing law beginning as an Assistant District Attomey (1981 1985) and moving on to a private practice for nearly two decades until 2002 when he was elected to the 314th District Court Judge Phillips was re-elected to the bench in 2006 and currently serves as the Administrative Judge of the Juvenile Division He is coshychair of the Harris County Juvenile Board and Chair of the Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Altematives Initiative (JDAI) Manshyagement Oversight Committee

Judge Phillips presides over the Juvenile Mental Health Court (MHC) of Harris County in the 314th District Court and considers it highly rewarding and one of his proudest accomplishments

-- Juvenile Mental Health Court

of Harris County

I

3 1

I ~

314th Juvenile District Court Judge John Phillips

I tarns County Juvenile Justice Center 1200 Congress

Houston Texas 77002 7132224100

How did we get here

Nationally the prevalence of mental illness among youth in the community is approxishymately 20 percent however for youth in the Juvenile Justice system menta illness estimates range from 50 to 80 percent A lack of accessible community mental health services forces families to resort to the juvenile justice system as they struggle to manage their childs escalating behavshyioral and emotional problems This is a parshyticularly critical issue in Texas which ranks 49 th in funding for mental health services

In Harris County 52 of our juvenile ofshyfenders in detention have some form of menta illness and 57 have substance abuse problems

-11[ rbull l

The Challenge

Mentally ill juvenile offenders are often adshyjudicated and placed in facilities that are ill -equipped to address underlying clinical issues Not surprisingly placement in a punishytive environment often exacerbates mental illness and leads to an escalation in sympshytoms and behavior which most institutional staff are not trained to manage effectively Worse recent research indicates simply placing a child in detention or a secure facility exponentially increases the likelishyhood of future criminal involvement likely the result of exposure to delinquency peer -modeling

Building Strong Families

Removing a youth from famishyly and commushynity isolates the child in an artifishycial environshyment and makes successshyful reintegration

unlikely In many cases the roots of a childs delinquency are deeply embedded in the larger family context Any progress is unlikely to be sustained without family involvement

Our Solution

For mentally ill youth who can be safely manshyaged in the community the ideal Intervention is an intensive community-based program that focuses on the entire family

Mental health courts were developed to efshyfectively address the underlying issues related to offending behavior while emphasizing pubshylic safety and personal accountability Further by encouraging community-based treatment instead of residential placement mental health courts foster the development of altershynatives to detention for troubled youth

In response to the growing number of mentally ill youth appearing before him Judge John Phillips of the 3141h Juvenile District Court proshyposed such a court In 2008 Commissioners Court approved the funding for Harris Countys first Juveshy

~I I ~ J nile Mental Health

~-~1 ~~ Court In 2009 the first cohort was enshy ~ Irolled and docketed

For more information contact us

Rebecca deCamara JD 7132224252

RebeccaDecamarahcjpdhctxnet II

Or visit our website at httpwwwhcjpdorg

MentalHealthCourt indexhtml

Juvenile Division Case Filings 2002 to 2011

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Delinquency 12000 12180 14040 13291 15172 14847 12810 8625 7443 7122

CPSAncillary 1265 1036 1005 1140 985 778 722 1118 964 1146

bull Delinquency iii CPSIAncillary

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

20000

15000

10000

5000

Note A pretrial diversion program was put in place beginning in 2009

Source Harris County District Clerk

Some of Our Partners

Special Needs Program (SNPMHMRA) The SNP is funded by TCOOMMI through MHMRA and offers four teams each comshyprising a probation officer and a therapist to provide intensive in-home monitoring and treatment for youth with chronic and serious mental health problems

Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) MST is an evidence based treatment that attempts to address behavioral and mental health issues through intensive family and comshymunity based intervention

Wraparound Care Team The Care Team consists of a Parent Partner and a Therashypist The team seeks to promote the full potential of every child and youth by supshyporting the family with wraparound sershyvices to address their physical emotional intellectual cultural and social needs

Judge John Phillips 314th Juvenile District Court

Judge John Phillips JD earned his doctor of jurisprudence degree from the South Texas College of Law and is a native Houstonian Judge Phillips has an extensive background in practicing law beginning as an Assistant District Attomey (1981 1985) and moving on to a private practice for nearly two decades until 2002 when he was elected to the 314th District Court Judge Phillips was re-elected to the bench in 2006 and currently serves as the Administrative Judge of the Juvenile Division He is coshychair of the Harris County Juvenile Board and Chair of the Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Altematives Initiative (JDAI) Manshyagement Oversight Committee

Judge Phillips presides over the Juvenile Mental Health Court (MHC) of Harris County in the 314th District Court and considers it highly rewarding and one of his proudest accomplishments

-- Juvenile Mental Health Court

of Harris County

I

3 1

I ~

314th Juvenile District Court Judge John Phillips

I tarns County Juvenile Justice Center 1200 Congress

Houston Texas 77002 7132224100

How did we get here

Nationally the prevalence of mental illness among youth in the community is approxishymately 20 percent however for youth in the Juvenile Justice system menta illness estimates range from 50 to 80 percent A lack of accessible community mental health services forces families to resort to the juvenile justice system as they struggle to manage their childs escalating behavshyioral and emotional problems This is a parshyticularly critical issue in Texas which ranks 49 th in funding for mental health services

In Harris County 52 of our juvenile ofshyfenders in detention have some form of menta illness and 57 have substance abuse problems

-11[ rbull l

The Challenge

Mentally ill juvenile offenders are often adshyjudicated and placed in facilities that are ill -equipped to address underlying clinical issues Not surprisingly placement in a punishytive environment often exacerbates mental illness and leads to an escalation in sympshytoms and behavior which most institutional staff are not trained to manage effectively Worse recent research indicates simply placing a child in detention or a secure facility exponentially increases the likelishyhood of future criminal involvement likely the result of exposure to delinquency peer -modeling

Building Strong Families

Removing a youth from famishyly and commushynity isolates the child in an artifishycial environshyment and makes successshyful reintegration

unlikely In many cases the roots of a childs delinquency are deeply embedded in the larger family context Any progress is unlikely to be sustained without family involvement

Our Solution

For mentally ill youth who can be safely manshyaged in the community the ideal Intervention is an intensive community-based program that focuses on the entire family

Mental health courts were developed to efshyfectively address the underlying issues related to offending behavior while emphasizing pubshylic safety and personal accountability Further by encouraging community-based treatment instead of residential placement mental health courts foster the development of altershynatives to detention for troubled youth

In response to the growing number of mentally ill youth appearing before him Judge John Phillips of the 3141h Juvenile District Court proshyposed such a court In 2008 Commissioners Court approved the funding for Harris Countys first Juveshy

~I I ~ J nile Mental Health

~-~1 ~~ Court In 2009 the first cohort was enshy ~ Irolled and docketed

For more information contact us

Rebecca deCamara JD 7132224252

RebeccaDecamarahcjpdhctxnet II

Or visit our website at httpwwwhcjpdorg

MentalHealthCourt indexhtml

Some of Our Partners

Special Needs Program (SNPMHMRA) The SNP is funded by TCOOMMI through MHMRA and offers four teams each comshyprising a probation officer and a therapist to provide intensive in-home monitoring and treatment for youth with chronic and serious mental health problems

Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST) MST is an evidence based treatment that attempts to address behavioral and mental health issues through intensive family and comshymunity based intervention

Wraparound Care Team The Care Team consists of a Parent Partner and a Therashypist The team seeks to promote the full potential of every child and youth by supshyporting the family with wraparound sershyvices to address their physical emotional intellectual cultural and social needs

Judge John Phillips 314th Juvenile District Court

Judge John Phillips JD earned his doctor of jurisprudence degree from the South Texas College of Law and is a native Houstonian Judge Phillips has an extensive background in practicing law beginning as an Assistant District Attomey (1981 1985) and moving on to a private practice for nearly two decades until 2002 when he was elected to the 314th District Court Judge Phillips was re-elected to the bench in 2006 and currently serves as the Administrative Judge of the Juvenile Division He is coshychair of the Harris County Juvenile Board and Chair of the Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Altematives Initiative (JDAI) Manshyagement Oversight Committee

Judge Phillips presides over the Juvenile Mental Health Court (MHC) of Harris County in the 314th District Court and considers it highly rewarding and one of his proudest accomplishments

-- Juvenile Mental Health Court

of Harris County

I

3 1

I ~

314th Juvenile District Court Judge John Phillips

I tarns County Juvenile Justice Center 1200 Congress

Houston Texas 77002 7132224100

How did we get here

Nationally the prevalence of mental illness among youth in the community is approxishymately 20 percent however for youth in the Juvenile Justice system menta illness estimates range from 50 to 80 percent A lack of accessible community mental health services forces families to resort to the juvenile justice system as they struggle to manage their childs escalating behavshyioral and emotional problems This is a parshyticularly critical issue in Texas which ranks 49 th in funding for mental health services

In Harris County 52 of our juvenile ofshyfenders in detention have some form of menta illness and 57 have substance abuse problems

-11[ rbull l

The Challenge

Mentally ill juvenile offenders are often adshyjudicated and placed in facilities that are ill -equipped to address underlying clinical issues Not surprisingly placement in a punishytive environment often exacerbates mental illness and leads to an escalation in sympshytoms and behavior which most institutional staff are not trained to manage effectively Worse recent research indicates simply placing a child in detention or a secure facility exponentially increases the likelishyhood of future criminal involvement likely the result of exposure to delinquency peer -modeling

Building Strong Families

Removing a youth from famishyly and commushynity isolates the child in an artifishycial environshyment and makes successshyful reintegration

unlikely In many cases the roots of a childs delinquency are deeply embedded in the larger family context Any progress is unlikely to be sustained without family involvement

Our Solution

For mentally ill youth who can be safely manshyaged in the community the ideal Intervention is an intensive community-based program that focuses on the entire family

Mental health courts were developed to efshyfectively address the underlying issues related to offending behavior while emphasizing pubshylic safety and personal accountability Further by encouraging community-based treatment instead of residential placement mental health courts foster the development of altershynatives to detention for troubled youth

In response to the growing number of mentally ill youth appearing before him Judge John Phillips of the 3141h Juvenile District Court proshyposed such a court In 2008 Commissioners Court approved the funding for Harris Countys first Juveshy

~I I ~ J nile Mental Health

~-~1 ~~ Court In 2009 the first cohort was enshy ~ Irolled and docketed

For more information contact us

Rebecca deCamara JD 7132224252

RebeccaDecamarahcjpdhctxnet II

Or visit our website at httpwwwhcjpdorg

MentalHealthCourt indexhtml

How did we get here

Nationally the prevalence of mental illness among youth in the community is approxishymately 20 percent however for youth in the Juvenile Justice system menta illness estimates range from 50 to 80 percent A lack of accessible community mental health services forces families to resort to the juvenile justice system as they struggle to manage their childs escalating behavshyioral and emotional problems This is a parshyticularly critical issue in Texas which ranks 49 th in funding for mental health services

In Harris County 52 of our juvenile ofshyfenders in detention have some form of menta illness and 57 have substance abuse problems

-11[ rbull l

The Challenge

Mentally ill juvenile offenders are often adshyjudicated and placed in facilities that are ill -equipped to address underlying clinical issues Not surprisingly placement in a punishytive environment often exacerbates mental illness and leads to an escalation in sympshytoms and behavior which most institutional staff are not trained to manage effectively Worse recent research indicates simply placing a child in detention or a secure facility exponentially increases the likelishyhood of future criminal involvement likely the result of exposure to delinquency peer -modeling

Building Strong Families

Removing a youth from famishyly and commushynity isolates the child in an artifishycial environshyment and makes successshyful reintegration

unlikely In many cases the roots of a childs delinquency are deeply embedded in the larger family context Any progress is unlikely to be sustained without family involvement

Our Solution

For mentally ill youth who can be safely manshyaged in the community the ideal Intervention is an intensive community-based program that focuses on the entire family

Mental health courts were developed to efshyfectively address the underlying issues related to offending behavior while emphasizing pubshylic safety and personal accountability Further by encouraging community-based treatment instead of residential placement mental health courts foster the development of altershynatives to detention for troubled youth

In response to the growing number of mentally ill youth appearing before him Judge John Phillips of the 3141h Juvenile District Court proshyposed such a court In 2008 Commissioners Court approved the funding for Harris Countys first Juveshy

~I I ~ J nile Mental Health

~-~1 ~~ Court In 2009 the first cohort was enshy ~ Irolled and docketed

For more information contact us

Rebecca deCamara JD 7132224252

RebeccaDecamarahcjpdhctxnet II

Or visit our website at httpwwwhcjpdorg

MentalHealthCourt indexhtml

Special points of interest

Harris County Leading Way in Reform - Page 1

JDAI Task Forces Continue Their Work - Page 2

Juvenile Probation Improved by JDAI - Page 2

Site Visits Provide Ideas in Innovation - Page 3

Evening Reporting Center Opens - Page 3

Tom Brooks Appointed Executive Director - Page 3

TJPC Sponsors JDAI Conference - Page 4

Youth Advisory Council Provide Unique Client-Based Perspective - Page 4

Harris County Leading the Way Reforming Juvenile JusticeOne Kid At A Time

Harris County is completing its third year as an Annie E Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) site The goal of this initiative is to implement reform strategies to safely reduce reliance on secure detention while at the same time reduce juvenile crime and keep communities safe

Harris County JDAI is a leader in these efforts working smarter and harder to use evidenced-based prevention and intervention programs to divert young people from the juvenile justice system The numbers (from 2007 - 2009) tell the story

o 24 fewer youth were admitted to the Juvenile Detention Center

o 24 fewer petitions were filed by the District Attorneys Office

bull 42 fewer youth were placed outside their homes in expensive often not effective residential facilities

bull 62 fewer youth were committed to the Texas Youth Commission

o 31 fewer youth were transferred to adult court (certification)

All of these are dramatic savings to Harris County taxpayers Then for the best news with these reductions youth crime was down

o 41 drop in juveniles referred for murder

0 44 drop in auto theft

53 drop in felony drugs

o 18 drop in burglary

til

i I

~

4 o 31 drop in unauthorized use of a motor vehicle ~------- bull 14 drop in juveniles referred to juvenile probation

bull 28 drop in average caseload for all probation

We are changing juvenile justice in Harris County saving taxpayers money and reducing juvenile crime None of this could have happened without the buy-in and bold actions from our Executive Steering Committee members leading the way - County Judge Ed Emmett (Chair) Commissioner Sylvia Garcia (Vice Chair) Harris County District Attorney Patricia Lykos Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia Judge John Phillips (314th Court) Judge Michael Schneider (315th Court) HPD Chief Charles McClelland Sylvia Bolling DZ Cofield State Representative Ana Hernandez Deacon Joe Rubio Dr Stephen Schnee Tom Brooks Kay Sim and over 250 community stakeholders Working together we are reforming juvenile justice one kid at a time

Management Oversight Committee (MOC) Members HPD Assistant Chief John Trevino Judge John Phillips (MOC Chair) and Tom Brooks (MOC Vice Chair)

Volume 2 Issue 2 July 2010 Page 2

Harris Countys ~IDAI Task Forces are continuing their work to implement the core strategies in reforming juvenile justice in Harris County Below is an update for each task force

Risk Assessment Instrument (RAJ)

bull Chairs - Tim Broussard and Susan Bonich

bull RAI implemented and tested for effectiveness

bull 19 reduction in detention population after RAI

bull Task Force re-convening to editupdate RAI

Self-Inspection

bull Chairs - Dennis Englade and Malikah Marrus

bull Self-inspection complete and approved

bull Corrective action plan developed and being implemented

bull Task Force re-convening to conduct follow-up selfshyinspection

AI1ernatives to Secure Detention

bull Chairs - Rebecca DeCamara and Judge Beverly Malazzo

bull Developing a continuum of services for release of medium-risk cases

bull Evaluating current alternatives to detention and developing recommendations for needed alternatives

Case Processing

bull Chairs - Judge Angela Ellis and Lupe MendiolashyWashington

bull Developing a Know Your Rights information pamphlet for youth

bull Mapping decision points to decrease court process

bull Working to improve compliance with Law Enforcement Guidelines

Special Detention Ca~es

bull Chairs - Julia Ramirez and Eric Laird

bull Alternative amp Response Grid for Violation of Probation approved by MOC and implemented

bull Evaluating the WRITS and warrants to develop improved system

Disproportignate Minority Contact (DMC)

bull Chairs - Judge Mike Fields and Gloria Moreno

bull Reviewing group of youth who have violated probation to determine influence of DMC

Youth Advisory Council (YAC)

Chairs - Sylvia Latapie and Adiagha Mbonisi

bull Program for youth 16-24 years of age who have successfully completed probation

bull Youth representatives provide a client-based perspective on programs amp services through speaking events and mentoring

The JDAI Task Forces are responsible for most of our accomplishments Co-chairs and members have volunteered countless hours to make JDAI successful Coming from different perspectives and representing all Harris County communities they have and continue to bring the real problems to light and develop creative approaches to problem solving Without their hard work our successes would not have been possible

A JDAI survey was developed to gather input from Juvenile Probation staff on (1) Has JDAI improved juvenile justice in Harris County (2) Has JDAI impacted your work at Juvenile Probation and (3) What one thing would you change about Harris County JDAI The results are very promising

bull 91 believe JDAI has improved juvenile justice in Harris County bull 59 believe JDAI has had a positive impact on their work

The most frequent comments were about the effectiveness of the Risk Assessment Instrument Most felt it was an improvement to objectively score whether a youth should be detained Some felt it reduced the consequences of delinquency Other comments include a desire for parents schools and law enforcement to be more involved in juvenile probationand the continuing need for additional services especially for youth with serious mental and behavioral health problems The good news is an overall belief the department is going in the right direction working with youth and their families to intervene and prevent further involvement in the system

Judge Mike Fields DMC Task Force Co-Chair and John Rhoads Annie E Casey Harris County Technical Team Leader

Volume 2 Issue 2 July 2010 Page 3

Site Visits Provide Ideas in Innovation Part of JDAIs strategy is for sites to learn from each other especially best practices Harris County delegations have completed site visits to all of JDAIs model sites In Cook County (Chicago Illinois) we were especially interested in their Evening Reporting Centers and Youth Advisory Council In Multnomah County (Portland Oregon) we learned about behavior modification programs and other innovative programming in detention In Bernalillo County (Albuquerque New Mexico) we were impressed with their approach to combining a variety of community resources in one location In Santa Cruz County (Santa Cruz California) we learned about their success in reducing DMC a creative community restoration project and the extraordinary passion of their staff even under extreme budget constraints

Members of the Executive Steering and Management Oversight Committees - Commissioner Sylvia Garcia Judge Michael Schneider DZ Cofield Judge John Phillips Tom Brooks Nancy Baird Sylvia Bolling Joe Rubio Ron Lewis Leslie Smith and Andrea Hinckson Task Force Co-Chairs - Tim Broussard Susan Bonich Dennis Englade Malikah Marrus Judge Mike Fields Gloria Moreno Sylvia Latapie Judge Beverly Malazzo Rebecca DeCamara Julia Ramirez Judge Angela Ellis Guadalupe Mendiola-Washington and Community Stakeholders - Tarsha Jackson Walter Hull Cindy Moseley and Mary Castillo have been part of the site visit delegations Everyone agrees the site visits have been an invaluable tool in our work in developing innovative programs and services in Harris County Seeing first hand how other JDAI sites are implementing evidenced-based programs has guided our work to improve services and programs for our youth

Evening Reporting Center Opens Harris Countys 1st Neighborhood Evening Reporting Center (ERC) held its grand opening in March The ERC established with state diversionary grant funds is an alternative to detention The ERC provides educational recreational counseling and supervision to probationers between the hours of 300 pm and 900 pm who otherwise would be returned to court and may be placed in detention Youth are transported from either school or their homes and taken home at the end of the daily activities

Harris County contracts with Southwest Key Programs who have ERCs throughout the country According to Nick Briggs ERC Director this program has provided us with a wonderful opportunity to provide services to youth within their community to divert them from further delinquent behavior The kids have been remarkable and we are excited about the long-term effects We are excited about this innovative alternative to plaCing youth in detention Evening Reponing Center and impressed with the reduction in further delinquent behavior Grand Opening

Tom Brooks Appointed Executive Director On June 15th after a lengthy national search the Harris County Juvenile Board appOinted Tom Brooks the Executive Director of Juvenile Probation Tom has been with the Department for over 26 years working his way up from childcare worker at the Youth Village to probation officer Deputy Director of IntakeCourt Services and Interim Executive Director

As the Juvenile Probation JDAI Coordinator Tom has been leading JDAIs efforts and successes from the beginning Congratulations Tom

Toms vision has been instrumental in leading and changing the agency He never forgets the mission of the Juvenile Probation Department - to provide exceptional services to youth and protect the community As Interim Director since December Toms calm demeanor decisiveness and courage to challenge the status quo have been refreshing and earned him respect throughout the county and the state

Judge John Phillips 315th District Court

Tom Brooks Judge Bill Burke and County Judge Ed Emmett at Juvenile Board meeting celebrating Tom Brooks appointment as Executive Director

Volume 2 Issue 2

Annie E Casey Foundation - Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

For Additional Information Contact

Nancy H Baird Site Coordinator Harris County JDAI 1200 Congress Houston Texas 77002 nbairdsbcglobalnet

Tom Brooks Executive Director Harris County Juvenile Probation thomasbrookshcjpdJl~txret

Annie E casey Foundation

The Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (TJPC) sponsored a conference on Juvenile Detention A New Approach to Effective Diversion Safe Communities and Better Fiscal Decisions in San Antonio Texas The purpose was to examine the prinCiples and goals of JDAI Speakers included Bart Lubow Annie E Casey Foundation Vicki Spriggs T JPC Executive Director and Dallas and Harris County JDAI Representatives Over 75 Juvenile Justice Leaders attended to discuss the pros and cons of Texas becoming a IDAI state site Our delegation provided information on how JDAI has impacted and reformed juvenile justice in Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) I1IDwwwjdaihelpdeskorg Dr Terry Snow-Smith amp

Judge Michael Schneider

Dr Terry Snow-Smith Tim Broussard Judge Michael Schneider Nancy Baird Tom Brooks amp Myriam Quinones

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Harris County JDAIs Youth Advisory Council (YAC) which began in March 2010 is an innovative program deSigned to have youth representatives between the ages of 16-24 who have successfully completed probation serve as peer

Sylvia Latapie and Adiagha Mbonisi (YAC Task Force Co-Chairs) and

Kiara Lozano Brishanna Larkin and Ricky Parker (YAC Youth

Representatives)

mentors and conduct presentations to youth currently on probation Providing a unique client-based perspective to the Department on its programs services and policies will provide YAC representatives with the power to influence the juvenile justice system Through JDAI the youth will also receive a stipend for their services and training on professional appearance public speaking and career development skills

Juvenile Probation Officers nominated youth to serve as YAC Representatives Each nominee was required to sign a confidentiality clause submit three (3) letters of recommendation an essay about their life story and their reason for wanting to serve So far they have made presentations at the Juvenile Consequences Program and Field Services CUPS Units Eventually the representatives will be an integral part of the JDAI committees and task forces

I felt like a proud parent when Kiara Lozano spoke to over 250 youth and parents at the Juvenile Consequences Program She was amazing

Sylvia Latapie - YAC Task Force Co-Chair

Annie E Casey Foundation - Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Special pOints of interest

Harris County Continues Reforms - Page 1

JDAI Task Forces at Work Page 2

Juvenile Drug Court SOARS - Page 2

Detention Population and Crime Down - Page 3

Leadership Academy Leads the Way - Page 3

Youth Advisory Council Visits Chicago - Page 3

YAC Representatives Shine - Page 4

National JDAI News 2012 Inter-Site Conference coming to Houston to showcase Harris Countys JDAI

5 Harris County Continues Reforms

Harris County is completing its fourth year as an Annie E Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) site The goal of this initiative is to implement reform strategies to safely reduce reliance on secure detention while at the same time reduce juvenile crime and keep communities safe

Harris County JDAI is a leader in these efforts working smarter and harder to use evidenced-based prevention and intervention programs to divert young people from the juvenile justice system Successful reforms and programs include

Mental Health Court - 314th District Court bull Created by Judge John Phillips started in February 2009 the first

speciality court for youth with serious mental health issues bull 87 success rate working with community partners including MHMRA

Depelchin Childrens Center United Way System of Hope amp Intracare GED Program Success

bull 18 out of 28 youth earned their Graduate Equivalency Degree since the beginning of an innovative program thanks to the vision of Judge John Phillips (314th District Court)

Gang Court Begins in Judge Glenn Devlins 313th District Court bull A speCialized court to deal with youth who admit active membership in

illegal street gangs bull The 9 - 12 month program will focus on intensive therapy and family

intervention to get youth to renounce their gang affiliation and abide by laws

Girls Court Pilot Program to Begin in 315th District Court bull Judge Michael Schneider and Associate Judge Angela Ellis are starting

a girls court for young girls who are victims of human trafficking or have resorted to prostitution to survive on the streets

bull The court will offer intensive supervision and therapeutic services including placement in a safe community to protect these victims

Deferred Prosecution Program bull 4000 juveniles have been diverted to either the 90-day or 180-day

non-petitioned Deferred Prosecution Program with a 90 success rate bull $24 million estimated savings to the county in attorney apPOintments

issuance of service court staff time etc

YAC Representatives Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell (bottom) talking to

youth at Field Services CUPS 2

Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011 Page 2 ~----~--------------------~----------------------------

JDAI Task Forces at Work

Harris Countys JDAI Task Forces are continuing their work Case Processing to implement the core strategies in reforming juvenile justice bull Chairs - Lupe Mendiola-Washington and Adriana in Harris County Below is an update for each task force Ponce

bull Developing a Know Your Rights information Risk Assessment Instrument (RAt) pamphlet for youth

bull Chairs - Tim Broussard and Susan Bonich bull Developing plan for placement of Information

bull Revised RAI approved and implemented Kiosk on 1 st floor of Juvenile Justice Center bull 2-Year validation study scheduled for completion by Disproportionate Minority ContactaMCJ

December 2011 bull Chairs - Gloria Moreno and Timmie Washington

bull 24 reduction in detention population after RAI bull Juvenile Law 101 - Class for pre-court youth amp their

Self-Inspection parents providing information from DAs office bull Chairs - Dennis Englade and Keri Brown Houston Bar Association Juvenile Probation and

YAC Representative to help prepare them for court

in detention based on initial self-inspection Finalizing White Paper Executive Summary on bull Increased programming and other services to youth

o

corrective action plan datacase review of VOP youth

o Follow-up self-inspection began May 2011 to review Youth Advisory Council (YACl programming safety environment training access bull Chairs - Sylvia Latapie and Carlos Cruz and classificationintake

bull Exploring possibility of developing scholarship Alternatives to Secure Detention opportunities for YAC Representatives

bull Chairs - Terri McGee and Beverly Malazzo Youth representatives have provided over 150 hours o Developing a continuum of services for release of of service to juvenile probation youth

medium-risk cases Task Force co-chairs and members have volunteered bull Completed report on standardsguidelines to countless hours to make JDAI successful These

evaluate current alternatives to detention and stakeholders representatives from juvenile probation developing recommendations for needed and every segment of Harris County are making a alternatives difference in the lives of youth and their families involved

5JHtcial Detention Cases in the juvenile justice system

bull Chairs - Julia Ramirez and Eric Laird

bull Alternative and Response Grid for Violation of Probation implemented and being evaluated

bull Dramatic decrease in outstanding WRITS and warrants

Juvenile Drug Court SOARS A special court docket - Sobriety Over Addiction and Relapse (SOAR) created in 2010 by Judge Michael Schneider (315th District Court) is a therapeutic and community-based approach to juvenile offenders who are Significantly impacted by a serious alcohol or drug problem Emphasizing rehabilitation over punishment for post-adjudicated youth the goal is to effectively address underlying drug abuse issues related to offending behaviors while emphasizing public safety and personal responsibility

The program designed to work with 15 - 20 youths annually for a minimum of 12 months is collaborating with The Council on Alcohol and Drugs - Houston Turning Point Odyssey House the Harris County Psychiatric Center and other community partners to provide comprehensive counseling and treatment to the youth and their families The first five youth graduated from the program in June

Judge Ellis and I are excited by the results and the hard work these kids and their families have demonstrated begin a life free of drugs The pride on the faces of our drug court graduates makes it al worthwhile

Judge Michael Schneider - 315th District C

I Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011

Detention Population and Juvenile Crime Down Harris Countys statistics between 2006 (prior to JDAI) through 2010 provide proof of our success

bull 25 fewer youth were admitted to the Juvenile Detention Center

bull 28 fewer petitions were filed by the District Attorneys Office

bull 48) fewer youth were placed in expensive residential facilities

bull 70 fewer youth were committed to the Texas Youth Commission

bull 36 fewer youth were transferred to adult court (certification)

Youth crime is down with dramatic savings to taxpayers

bull 53 drop in auto theft

bull 58 drop in felony drug

bull 51 drop in unauthorized use of a motor vehicle

bull 22 drop in burglary

bull 28 drop in juveniles referred to juvenile probation JDAI is making a difference in not only keeping our community safer - Petitions Filed by DAs Office - Detention A(jmissions

but also reducing youth involved in the juvenile justice system

Harris County Leadership Academy News

2006 2010

The Harris County Juvenile Probation department provides community-based enrichment programs and models bestshypractices deSigned to deter repeat offending The Harris County Leadershyship Academy (HLA) has and continues to develop partnerships throughout the community to aid in the successful supportive and well-structured transition back into the community for youth Several of these communityshybased organizations have provided extraordinary services to the youth Highlights of these program include

Bridges to Life (BTL) - Mission is to bring healing to victims of crime reduce recidivism among offender graduates of the program and help make our community a safer place Based on the principals of Restorative Justice the BTL program works with HLA youth to help them beUer understand empathy rehabilitation reconciliation and community safety Public speakers tell their story to youth at HLA

United Way National Volunteer DayshyVolunteers from Exxon Mobil as part of National Volunteer Day constructed covered structures painted three wall murals donated and erected a basketball court and soccer field and performed area beautification landscaping at the Leadership Academy

Tools 4 Teens Program (T4T)shyProviding an innovative character building and teens-skills development training through the use of various artistic expression methods In June ten youth from the Leadership Academy graduated from the T 4T program According to Kely Litvak Founder the students thrived in learning the many life lessons presented by instilling self-respect self-confidence and the knowledge that they can achieve their greatest potential when they live with integrity honesty hard work faith and love for self and others

Texas AgriLife Extension Horticulture Program This collaborative program provides handsshyon learning experiences to HLA youth Youth and master gardeners build and tend a vegetable garden Their first crop of corn tomatoes peppers and other vegetables was shared with a community food pantry Youth who complete the program receive a Horticulture Certificate to help in their pursuit of eventual employment in the nursery or landscaping industry

Proiect Helping Empower Everyones Lives (HEEL) - In the fall Corridor Rescue Inc will begin a residential animal-assisted violence intervention program at HLA USing rescue dogs residents will be taught personal responsibility compassion proper pet care and obedience skills to reduce the propensity for violence by altering the youths perception of aggression At the end of the program pets will be ready for adoption

United Way National Volunteer Day at Harris County Leadership Academy

Exxon Mobil Volunteers Giving Visual Hope to Youth

For Additional Information Contact

Nancy H Baird Site Coordinator Harris County JDAI 1200 Congress Houston Texas 77002 nbairdsbcglobalnet

Tom Brooks Executive Director Harris County Juvenile Probation thomasbrookshcjpdhctxnet

Annie E Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) httpwwwjdaihelpdeskorg

Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011 Page 4

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) YAC Chicago Site Visit

JDAI Youth Advisory Council (YAG) Co-Chairs Sylvia Latapie and Carlos Cruz and Juvenile Probations Public Information Officer Legal Services Administrator Kendall Mayfield made a site visit to Cook County to observe their Juvenile Advisory Council The Cook County Council was the model for Harris Countys program and we continue to leam from their success

Cook County has a scholarship program for youth representatives to attend college They have several college graduates one of whom is currently a Juvenile Probation Officer with the department thanks to the scholarship program

Harris County is exploring ways to begin lt-shy

a scholarship program for our Representatives bull They are doing a remarkable job making a difference in the lives of youthful offenders by sharing their stories

Caros Cruz Kendall Mayfield amp Sylvia Latapie with Cook County YAC team

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell YAC Youth Representatives

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell are the Stars of the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) Drew who begins his 2nd year at S1 Marys Law School in August and Jeremy Craft a Junior majoring in Engineering at Prairie View AampM are both Deans List scholars Drew and Jeremy have provided over 100 hours of service to Juvenile Probation youth They are making presentations at the Juvenile Consequences Program Juvenile Law 101 and throughout the Juvenile Probation Department assisting with the Field Services Admonishment Program every Saturday and serving on JDAI task forces When Drew and Jeremy speak the kids listen

Harris County OAls Youth Advisory Council (YAG) continues to provide a unique client-based perspective to the Department Through JDAI the representatives receive a stipend for their services and ongoing training on public speaking and professional development Youth are selected after being nominated by their Juvenile Probation Officer and an intensive interview process

Volume 2 Issue 2 July 2010 Page 2

Harris Countys ~IDAI Task Forces are continuing their work to implement the core strategies in reforming juvenile justice in Harris County Below is an update for each task force

Risk Assessment Instrument (RAJ)

bull Chairs - Tim Broussard and Susan Bonich

bull RAI implemented and tested for effectiveness

bull 19 reduction in detention population after RAI

bull Task Force re-convening to editupdate RAI

Self-Inspection

bull Chairs - Dennis Englade and Malikah Marrus

bull Self-inspection complete and approved

bull Corrective action plan developed and being implemented

bull Task Force re-convening to conduct follow-up selfshyinspection

AI1ernatives to Secure Detention

bull Chairs - Rebecca DeCamara and Judge Beverly Malazzo

bull Developing a continuum of services for release of medium-risk cases

bull Evaluating current alternatives to detention and developing recommendations for needed alternatives

Case Processing

bull Chairs - Judge Angela Ellis and Lupe MendiolashyWashington

bull Developing a Know Your Rights information pamphlet for youth

bull Mapping decision points to decrease court process

bull Working to improve compliance with Law Enforcement Guidelines

Special Detention Ca~es

bull Chairs - Julia Ramirez and Eric Laird

bull Alternative amp Response Grid for Violation of Probation approved by MOC and implemented

bull Evaluating the WRITS and warrants to develop improved system

Disproportignate Minority Contact (DMC)

bull Chairs - Judge Mike Fields and Gloria Moreno

bull Reviewing group of youth who have violated probation to determine influence of DMC

Youth Advisory Council (YAC)

Chairs - Sylvia Latapie and Adiagha Mbonisi

bull Program for youth 16-24 years of age who have successfully completed probation

bull Youth representatives provide a client-based perspective on programs amp services through speaking events and mentoring

The JDAI Task Forces are responsible for most of our accomplishments Co-chairs and members have volunteered countless hours to make JDAI successful Coming from different perspectives and representing all Harris County communities they have and continue to bring the real problems to light and develop creative approaches to problem solving Without their hard work our successes would not have been possible

A JDAI survey was developed to gather input from Juvenile Probation staff on (1) Has JDAI improved juvenile justice in Harris County (2) Has JDAI impacted your work at Juvenile Probation and (3) What one thing would you change about Harris County JDAI The results are very promising

bull 91 believe JDAI has improved juvenile justice in Harris County bull 59 believe JDAI has had a positive impact on their work

The most frequent comments were about the effectiveness of the Risk Assessment Instrument Most felt it was an improvement to objectively score whether a youth should be detained Some felt it reduced the consequences of delinquency Other comments include a desire for parents schools and law enforcement to be more involved in juvenile probationand the continuing need for additional services especially for youth with serious mental and behavioral health problems The good news is an overall belief the department is going in the right direction working with youth and their families to intervene and prevent further involvement in the system

Judge Mike Fields DMC Task Force Co-Chair and John Rhoads Annie E Casey Harris County Technical Team Leader

Volume 2 Issue 2 July 2010 Page 3

Site Visits Provide Ideas in Innovation Part of JDAIs strategy is for sites to learn from each other especially best practices Harris County delegations have completed site visits to all of JDAIs model sites In Cook County (Chicago Illinois) we were especially interested in their Evening Reporting Centers and Youth Advisory Council In Multnomah County (Portland Oregon) we learned about behavior modification programs and other innovative programming in detention In Bernalillo County (Albuquerque New Mexico) we were impressed with their approach to combining a variety of community resources in one location In Santa Cruz County (Santa Cruz California) we learned about their success in reducing DMC a creative community restoration project and the extraordinary passion of their staff even under extreme budget constraints

Members of the Executive Steering and Management Oversight Committees - Commissioner Sylvia Garcia Judge Michael Schneider DZ Cofield Judge John Phillips Tom Brooks Nancy Baird Sylvia Bolling Joe Rubio Ron Lewis Leslie Smith and Andrea Hinckson Task Force Co-Chairs - Tim Broussard Susan Bonich Dennis Englade Malikah Marrus Judge Mike Fields Gloria Moreno Sylvia Latapie Judge Beverly Malazzo Rebecca DeCamara Julia Ramirez Judge Angela Ellis Guadalupe Mendiola-Washington and Community Stakeholders - Tarsha Jackson Walter Hull Cindy Moseley and Mary Castillo have been part of the site visit delegations Everyone agrees the site visits have been an invaluable tool in our work in developing innovative programs and services in Harris County Seeing first hand how other JDAI sites are implementing evidenced-based programs has guided our work to improve services and programs for our youth

Evening Reporting Center Opens Harris Countys 1st Neighborhood Evening Reporting Center (ERC) held its grand opening in March The ERC established with state diversionary grant funds is an alternative to detention The ERC provides educational recreational counseling and supervision to probationers between the hours of 300 pm and 900 pm who otherwise would be returned to court and may be placed in detention Youth are transported from either school or their homes and taken home at the end of the daily activities

Harris County contracts with Southwest Key Programs who have ERCs throughout the country According to Nick Briggs ERC Director this program has provided us with a wonderful opportunity to provide services to youth within their community to divert them from further delinquent behavior The kids have been remarkable and we are excited about the long-term effects We are excited about this innovative alternative to plaCing youth in detention Evening Reponing Center and impressed with the reduction in further delinquent behavior Grand Opening

Tom Brooks Appointed Executive Director On June 15th after a lengthy national search the Harris County Juvenile Board appOinted Tom Brooks the Executive Director of Juvenile Probation Tom has been with the Department for over 26 years working his way up from childcare worker at the Youth Village to probation officer Deputy Director of IntakeCourt Services and Interim Executive Director

As the Juvenile Probation JDAI Coordinator Tom has been leading JDAIs efforts and successes from the beginning Congratulations Tom

Toms vision has been instrumental in leading and changing the agency He never forgets the mission of the Juvenile Probation Department - to provide exceptional services to youth and protect the community As Interim Director since December Toms calm demeanor decisiveness and courage to challenge the status quo have been refreshing and earned him respect throughout the county and the state

Judge John Phillips 315th District Court

Tom Brooks Judge Bill Burke and County Judge Ed Emmett at Juvenile Board meeting celebrating Tom Brooks appointment as Executive Director

Volume 2 Issue 2

Annie E Casey Foundation - Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

For Additional Information Contact

Nancy H Baird Site Coordinator Harris County JDAI 1200 Congress Houston Texas 77002 nbairdsbcglobalnet

Tom Brooks Executive Director Harris County Juvenile Probation thomasbrookshcjpdJl~txret

Annie E casey Foundation

The Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (TJPC) sponsored a conference on Juvenile Detention A New Approach to Effective Diversion Safe Communities and Better Fiscal Decisions in San Antonio Texas The purpose was to examine the prinCiples and goals of JDAI Speakers included Bart Lubow Annie E Casey Foundation Vicki Spriggs T JPC Executive Director and Dallas and Harris County JDAI Representatives Over 75 Juvenile Justice Leaders attended to discuss the pros and cons of Texas becoming a IDAI state site Our delegation provided information on how JDAI has impacted and reformed juvenile justice in Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) I1IDwwwjdaihelpdeskorg Dr Terry Snow-Smith amp

Judge Michael Schneider

Dr Terry Snow-Smith Tim Broussard Judge Michael Schneider Nancy Baird Tom Brooks amp Myriam Quinones

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Harris County JDAIs Youth Advisory Council (YAC) which began in March 2010 is an innovative program deSigned to have youth representatives between the ages of 16-24 who have successfully completed probation serve as peer

Sylvia Latapie and Adiagha Mbonisi (YAC Task Force Co-Chairs) and

Kiara Lozano Brishanna Larkin and Ricky Parker (YAC Youth

Representatives)

mentors and conduct presentations to youth currently on probation Providing a unique client-based perspective to the Department on its programs services and policies will provide YAC representatives with the power to influence the juvenile justice system Through JDAI the youth will also receive a stipend for their services and training on professional appearance public speaking and career development skills

Juvenile Probation Officers nominated youth to serve as YAC Representatives Each nominee was required to sign a confidentiality clause submit three (3) letters of recommendation an essay about their life story and their reason for wanting to serve So far they have made presentations at the Juvenile Consequences Program and Field Services CUPS Units Eventually the representatives will be an integral part of the JDAI committees and task forces

I felt like a proud parent when Kiara Lozano spoke to over 250 youth and parents at the Juvenile Consequences Program She was amazing

Sylvia Latapie - YAC Task Force Co-Chair

Annie E Casey Foundation - Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Special pOints of interest

Harris County Continues Reforms - Page 1

JDAI Task Forces at Work Page 2

Juvenile Drug Court SOARS - Page 2

Detention Population and Crime Down - Page 3

Leadership Academy Leads the Way - Page 3

Youth Advisory Council Visits Chicago - Page 3

YAC Representatives Shine - Page 4

National JDAI News 2012 Inter-Site Conference coming to Houston to showcase Harris Countys JDAI

5 Harris County Continues Reforms

Harris County is completing its fourth year as an Annie E Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) site The goal of this initiative is to implement reform strategies to safely reduce reliance on secure detention while at the same time reduce juvenile crime and keep communities safe

Harris County JDAI is a leader in these efforts working smarter and harder to use evidenced-based prevention and intervention programs to divert young people from the juvenile justice system Successful reforms and programs include

Mental Health Court - 314th District Court bull Created by Judge John Phillips started in February 2009 the first

speciality court for youth with serious mental health issues bull 87 success rate working with community partners including MHMRA

Depelchin Childrens Center United Way System of Hope amp Intracare GED Program Success

bull 18 out of 28 youth earned their Graduate Equivalency Degree since the beginning of an innovative program thanks to the vision of Judge John Phillips (314th District Court)

Gang Court Begins in Judge Glenn Devlins 313th District Court bull A speCialized court to deal with youth who admit active membership in

illegal street gangs bull The 9 - 12 month program will focus on intensive therapy and family

intervention to get youth to renounce their gang affiliation and abide by laws

Girls Court Pilot Program to Begin in 315th District Court bull Judge Michael Schneider and Associate Judge Angela Ellis are starting

a girls court for young girls who are victims of human trafficking or have resorted to prostitution to survive on the streets

bull The court will offer intensive supervision and therapeutic services including placement in a safe community to protect these victims

Deferred Prosecution Program bull 4000 juveniles have been diverted to either the 90-day or 180-day

non-petitioned Deferred Prosecution Program with a 90 success rate bull $24 million estimated savings to the county in attorney apPOintments

issuance of service court staff time etc

YAC Representatives Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell (bottom) talking to

youth at Field Services CUPS 2

Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011 Page 2 ~----~--------------------~----------------------------

JDAI Task Forces at Work

Harris Countys JDAI Task Forces are continuing their work Case Processing to implement the core strategies in reforming juvenile justice bull Chairs - Lupe Mendiola-Washington and Adriana in Harris County Below is an update for each task force Ponce

bull Developing a Know Your Rights information Risk Assessment Instrument (RAt) pamphlet for youth

bull Chairs - Tim Broussard and Susan Bonich bull Developing plan for placement of Information

bull Revised RAI approved and implemented Kiosk on 1 st floor of Juvenile Justice Center bull 2-Year validation study scheduled for completion by Disproportionate Minority ContactaMCJ

December 2011 bull Chairs - Gloria Moreno and Timmie Washington

bull 24 reduction in detention population after RAI bull Juvenile Law 101 - Class for pre-court youth amp their

Self-Inspection parents providing information from DAs office bull Chairs - Dennis Englade and Keri Brown Houston Bar Association Juvenile Probation and

YAC Representative to help prepare them for court

in detention based on initial self-inspection Finalizing White Paper Executive Summary on bull Increased programming and other services to youth

o

corrective action plan datacase review of VOP youth

o Follow-up self-inspection began May 2011 to review Youth Advisory Council (YACl programming safety environment training access bull Chairs - Sylvia Latapie and Carlos Cruz and classificationintake

bull Exploring possibility of developing scholarship Alternatives to Secure Detention opportunities for YAC Representatives

bull Chairs - Terri McGee and Beverly Malazzo Youth representatives have provided over 150 hours o Developing a continuum of services for release of of service to juvenile probation youth

medium-risk cases Task Force co-chairs and members have volunteered bull Completed report on standardsguidelines to countless hours to make JDAI successful These

evaluate current alternatives to detention and stakeholders representatives from juvenile probation developing recommendations for needed and every segment of Harris County are making a alternatives difference in the lives of youth and their families involved

5JHtcial Detention Cases in the juvenile justice system

bull Chairs - Julia Ramirez and Eric Laird

bull Alternative and Response Grid for Violation of Probation implemented and being evaluated

bull Dramatic decrease in outstanding WRITS and warrants

Juvenile Drug Court SOARS A special court docket - Sobriety Over Addiction and Relapse (SOAR) created in 2010 by Judge Michael Schneider (315th District Court) is a therapeutic and community-based approach to juvenile offenders who are Significantly impacted by a serious alcohol or drug problem Emphasizing rehabilitation over punishment for post-adjudicated youth the goal is to effectively address underlying drug abuse issues related to offending behaviors while emphasizing public safety and personal responsibility

The program designed to work with 15 - 20 youths annually for a minimum of 12 months is collaborating with The Council on Alcohol and Drugs - Houston Turning Point Odyssey House the Harris County Psychiatric Center and other community partners to provide comprehensive counseling and treatment to the youth and their families The first five youth graduated from the program in June

Judge Ellis and I are excited by the results and the hard work these kids and their families have demonstrated begin a life free of drugs The pride on the faces of our drug court graduates makes it al worthwhile

Judge Michael Schneider - 315th District C

I Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011

Detention Population and Juvenile Crime Down Harris Countys statistics between 2006 (prior to JDAI) through 2010 provide proof of our success

bull 25 fewer youth were admitted to the Juvenile Detention Center

bull 28 fewer petitions were filed by the District Attorneys Office

bull 48) fewer youth were placed in expensive residential facilities

bull 70 fewer youth were committed to the Texas Youth Commission

bull 36 fewer youth were transferred to adult court (certification)

Youth crime is down with dramatic savings to taxpayers

bull 53 drop in auto theft

bull 58 drop in felony drug

bull 51 drop in unauthorized use of a motor vehicle

bull 22 drop in burglary

bull 28 drop in juveniles referred to juvenile probation JDAI is making a difference in not only keeping our community safer - Petitions Filed by DAs Office - Detention A(jmissions

but also reducing youth involved in the juvenile justice system

Harris County Leadership Academy News

2006 2010

The Harris County Juvenile Probation department provides community-based enrichment programs and models bestshypractices deSigned to deter repeat offending The Harris County Leadershyship Academy (HLA) has and continues to develop partnerships throughout the community to aid in the successful supportive and well-structured transition back into the community for youth Several of these communityshybased organizations have provided extraordinary services to the youth Highlights of these program include

Bridges to Life (BTL) - Mission is to bring healing to victims of crime reduce recidivism among offender graduates of the program and help make our community a safer place Based on the principals of Restorative Justice the BTL program works with HLA youth to help them beUer understand empathy rehabilitation reconciliation and community safety Public speakers tell their story to youth at HLA

United Way National Volunteer DayshyVolunteers from Exxon Mobil as part of National Volunteer Day constructed covered structures painted three wall murals donated and erected a basketball court and soccer field and performed area beautification landscaping at the Leadership Academy

Tools 4 Teens Program (T4T)shyProviding an innovative character building and teens-skills development training through the use of various artistic expression methods In June ten youth from the Leadership Academy graduated from the T 4T program According to Kely Litvak Founder the students thrived in learning the many life lessons presented by instilling self-respect self-confidence and the knowledge that they can achieve their greatest potential when they live with integrity honesty hard work faith and love for self and others

Texas AgriLife Extension Horticulture Program This collaborative program provides handsshyon learning experiences to HLA youth Youth and master gardeners build and tend a vegetable garden Their first crop of corn tomatoes peppers and other vegetables was shared with a community food pantry Youth who complete the program receive a Horticulture Certificate to help in their pursuit of eventual employment in the nursery or landscaping industry

Proiect Helping Empower Everyones Lives (HEEL) - In the fall Corridor Rescue Inc will begin a residential animal-assisted violence intervention program at HLA USing rescue dogs residents will be taught personal responsibility compassion proper pet care and obedience skills to reduce the propensity for violence by altering the youths perception of aggression At the end of the program pets will be ready for adoption

United Way National Volunteer Day at Harris County Leadership Academy

Exxon Mobil Volunteers Giving Visual Hope to Youth

For Additional Information Contact

Nancy H Baird Site Coordinator Harris County JDAI 1200 Congress Houston Texas 77002 nbairdsbcglobalnet

Tom Brooks Executive Director Harris County Juvenile Probation thomasbrookshcjpdhctxnet

Annie E Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) httpwwwjdaihelpdeskorg

Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011 Page 4

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) YAC Chicago Site Visit

JDAI Youth Advisory Council (YAG) Co-Chairs Sylvia Latapie and Carlos Cruz and Juvenile Probations Public Information Officer Legal Services Administrator Kendall Mayfield made a site visit to Cook County to observe their Juvenile Advisory Council The Cook County Council was the model for Harris Countys program and we continue to leam from their success

Cook County has a scholarship program for youth representatives to attend college They have several college graduates one of whom is currently a Juvenile Probation Officer with the department thanks to the scholarship program

Harris County is exploring ways to begin lt-shy

a scholarship program for our Representatives bull They are doing a remarkable job making a difference in the lives of youthful offenders by sharing their stories

Caros Cruz Kendall Mayfield amp Sylvia Latapie with Cook County YAC team

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell YAC Youth Representatives

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell are the Stars of the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) Drew who begins his 2nd year at S1 Marys Law School in August and Jeremy Craft a Junior majoring in Engineering at Prairie View AampM are both Deans List scholars Drew and Jeremy have provided over 100 hours of service to Juvenile Probation youth They are making presentations at the Juvenile Consequences Program Juvenile Law 101 and throughout the Juvenile Probation Department assisting with the Field Services Admonishment Program every Saturday and serving on JDAI task forces When Drew and Jeremy speak the kids listen

Harris County OAls Youth Advisory Council (YAG) continues to provide a unique client-based perspective to the Department Through JDAI the representatives receive a stipend for their services and ongoing training on public speaking and professional development Youth are selected after being nominated by their Juvenile Probation Officer and an intensive interview process

Volume 2 Issue 2 July 2010 Page 3

Site Visits Provide Ideas in Innovation Part of JDAIs strategy is for sites to learn from each other especially best practices Harris County delegations have completed site visits to all of JDAIs model sites In Cook County (Chicago Illinois) we were especially interested in their Evening Reporting Centers and Youth Advisory Council In Multnomah County (Portland Oregon) we learned about behavior modification programs and other innovative programming in detention In Bernalillo County (Albuquerque New Mexico) we were impressed with their approach to combining a variety of community resources in one location In Santa Cruz County (Santa Cruz California) we learned about their success in reducing DMC a creative community restoration project and the extraordinary passion of their staff even under extreme budget constraints

Members of the Executive Steering and Management Oversight Committees - Commissioner Sylvia Garcia Judge Michael Schneider DZ Cofield Judge John Phillips Tom Brooks Nancy Baird Sylvia Bolling Joe Rubio Ron Lewis Leslie Smith and Andrea Hinckson Task Force Co-Chairs - Tim Broussard Susan Bonich Dennis Englade Malikah Marrus Judge Mike Fields Gloria Moreno Sylvia Latapie Judge Beverly Malazzo Rebecca DeCamara Julia Ramirez Judge Angela Ellis Guadalupe Mendiola-Washington and Community Stakeholders - Tarsha Jackson Walter Hull Cindy Moseley and Mary Castillo have been part of the site visit delegations Everyone agrees the site visits have been an invaluable tool in our work in developing innovative programs and services in Harris County Seeing first hand how other JDAI sites are implementing evidenced-based programs has guided our work to improve services and programs for our youth

Evening Reporting Center Opens Harris Countys 1st Neighborhood Evening Reporting Center (ERC) held its grand opening in March The ERC established with state diversionary grant funds is an alternative to detention The ERC provides educational recreational counseling and supervision to probationers between the hours of 300 pm and 900 pm who otherwise would be returned to court and may be placed in detention Youth are transported from either school or their homes and taken home at the end of the daily activities

Harris County contracts with Southwest Key Programs who have ERCs throughout the country According to Nick Briggs ERC Director this program has provided us with a wonderful opportunity to provide services to youth within their community to divert them from further delinquent behavior The kids have been remarkable and we are excited about the long-term effects We are excited about this innovative alternative to plaCing youth in detention Evening Reponing Center and impressed with the reduction in further delinquent behavior Grand Opening

Tom Brooks Appointed Executive Director On June 15th after a lengthy national search the Harris County Juvenile Board appOinted Tom Brooks the Executive Director of Juvenile Probation Tom has been with the Department for over 26 years working his way up from childcare worker at the Youth Village to probation officer Deputy Director of IntakeCourt Services and Interim Executive Director

As the Juvenile Probation JDAI Coordinator Tom has been leading JDAIs efforts and successes from the beginning Congratulations Tom

Toms vision has been instrumental in leading and changing the agency He never forgets the mission of the Juvenile Probation Department - to provide exceptional services to youth and protect the community As Interim Director since December Toms calm demeanor decisiveness and courage to challenge the status quo have been refreshing and earned him respect throughout the county and the state

Judge John Phillips 315th District Court

Tom Brooks Judge Bill Burke and County Judge Ed Emmett at Juvenile Board meeting celebrating Tom Brooks appointment as Executive Director

Volume 2 Issue 2

Annie E Casey Foundation - Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

For Additional Information Contact

Nancy H Baird Site Coordinator Harris County JDAI 1200 Congress Houston Texas 77002 nbairdsbcglobalnet

Tom Brooks Executive Director Harris County Juvenile Probation thomasbrookshcjpdJl~txret

Annie E casey Foundation

The Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (TJPC) sponsored a conference on Juvenile Detention A New Approach to Effective Diversion Safe Communities and Better Fiscal Decisions in San Antonio Texas The purpose was to examine the prinCiples and goals of JDAI Speakers included Bart Lubow Annie E Casey Foundation Vicki Spriggs T JPC Executive Director and Dallas and Harris County JDAI Representatives Over 75 Juvenile Justice Leaders attended to discuss the pros and cons of Texas becoming a IDAI state site Our delegation provided information on how JDAI has impacted and reformed juvenile justice in Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) I1IDwwwjdaihelpdeskorg Dr Terry Snow-Smith amp

Judge Michael Schneider

Dr Terry Snow-Smith Tim Broussard Judge Michael Schneider Nancy Baird Tom Brooks amp Myriam Quinones

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Harris County JDAIs Youth Advisory Council (YAC) which began in March 2010 is an innovative program deSigned to have youth representatives between the ages of 16-24 who have successfully completed probation serve as peer

Sylvia Latapie and Adiagha Mbonisi (YAC Task Force Co-Chairs) and

Kiara Lozano Brishanna Larkin and Ricky Parker (YAC Youth

Representatives)

mentors and conduct presentations to youth currently on probation Providing a unique client-based perspective to the Department on its programs services and policies will provide YAC representatives with the power to influence the juvenile justice system Through JDAI the youth will also receive a stipend for their services and training on professional appearance public speaking and career development skills

Juvenile Probation Officers nominated youth to serve as YAC Representatives Each nominee was required to sign a confidentiality clause submit three (3) letters of recommendation an essay about their life story and their reason for wanting to serve So far they have made presentations at the Juvenile Consequences Program and Field Services CUPS Units Eventually the representatives will be an integral part of the JDAI committees and task forces

I felt like a proud parent when Kiara Lozano spoke to over 250 youth and parents at the Juvenile Consequences Program She was amazing

Sylvia Latapie - YAC Task Force Co-Chair

Annie E Casey Foundation - Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Special pOints of interest

Harris County Continues Reforms - Page 1

JDAI Task Forces at Work Page 2

Juvenile Drug Court SOARS - Page 2

Detention Population and Crime Down - Page 3

Leadership Academy Leads the Way - Page 3

Youth Advisory Council Visits Chicago - Page 3

YAC Representatives Shine - Page 4

National JDAI News 2012 Inter-Site Conference coming to Houston to showcase Harris Countys JDAI

5 Harris County Continues Reforms

Harris County is completing its fourth year as an Annie E Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) site The goal of this initiative is to implement reform strategies to safely reduce reliance on secure detention while at the same time reduce juvenile crime and keep communities safe

Harris County JDAI is a leader in these efforts working smarter and harder to use evidenced-based prevention and intervention programs to divert young people from the juvenile justice system Successful reforms and programs include

Mental Health Court - 314th District Court bull Created by Judge John Phillips started in February 2009 the first

speciality court for youth with serious mental health issues bull 87 success rate working with community partners including MHMRA

Depelchin Childrens Center United Way System of Hope amp Intracare GED Program Success

bull 18 out of 28 youth earned their Graduate Equivalency Degree since the beginning of an innovative program thanks to the vision of Judge John Phillips (314th District Court)

Gang Court Begins in Judge Glenn Devlins 313th District Court bull A speCialized court to deal with youth who admit active membership in

illegal street gangs bull The 9 - 12 month program will focus on intensive therapy and family

intervention to get youth to renounce their gang affiliation and abide by laws

Girls Court Pilot Program to Begin in 315th District Court bull Judge Michael Schneider and Associate Judge Angela Ellis are starting

a girls court for young girls who are victims of human trafficking or have resorted to prostitution to survive on the streets

bull The court will offer intensive supervision and therapeutic services including placement in a safe community to protect these victims

Deferred Prosecution Program bull 4000 juveniles have been diverted to either the 90-day or 180-day

non-petitioned Deferred Prosecution Program with a 90 success rate bull $24 million estimated savings to the county in attorney apPOintments

issuance of service court staff time etc

YAC Representatives Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell (bottom) talking to

youth at Field Services CUPS 2

Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011 Page 2 ~----~--------------------~----------------------------

JDAI Task Forces at Work

Harris Countys JDAI Task Forces are continuing their work Case Processing to implement the core strategies in reforming juvenile justice bull Chairs - Lupe Mendiola-Washington and Adriana in Harris County Below is an update for each task force Ponce

bull Developing a Know Your Rights information Risk Assessment Instrument (RAt) pamphlet for youth

bull Chairs - Tim Broussard and Susan Bonich bull Developing plan for placement of Information

bull Revised RAI approved and implemented Kiosk on 1 st floor of Juvenile Justice Center bull 2-Year validation study scheduled for completion by Disproportionate Minority ContactaMCJ

December 2011 bull Chairs - Gloria Moreno and Timmie Washington

bull 24 reduction in detention population after RAI bull Juvenile Law 101 - Class for pre-court youth amp their

Self-Inspection parents providing information from DAs office bull Chairs - Dennis Englade and Keri Brown Houston Bar Association Juvenile Probation and

YAC Representative to help prepare them for court

in detention based on initial self-inspection Finalizing White Paper Executive Summary on bull Increased programming and other services to youth

o

corrective action plan datacase review of VOP youth

o Follow-up self-inspection began May 2011 to review Youth Advisory Council (YACl programming safety environment training access bull Chairs - Sylvia Latapie and Carlos Cruz and classificationintake

bull Exploring possibility of developing scholarship Alternatives to Secure Detention opportunities for YAC Representatives

bull Chairs - Terri McGee and Beverly Malazzo Youth representatives have provided over 150 hours o Developing a continuum of services for release of of service to juvenile probation youth

medium-risk cases Task Force co-chairs and members have volunteered bull Completed report on standardsguidelines to countless hours to make JDAI successful These

evaluate current alternatives to detention and stakeholders representatives from juvenile probation developing recommendations for needed and every segment of Harris County are making a alternatives difference in the lives of youth and their families involved

5JHtcial Detention Cases in the juvenile justice system

bull Chairs - Julia Ramirez and Eric Laird

bull Alternative and Response Grid for Violation of Probation implemented and being evaluated

bull Dramatic decrease in outstanding WRITS and warrants

Juvenile Drug Court SOARS A special court docket - Sobriety Over Addiction and Relapse (SOAR) created in 2010 by Judge Michael Schneider (315th District Court) is a therapeutic and community-based approach to juvenile offenders who are Significantly impacted by a serious alcohol or drug problem Emphasizing rehabilitation over punishment for post-adjudicated youth the goal is to effectively address underlying drug abuse issues related to offending behaviors while emphasizing public safety and personal responsibility

The program designed to work with 15 - 20 youths annually for a minimum of 12 months is collaborating with The Council on Alcohol and Drugs - Houston Turning Point Odyssey House the Harris County Psychiatric Center and other community partners to provide comprehensive counseling and treatment to the youth and their families The first five youth graduated from the program in June

Judge Ellis and I are excited by the results and the hard work these kids and their families have demonstrated begin a life free of drugs The pride on the faces of our drug court graduates makes it al worthwhile

Judge Michael Schneider - 315th District C

I Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011

Detention Population and Juvenile Crime Down Harris Countys statistics between 2006 (prior to JDAI) through 2010 provide proof of our success

bull 25 fewer youth were admitted to the Juvenile Detention Center

bull 28 fewer petitions were filed by the District Attorneys Office

bull 48) fewer youth were placed in expensive residential facilities

bull 70 fewer youth were committed to the Texas Youth Commission

bull 36 fewer youth were transferred to adult court (certification)

Youth crime is down with dramatic savings to taxpayers

bull 53 drop in auto theft

bull 58 drop in felony drug

bull 51 drop in unauthorized use of a motor vehicle

bull 22 drop in burglary

bull 28 drop in juveniles referred to juvenile probation JDAI is making a difference in not only keeping our community safer - Petitions Filed by DAs Office - Detention A(jmissions

but also reducing youth involved in the juvenile justice system

Harris County Leadership Academy News

2006 2010

The Harris County Juvenile Probation department provides community-based enrichment programs and models bestshypractices deSigned to deter repeat offending The Harris County Leadershyship Academy (HLA) has and continues to develop partnerships throughout the community to aid in the successful supportive and well-structured transition back into the community for youth Several of these communityshybased organizations have provided extraordinary services to the youth Highlights of these program include

Bridges to Life (BTL) - Mission is to bring healing to victims of crime reduce recidivism among offender graduates of the program and help make our community a safer place Based on the principals of Restorative Justice the BTL program works with HLA youth to help them beUer understand empathy rehabilitation reconciliation and community safety Public speakers tell their story to youth at HLA

United Way National Volunteer DayshyVolunteers from Exxon Mobil as part of National Volunteer Day constructed covered structures painted three wall murals donated and erected a basketball court and soccer field and performed area beautification landscaping at the Leadership Academy

Tools 4 Teens Program (T4T)shyProviding an innovative character building and teens-skills development training through the use of various artistic expression methods In June ten youth from the Leadership Academy graduated from the T 4T program According to Kely Litvak Founder the students thrived in learning the many life lessons presented by instilling self-respect self-confidence and the knowledge that they can achieve their greatest potential when they live with integrity honesty hard work faith and love for self and others

Texas AgriLife Extension Horticulture Program This collaborative program provides handsshyon learning experiences to HLA youth Youth and master gardeners build and tend a vegetable garden Their first crop of corn tomatoes peppers and other vegetables was shared with a community food pantry Youth who complete the program receive a Horticulture Certificate to help in their pursuit of eventual employment in the nursery or landscaping industry

Proiect Helping Empower Everyones Lives (HEEL) - In the fall Corridor Rescue Inc will begin a residential animal-assisted violence intervention program at HLA USing rescue dogs residents will be taught personal responsibility compassion proper pet care and obedience skills to reduce the propensity for violence by altering the youths perception of aggression At the end of the program pets will be ready for adoption

United Way National Volunteer Day at Harris County Leadership Academy

Exxon Mobil Volunteers Giving Visual Hope to Youth

For Additional Information Contact

Nancy H Baird Site Coordinator Harris County JDAI 1200 Congress Houston Texas 77002 nbairdsbcglobalnet

Tom Brooks Executive Director Harris County Juvenile Probation thomasbrookshcjpdhctxnet

Annie E Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) httpwwwjdaihelpdeskorg

Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011 Page 4

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) YAC Chicago Site Visit

JDAI Youth Advisory Council (YAG) Co-Chairs Sylvia Latapie and Carlos Cruz and Juvenile Probations Public Information Officer Legal Services Administrator Kendall Mayfield made a site visit to Cook County to observe their Juvenile Advisory Council The Cook County Council was the model for Harris Countys program and we continue to leam from their success

Cook County has a scholarship program for youth representatives to attend college They have several college graduates one of whom is currently a Juvenile Probation Officer with the department thanks to the scholarship program

Harris County is exploring ways to begin lt-shy

a scholarship program for our Representatives bull They are doing a remarkable job making a difference in the lives of youthful offenders by sharing their stories

Caros Cruz Kendall Mayfield amp Sylvia Latapie with Cook County YAC team

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell YAC Youth Representatives

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell are the Stars of the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) Drew who begins his 2nd year at S1 Marys Law School in August and Jeremy Craft a Junior majoring in Engineering at Prairie View AampM are both Deans List scholars Drew and Jeremy have provided over 100 hours of service to Juvenile Probation youth They are making presentations at the Juvenile Consequences Program Juvenile Law 101 and throughout the Juvenile Probation Department assisting with the Field Services Admonishment Program every Saturday and serving on JDAI task forces When Drew and Jeremy speak the kids listen

Harris County OAls Youth Advisory Council (YAG) continues to provide a unique client-based perspective to the Department Through JDAI the representatives receive a stipend for their services and ongoing training on public speaking and professional development Youth are selected after being nominated by their Juvenile Probation Officer and an intensive interview process

Volume 2 Issue 2

Annie E Casey Foundation - Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

For Additional Information Contact

Nancy H Baird Site Coordinator Harris County JDAI 1200 Congress Houston Texas 77002 nbairdsbcglobalnet

Tom Brooks Executive Director Harris County Juvenile Probation thomasbrookshcjpdJl~txret

Annie E casey Foundation

The Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (TJPC) sponsored a conference on Juvenile Detention A New Approach to Effective Diversion Safe Communities and Better Fiscal Decisions in San Antonio Texas The purpose was to examine the prinCiples and goals of JDAI Speakers included Bart Lubow Annie E Casey Foundation Vicki Spriggs T JPC Executive Director and Dallas and Harris County JDAI Representatives Over 75 Juvenile Justice Leaders attended to discuss the pros and cons of Texas becoming a IDAI state site Our delegation provided information on how JDAI has impacted and reformed juvenile justice in Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) I1IDwwwjdaihelpdeskorg Dr Terry Snow-Smith amp

Judge Michael Schneider

Dr Terry Snow-Smith Tim Broussard Judge Michael Schneider Nancy Baird Tom Brooks amp Myriam Quinones

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Harris County JDAIs Youth Advisory Council (YAC) which began in March 2010 is an innovative program deSigned to have youth representatives between the ages of 16-24 who have successfully completed probation serve as peer

Sylvia Latapie and Adiagha Mbonisi (YAC Task Force Co-Chairs) and

Kiara Lozano Brishanna Larkin and Ricky Parker (YAC Youth

Representatives)

mentors and conduct presentations to youth currently on probation Providing a unique client-based perspective to the Department on its programs services and policies will provide YAC representatives with the power to influence the juvenile justice system Through JDAI the youth will also receive a stipend for their services and training on professional appearance public speaking and career development skills

Juvenile Probation Officers nominated youth to serve as YAC Representatives Each nominee was required to sign a confidentiality clause submit three (3) letters of recommendation an essay about their life story and their reason for wanting to serve So far they have made presentations at the Juvenile Consequences Program and Field Services CUPS Units Eventually the representatives will be an integral part of the JDAI committees and task forces

I felt like a proud parent when Kiara Lozano spoke to over 250 youth and parents at the Juvenile Consequences Program She was amazing

Sylvia Latapie - YAC Task Force Co-Chair

Annie E Casey Foundation - Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Special pOints of interest

Harris County Continues Reforms - Page 1

JDAI Task Forces at Work Page 2

Juvenile Drug Court SOARS - Page 2

Detention Population and Crime Down - Page 3

Leadership Academy Leads the Way - Page 3

Youth Advisory Council Visits Chicago - Page 3

YAC Representatives Shine - Page 4

National JDAI News 2012 Inter-Site Conference coming to Houston to showcase Harris Countys JDAI

5 Harris County Continues Reforms

Harris County is completing its fourth year as an Annie E Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) site The goal of this initiative is to implement reform strategies to safely reduce reliance on secure detention while at the same time reduce juvenile crime and keep communities safe

Harris County JDAI is a leader in these efforts working smarter and harder to use evidenced-based prevention and intervention programs to divert young people from the juvenile justice system Successful reforms and programs include

Mental Health Court - 314th District Court bull Created by Judge John Phillips started in February 2009 the first

speciality court for youth with serious mental health issues bull 87 success rate working with community partners including MHMRA

Depelchin Childrens Center United Way System of Hope amp Intracare GED Program Success

bull 18 out of 28 youth earned their Graduate Equivalency Degree since the beginning of an innovative program thanks to the vision of Judge John Phillips (314th District Court)

Gang Court Begins in Judge Glenn Devlins 313th District Court bull A speCialized court to deal with youth who admit active membership in

illegal street gangs bull The 9 - 12 month program will focus on intensive therapy and family

intervention to get youth to renounce their gang affiliation and abide by laws

Girls Court Pilot Program to Begin in 315th District Court bull Judge Michael Schneider and Associate Judge Angela Ellis are starting

a girls court for young girls who are victims of human trafficking or have resorted to prostitution to survive on the streets

bull The court will offer intensive supervision and therapeutic services including placement in a safe community to protect these victims

Deferred Prosecution Program bull 4000 juveniles have been diverted to either the 90-day or 180-day

non-petitioned Deferred Prosecution Program with a 90 success rate bull $24 million estimated savings to the county in attorney apPOintments

issuance of service court staff time etc

YAC Representatives Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell (bottom) talking to

youth at Field Services CUPS 2

Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011 Page 2 ~----~--------------------~----------------------------

JDAI Task Forces at Work

Harris Countys JDAI Task Forces are continuing their work Case Processing to implement the core strategies in reforming juvenile justice bull Chairs - Lupe Mendiola-Washington and Adriana in Harris County Below is an update for each task force Ponce

bull Developing a Know Your Rights information Risk Assessment Instrument (RAt) pamphlet for youth

bull Chairs - Tim Broussard and Susan Bonich bull Developing plan for placement of Information

bull Revised RAI approved and implemented Kiosk on 1 st floor of Juvenile Justice Center bull 2-Year validation study scheduled for completion by Disproportionate Minority ContactaMCJ

December 2011 bull Chairs - Gloria Moreno and Timmie Washington

bull 24 reduction in detention population after RAI bull Juvenile Law 101 - Class for pre-court youth amp their

Self-Inspection parents providing information from DAs office bull Chairs - Dennis Englade and Keri Brown Houston Bar Association Juvenile Probation and

YAC Representative to help prepare them for court

in detention based on initial self-inspection Finalizing White Paper Executive Summary on bull Increased programming and other services to youth

o

corrective action plan datacase review of VOP youth

o Follow-up self-inspection began May 2011 to review Youth Advisory Council (YACl programming safety environment training access bull Chairs - Sylvia Latapie and Carlos Cruz and classificationintake

bull Exploring possibility of developing scholarship Alternatives to Secure Detention opportunities for YAC Representatives

bull Chairs - Terri McGee and Beverly Malazzo Youth representatives have provided over 150 hours o Developing a continuum of services for release of of service to juvenile probation youth

medium-risk cases Task Force co-chairs and members have volunteered bull Completed report on standardsguidelines to countless hours to make JDAI successful These

evaluate current alternatives to detention and stakeholders representatives from juvenile probation developing recommendations for needed and every segment of Harris County are making a alternatives difference in the lives of youth and their families involved

5JHtcial Detention Cases in the juvenile justice system

bull Chairs - Julia Ramirez and Eric Laird

bull Alternative and Response Grid for Violation of Probation implemented and being evaluated

bull Dramatic decrease in outstanding WRITS and warrants

Juvenile Drug Court SOARS A special court docket - Sobriety Over Addiction and Relapse (SOAR) created in 2010 by Judge Michael Schneider (315th District Court) is a therapeutic and community-based approach to juvenile offenders who are Significantly impacted by a serious alcohol or drug problem Emphasizing rehabilitation over punishment for post-adjudicated youth the goal is to effectively address underlying drug abuse issues related to offending behaviors while emphasizing public safety and personal responsibility

The program designed to work with 15 - 20 youths annually for a minimum of 12 months is collaborating with The Council on Alcohol and Drugs - Houston Turning Point Odyssey House the Harris County Psychiatric Center and other community partners to provide comprehensive counseling and treatment to the youth and their families The first five youth graduated from the program in June

Judge Ellis and I are excited by the results and the hard work these kids and their families have demonstrated begin a life free of drugs The pride on the faces of our drug court graduates makes it al worthwhile

Judge Michael Schneider - 315th District C

I Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011

Detention Population and Juvenile Crime Down Harris Countys statistics between 2006 (prior to JDAI) through 2010 provide proof of our success

bull 25 fewer youth were admitted to the Juvenile Detention Center

bull 28 fewer petitions were filed by the District Attorneys Office

bull 48) fewer youth were placed in expensive residential facilities

bull 70 fewer youth were committed to the Texas Youth Commission

bull 36 fewer youth were transferred to adult court (certification)

Youth crime is down with dramatic savings to taxpayers

bull 53 drop in auto theft

bull 58 drop in felony drug

bull 51 drop in unauthorized use of a motor vehicle

bull 22 drop in burglary

bull 28 drop in juveniles referred to juvenile probation JDAI is making a difference in not only keeping our community safer - Petitions Filed by DAs Office - Detention A(jmissions

but also reducing youth involved in the juvenile justice system

Harris County Leadership Academy News

2006 2010

The Harris County Juvenile Probation department provides community-based enrichment programs and models bestshypractices deSigned to deter repeat offending The Harris County Leadershyship Academy (HLA) has and continues to develop partnerships throughout the community to aid in the successful supportive and well-structured transition back into the community for youth Several of these communityshybased organizations have provided extraordinary services to the youth Highlights of these program include

Bridges to Life (BTL) - Mission is to bring healing to victims of crime reduce recidivism among offender graduates of the program and help make our community a safer place Based on the principals of Restorative Justice the BTL program works with HLA youth to help them beUer understand empathy rehabilitation reconciliation and community safety Public speakers tell their story to youth at HLA

United Way National Volunteer DayshyVolunteers from Exxon Mobil as part of National Volunteer Day constructed covered structures painted three wall murals donated and erected a basketball court and soccer field and performed area beautification landscaping at the Leadership Academy

Tools 4 Teens Program (T4T)shyProviding an innovative character building and teens-skills development training through the use of various artistic expression methods In June ten youth from the Leadership Academy graduated from the T 4T program According to Kely Litvak Founder the students thrived in learning the many life lessons presented by instilling self-respect self-confidence and the knowledge that they can achieve their greatest potential when they live with integrity honesty hard work faith and love for self and others

Texas AgriLife Extension Horticulture Program This collaborative program provides handsshyon learning experiences to HLA youth Youth and master gardeners build and tend a vegetable garden Their first crop of corn tomatoes peppers and other vegetables was shared with a community food pantry Youth who complete the program receive a Horticulture Certificate to help in their pursuit of eventual employment in the nursery or landscaping industry

Proiect Helping Empower Everyones Lives (HEEL) - In the fall Corridor Rescue Inc will begin a residential animal-assisted violence intervention program at HLA USing rescue dogs residents will be taught personal responsibility compassion proper pet care and obedience skills to reduce the propensity for violence by altering the youths perception of aggression At the end of the program pets will be ready for adoption

United Way National Volunteer Day at Harris County Leadership Academy

Exxon Mobil Volunteers Giving Visual Hope to Youth

For Additional Information Contact

Nancy H Baird Site Coordinator Harris County JDAI 1200 Congress Houston Texas 77002 nbairdsbcglobalnet

Tom Brooks Executive Director Harris County Juvenile Probation thomasbrookshcjpdhctxnet

Annie E Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) httpwwwjdaihelpdeskorg

Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011 Page 4

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) YAC Chicago Site Visit

JDAI Youth Advisory Council (YAG) Co-Chairs Sylvia Latapie and Carlos Cruz and Juvenile Probations Public Information Officer Legal Services Administrator Kendall Mayfield made a site visit to Cook County to observe their Juvenile Advisory Council The Cook County Council was the model for Harris Countys program and we continue to leam from their success

Cook County has a scholarship program for youth representatives to attend college They have several college graduates one of whom is currently a Juvenile Probation Officer with the department thanks to the scholarship program

Harris County is exploring ways to begin lt-shy

a scholarship program for our Representatives bull They are doing a remarkable job making a difference in the lives of youthful offenders by sharing their stories

Caros Cruz Kendall Mayfield amp Sylvia Latapie with Cook County YAC team

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell YAC Youth Representatives

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell are the Stars of the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) Drew who begins his 2nd year at S1 Marys Law School in August and Jeremy Craft a Junior majoring in Engineering at Prairie View AampM are both Deans List scholars Drew and Jeremy have provided over 100 hours of service to Juvenile Probation youth They are making presentations at the Juvenile Consequences Program Juvenile Law 101 and throughout the Juvenile Probation Department assisting with the Field Services Admonishment Program every Saturday and serving on JDAI task forces When Drew and Jeremy speak the kids listen

Harris County OAls Youth Advisory Council (YAG) continues to provide a unique client-based perspective to the Department Through JDAI the representatives receive a stipend for their services and ongoing training on public speaking and professional development Youth are selected after being nominated by their Juvenile Probation Officer and an intensive interview process

Annie E Casey Foundation - Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Special pOints of interest

Harris County Continues Reforms - Page 1

JDAI Task Forces at Work Page 2

Juvenile Drug Court SOARS - Page 2

Detention Population and Crime Down - Page 3

Leadership Academy Leads the Way - Page 3

Youth Advisory Council Visits Chicago - Page 3

YAC Representatives Shine - Page 4

National JDAI News 2012 Inter-Site Conference coming to Houston to showcase Harris Countys JDAI

5 Harris County Continues Reforms

Harris County is completing its fourth year as an Annie E Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) site The goal of this initiative is to implement reform strategies to safely reduce reliance on secure detention while at the same time reduce juvenile crime and keep communities safe

Harris County JDAI is a leader in these efforts working smarter and harder to use evidenced-based prevention and intervention programs to divert young people from the juvenile justice system Successful reforms and programs include

Mental Health Court - 314th District Court bull Created by Judge John Phillips started in February 2009 the first

speciality court for youth with serious mental health issues bull 87 success rate working with community partners including MHMRA

Depelchin Childrens Center United Way System of Hope amp Intracare GED Program Success

bull 18 out of 28 youth earned their Graduate Equivalency Degree since the beginning of an innovative program thanks to the vision of Judge John Phillips (314th District Court)

Gang Court Begins in Judge Glenn Devlins 313th District Court bull A speCialized court to deal with youth who admit active membership in

illegal street gangs bull The 9 - 12 month program will focus on intensive therapy and family

intervention to get youth to renounce their gang affiliation and abide by laws

Girls Court Pilot Program to Begin in 315th District Court bull Judge Michael Schneider and Associate Judge Angela Ellis are starting

a girls court for young girls who are victims of human trafficking or have resorted to prostitution to survive on the streets

bull The court will offer intensive supervision and therapeutic services including placement in a safe community to protect these victims

Deferred Prosecution Program bull 4000 juveniles have been diverted to either the 90-day or 180-day

non-petitioned Deferred Prosecution Program with a 90 success rate bull $24 million estimated savings to the county in attorney apPOintments

issuance of service court staff time etc

YAC Representatives Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell (bottom) talking to

youth at Field Services CUPS 2

Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011 Page 2 ~----~--------------------~----------------------------

JDAI Task Forces at Work

Harris Countys JDAI Task Forces are continuing their work Case Processing to implement the core strategies in reforming juvenile justice bull Chairs - Lupe Mendiola-Washington and Adriana in Harris County Below is an update for each task force Ponce

bull Developing a Know Your Rights information Risk Assessment Instrument (RAt) pamphlet for youth

bull Chairs - Tim Broussard and Susan Bonich bull Developing plan for placement of Information

bull Revised RAI approved and implemented Kiosk on 1 st floor of Juvenile Justice Center bull 2-Year validation study scheduled for completion by Disproportionate Minority ContactaMCJ

December 2011 bull Chairs - Gloria Moreno and Timmie Washington

bull 24 reduction in detention population after RAI bull Juvenile Law 101 - Class for pre-court youth amp their

Self-Inspection parents providing information from DAs office bull Chairs - Dennis Englade and Keri Brown Houston Bar Association Juvenile Probation and

YAC Representative to help prepare them for court

in detention based on initial self-inspection Finalizing White Paper Executive Summary on bull Increased programming and other services to youth

o

corrective action plan datacase review of VOP youth

o Follow-up self-inspection began May 2011 to review Youth Advisory Council (YACl programming safety environment training access bull Chairs - Sylvia Latapie and Carlos Cruz and classificationintake

bull Exploring possibility of developing scholarship Alternatives to Secure Detention opportunities for YAC Representatives

bull Chairs - Terri McGee and Beverly Malazzo Youth representatives have provided over 150 hours o Developing a continuum of services for release of of service to juvenile probation youth

medium-risk cases Task Force co-chairs and members have volunteered bull Completed report on standardsguidelines to countless hours to make JDAI successful These

evaluate current alternatives to detention and stakeholders representatives from juvenile probation developing recommendations for needed and every segment of Harris County are making a alternatives difference in the lives of youth and their families involved

5JHtcial Detention Cases in the juvenile justice system

bull Chairs - Julia Ramirez and Eric Laird

bull Alternative and Response Grid for Violation of Probation implemented and being evaluated

bull Dramatic decrease in outstanding WRITS and warrants

Juvenile Drug Court SOARS A special court docket - Sobriety Over Addiction and Relapse (SOAR) created in 2010 by Judge Michael Schneider (315th District Court) is a therapeutic and community-based approach to juvenile offenders who are Significantly impacted by a serious alcohol or drug problem Emphasizing rehabilitation over punishment for post-adjudicated youth the goal is to effectively address underlying drug abuse issues related to offending behaviors while emphasizing public safety and personal responsibility

The program designed to work with 15 - 20 youths annually for a minimum of 12 months is collaborating with The Council on Alcohol and Drugs - Houston Turning Point Odyssey House the Harris County Psychiatric Center and other community partners to provide comprehensive counseling and treatment to the youth and their families The first five youth graduated from the program in June

Judge Ellis and I are excited by the results and the hard work these kids and their families have demonstrated begin a life free of drugs The pride on the faces of our drug court graduates makes it al worthwhile

Judge Michael Schneider - 315th District C

I Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011

Detention Population and Juvenile Crime Down Harris Countys statistics between 2006 (prior to JDAI) through 2010 provide proof of our success

bull 25 fewer youth were admitted to the Juvenile Detention Center

bull 28 fewer petitions were filed by the District Attorneys Office

bull 48) fewer youth were placed in expensive residential facilities

bull 70 fewer youth were committed to the Texas Youth Commission

bull 36 fewer youth were transferred to adult court (certification)

Youth crime is down with dramatic savings to taxpayers

bull 53 drop in auto theft

bull 58 drop in felony drug

bull 51 drop in unauthorized use of a motor vehicle

bull 22 drop in burglary

bull 28 drop in juveniles referred to juvenile probation JDAI is making a difference in not only keeping our community safer - Petitions Filed by DAs Office - Detention A(jmissions

but also reducing youth involved in the juvenile justice system

Harris County Leadership Academy News

2006 2010

The Harris County Juvenile Probation department provides community-based enrichment programs and models bestshypractices deSigned to deter repeat offending The Harris County Leadershyship Academy (HLA) has and continues to develop partnerships throughout the community to aid in the successful supportive and well-structured transition back into the community for youth Several of these communityshybased organizations have provided extraordinary services to the youth Highlights of these program include

Bridges to Life (BTL) - Mission is to bring healing to victims of crime reduce recidivism among offender graduates of the program and help make our community a safer place Based on the principals of Restorative Justice the BTL program works with HLA youth to help them beUer understand empathy rehabilitation reconciliation and community safety Public speakers tell their story to youth at HLA

United Way National Volunteer DayshyVolunteers from Exxon Mobil as part of National Volunteer Day constructed covered structures painted three wall murals donated and erected a basketball court and soccer field and performed area beautification landscaping at the Leadership Academy

Tools 4 Teens Program (T4T)shyProviding an innovative character building and teens-skills development training through the use of various artistic expression methods In June ten youth from the Leadership Academy graduated from the T 4T program According to Kely Litvak Founder the students thrived in learning the many life lessons presented by instilling self-respect self-confidence and the knowledge that they can achieve their greatest potential when they live with integrity honesty hard work faith and love for self and others

Texas AgriLife Extension Horticulture Program This collaborative program provides handsshyon learning experiences to HLA youth Youth and master gardeners build and tend a vegetable garden Their first crop of corn tomatoes peppers and other vegetables was shared with a community food pantry Youth who complete the program receive a Horticulture Certificate to help in their pursuit of eventual employment in the nursery or landscaping industry

Proiect Helping Empower Everyones Lives (HEEL) - In the fall Corridor Rescue Inc will begin a residential animal-assisted violence intervention program at HLA USing rescue dogs residents will be taught personal responsibility compassion proper pet care and obedience skills to reduce the propensity for violence by altering the youths perception of aggression At the end of the program pets will be ready for adoption

United Way National Volunteer Day at Harris County Leadership Academy

Exxon Mobil Volunteers Giving Visual Hope to Youth

For Additional Information Contact

Nancy H Baird Site Coordinator Harris County JDAI 1200 Congress Houston Texas 77002 nbairdsbcglobalnet

Tom Brooks Executive Director Harris County Juvenile Probation thomasbrookshcjpdhctxnet

Annie E Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) httpwwwjdaihelpdeskorg

Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011 Page 4

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) YAC Chicago Site Visit

JDAI Youth Advisory Council (YAG) Co-Chairs Sylvia Latapie and Carlos Cruz and Juvenile Probations Public Information Officer Legal Services Administrator Kendall Mayfield made a site visit to Cook County to observe their Juvenile Advisory Council The Cook County Council was the model for Harris Countys program and we continue to leam from their success

Cook County has a scholarship program for youth representatives to attend college They have several college graduates one of whom is currently a Juvenile Probation Officer with the department thanks to the scholarship program

Harris County is exploring ways to begin lt-shy

a scholarship program for our Representatives bull They are doing a remarkable job making a difference in the lives of youthful offenders by sharing their stories

Caros Cruz Kendall Mayfield amp Sylvia Latapie with Cook County YAC team

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell YAC Youth Representatives

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell are the Stars of the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) Drew who begins his 2nd year at S1 Marys Law School in August and Jeremy Craft a Junior majoring in Engineering at Prairie View AampM are both Deans List scholars Drew and Jeremy have provided over 100 hours of service to Juvenile Probation youth They are making presentations at the Juvenile Consequences Program Juvenile Law 101 and throughout the Juvenile Probation Department assisting with the Field Services Admonishment Program every Saturday and serving on JDAI task forces When Drew and Jeremy speak the kids listen

Harris County OAls Youth Advisory Council (YAG) continues to provide a unique client-based perspective to the Department Through JDAI the representatives receive a stipend for their services and ongoing training on public speaking and professional development Youth are selected after being nominated by their Juvenile Probation Officer and an intensive interview process

Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011 Page 2 ~----~--------------------~----------------------------

JDAI Task Forces at Work

Harris Countys JDAI Task Forces are continuing their work Case Processing to implement the core strategies in reforming juvenile justice bull Chairs - Lupe Mendiola-Washington and Adriana in Harris County Below is an update for each task force Ponce

bull Developing a Know Your Rights information Risk Assessment Instrument (RAt) pamphlet for youth

bull Chairs - Tim Broussard and Susan Bonich bull Developing plan for placement of Information

bull Revised RAI approved and implemented Kiosk on 1 st floor of Juvenile Justice Center bull 2-Year validation study scheduled for completion by Disproportionate Minority ContactaMCJ

December 2011 bull Chairs - Gloria Moreno and Timmie Washington

bull 24 reduction in detention population after RAI bull Juvenile Law 101 - Class for pre-court youth amp their

Self-Inspection parents providing information from DAs office bull Chairs - Dennis Englade and Keri Brown Houston Bar Association Juvenile Probation and

YAC Representative to help prepare them for court

in detention based on initial self-inspection Finalizing White Paper Executive Summary on bull Increased programming and other services to youth

o

corrective action plan datacase review of VOP youth

o Follow-up self-inspection began May 2011 to review Youth Advisory Council (YACl programming safety environment training access bull Chairs - Sylvia Latapie and Carlos Cruz and classificationintake

bull Exploring possibility of developing scholarship Alternatives to Secure Detention opportunities for YAC Representatives

bull Chairs - Terri McGee and Beverly Malazzo Youth representatives have provided over 150 hours o Developing a continuum of services for release of of service to juvenile probation youth

medium-risk cases Task Force co-chairs and members have volunteered bull Completed report on standardsguidelines to countless hours to make JDAI successful These

evaluate current alternatives to detention and stakeholders representatives from juvenile probation developing recommendations for needed and every segment of Harris County are making a alternatives difference in the lives of youth and their families involved

5JHtcial Detention Cases in the juvenile justice system

bull Chairs - Julia Ramirez and Eric Laird

bull Alternative and Response Grid for Violation of Probation implemented and being evaluated

bull Dramatic decrease in outstanding WRITS and warrants

Juvenile Drug Court SOARS A special court docket - Sobriety Over Addiction and Relapse (SOAR) created in 2010 by Judge Michael Schneider (315th District Court) is a therapeutic and community-based approach to juvenile offenders who are Significantly impacted by a serious alcohol or drug problem Emphasizing rehabilitation over punishment for post-adjudicated youth the goal is to effectively address underlying drug abuse issues related to offending behaviors while emphasizing public safety and personal responsibility

The program designed to work with 15 - 20 youths annually for a minimum of 12 months is collaborating with The Council on Alcohol and Drugs - Houston Turning Point Odyssey House the Harris County Psychiatric Center and other community partners to provide comprehensive counseling and treatment to the youth and their families The first five youth graduated from the program in June

Judge Ellis and I are excited by the results and the hard work these kids and their families have demonstrated begin a life free of drugs The pride on the faces of our drug court graduates makes it al worthwhile

Judge Michael Schneider - 315th District C

I Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011

Detention Population and Juvenile Crime Down Harris Countys statistics between 2006 (prior to JDAI) through 2010 provide proof of our success

bull 25 fewer youth were admitted to the Juvenile Detention Center

bull 28 fewer petitions were filed by the District Attorneys Office

bull 48) fewer youth were placed in expensive residential facilities

bull 70 fewer youth were committed to the Texas Youth Commission

bull 36 fewer youth were transferred to adult court (certification)

Youth crime is down with dramatic savings to taxpayers

bull 53 drop in auto theft

bull 58 drop in felony drug

bull 51 drop in unauthorized use of a motor vehicle

bull 22 drop in burglary

bull 28 drop in juveniles referred to juvenile probation JDAI is making a difference in not only keeping our community safer - Petitions Filed by DAs Office - Detention A(jmissions

but also reducing youth involved in the juvenile justice system

Harris County Leadership Academy News

2006 2010

The Harris County Juvenile Probation department provides community-based enrichment programs and models bestshypractices deSigned to deter repeat offending The Harris County Leadershyship Academy (HLA) has and continues to develop partnerships throughout the community to aid in the successful supportive and well-structured transition back into the community for youth Several of these communityshybased organizations have provided extraordinary services to the youth Highlights of these program include

Bridges to Life (BTL) - Mission is to bring healing to victims of crime reduce recidivism among offender graduates of the program and help make our community a safer place Based on the principals of Restorative Justice the BTL program works with HLA youth to help them beUer understand empathy rehabilitation reconciliation and community safety Public speakers tell their story to youth at HLA

United Way National Volunteer DayshyVolunteers from Exxon Mobil as part of National Volunteer Day constructed covered structures painted three wall murals donated and erected a basketball court and soccer field and performed area beautification landscaping at the Leadership Academy

Tools 4 Teens Program (T4T)shyProviding an innovative character building and teens-skills development training through the use of various artistic expression methods In June ten youth from the Leadership Academy graduated from the T 4T program According to Kely Litvak Founder the students thrived in learning the many life lessons presented by instilling self-respect self-confidence and the knowledge that they can achieve their greatest potential when they live with integrity honesty hard work faith and love for self and others

Texas AgriLife Extension Horticulture Program This collaborative program provides handsshyon learning experiences to HLA youth Youth and master gardeners build and tend a vegetable garden Their first crop of corn tomatoes peppers and other vegetables was shared with a community food pantry Youth who complete the program receive a Horticulture Certificate to help in their pursuit of eventual employment in the nursery or landscaping industry

Proiect Helping Empower Everyones Lives (HEEL) - In the fall Corridor Rescue Inc will begin a residential animal-assisted violence intervention program at HLA USing rescue dogs residents will be taught personal responsibility compassion proper pet care and obedience skills to reduce the propensity for violence by altering the youths perception of aggression At the end of the program pets will be ready for adoption

United Way National Volunteer Day at Harris County Leadership Academy

Exxon Mobil Volunteers Giving Visual Hope to Youth

For Additional Information Contact

Nancy H Baird Site Coordinator Harris County JDAI 1200 Congress Houston Texas 77002 nbairdsbcglobalnet

Tom Brooks Executive Director Harris County Juvenile Probation thomasbrookshcjpdhctxnet

Annie E Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) httpwwwjdaihelpdeskorg

Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011 Page 4

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) YAC Chicago Site Visit

JDAI Youth Advisory Council (YAG) Co-Chairs Sylvia Latapie and Carlos Cruz and Juvenile Probations Public Information Officer Legal Services Administrator Kendall Mayfield made a site visit to Cook County to observe their Juvenile Advisory Council The Cook County Council was the model for Harris Countys program and we continue to leam from their success

Cook County has a scholarship program for youth representatives to attend college They have several college graduates one of whom is currently a Juvenile Probation Officer with the department thanks to the scholarship program

Harris County is exploring ways to begin lt-shy

a scholarship program for our Representatives bull They are doing a remarkable job making a difference in the lives of youthful offenders by sharing their stories

Caros Cruz Kendall Mayfield amp Sylvia Latapie with Cook County YAC team

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell YAC Youth Representatives

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell are the Stars of the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) Drew who begins his 2nd year at S1 Marys Law School in August and Jeremy Craft a Junior majoring in Engineering at Prairie View AampM are both Deans List scholars Drew and Jeremy have provided over 100 hours of service to Juvenile Probation youth They are making presentations at the Juvenile Consequences Program Juvenile Law 101 and throughout the Juvenile Probation Department assisting with the Field Services Admonishment Program every Saturday and serving on JDAI task forces When Drew and Jeremy speak the kids listen

Harris County OAls Youth Advisory Council (YAG) continues to provide a unique client-based perspective to the Department Through JDAI the representatives receive a stipend for their services and ongoing training on public speaking and professional development Youth are selected after being nominated by their Juvenile Probation Officer and an intensive interview process

I Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011

Detention Population and Juvenile Crime Down Harris Countys statistics between 2006 (prior to JDAI) through 2010 provide proof of our success

bull 25 fewer youth were admitted to the Juvenile Detention Center

bull 28 fewer petitions were filed by the District Attorneys Office

bull 48) fewer youth were placed in expensive residential facilities

bull 70 fewer youth were committed to the Texas Youth Commission

bull 36 fewer youth were transferred to adult court (certification)

Youth crime is down with dramatic savings to taxpayers

bull 53 drop in auto theft

bull 58 drop in felony drug

bull 51 drop in unauthorized use of a motor vehicle

bull 22 drop in burglary

bull 28 drop in juveniles referred to juvenile probation JDAI is making a difference in not only keeping our community safer - Petitions Filed by DAs Office - Detention A(jmissions

but also reducing youth involved in the juvenile justice system

Harris County Leadership Academy News

2006 2010

The Harris County Juvenile Probation department provides community-based enrichment programs and models bestshypractices deSigned to deter repeat offending The Harris County Leadershyship Academy (HLA) has and continues to develop partnerships throughout the community to aid in the successful supportive and well-structured transition back into the community for youth Several of these communityshybased organizations have provided extraordinary services to the youth Highlights of these program include

Bridges to Life (BTL) - Mission is to bring healing to victims of crime reduce recidivism among offender graduates of the program and help make our community a safer place Based on the principals of Restorative Justice the BTL program works with HLA youth to help them beUer understand empathy rehabilitation reconciliation and community safety Public speakers tell their story to youth at HLA

United Way National Volunteer DayshyVolunteers from Exxon Mobil as part of National Volunteer Day constructed covered structures painted three wall murals donated and erected a basketball court and soccer field and performed area beautification landscaping at the Leadership Academy

Tools 4 Teens Program (T4T)shyProviding an innovative character building and teens-skills development training through the use of various artistic expression methods In June ten youth from the Leadership Academy graduated from the T 4T program According to Kely Litvak Founder the students thrived in learning the many life lessons presented by instilling self-respect self-confidence and the knowledge that they can achieve their greatest potential when they live with integrity honesty hard work faith and love for self and others

Texas AgriLife Extension Horticulture Program This collaborative program provides handsshyon learning experiences to HLA youth Youth and master gardeners build and tend a vegetable garden Their first crop of corn tomatoes peppers and other vegetables was shared with a community food pantry Youth who complete the program receive a Horticulture Certificate to help in their pursuit of eventual employment in the nursery or landscaping industry

Proiect Helping Empower Everyones Lives (HEEL) - In the fall Corridor Rescue Inc will begin a residential animal-assisted violence intervention program at HLA USing rescue dogs residents will be taught personal responsibility compassion proper pet care and obedience skills to reduce the propensity for violence by altering the youths perception of aggression At the end of the program pets will be ready for adoption

United Way National Volunteer Day at Harris County Leadership Academy

Exxon Mobil Volunteers Giving Visual Hope to Youth

For Additional Information Contact

Nancy H Baird Site Coordinator Harris County JDAI 1200 Congress Houston Texas 77002 nbairdsbcglobalnet

Tom Brooks Executive Director Harris County Juvenile Probation thomasbrookshcjpdhctxnet

Annie E Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) httpwwwjdaihelpdeskorg

Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011 Page 4

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) YAC Chicago Site Visit

JDAI Youth Advisory Council (YAG) Co-Chairs Sylvia Latapie and Carlos Cruz and Juvenile Probations Public Information Officer Legal Services Administrator Kendall Mayfield made a site visit to Cook County to observe their Juvenile Advisory Council The Cook County Council was the model for Harris Countys program and we continue to leam from their success

Cook County has a scholarship program for youth representatives to attend college They have several college graduates one of whom is currently a Juvenile Probation Officer with the department thanks to the scholarship program

Harris County is exploring ways to begin lt-shy

a scholarship program for our Representatives bull They are doing a remarkable job making a difference in the lives of youthful offenders by sharing their stories

Caros Cruz Kendall Mayfield amp Sylvia Latapie with Cook County YAC team

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell YAC Youth Representatives

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell are the Stars of the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) Drew who begins his 2nd year at S1 Marys Law School in August and Jeremy Craft a Junior majoring in Engineering at Prairie View AampM are both Deans List scholars Drew and Jeremy have provided over 100 hours of service to Juvenile Probation youth They are making presentations at the Juvenile Consequences Program Juvenile Law 101 and throughout the Juvenile Probation Department assisting with the Field Services Admonishment Program every Saturday and serving on JDAI task forces When Drew and Jeremy speak the kids listen

Harris County OAls Youth Advisory Council (YAG) continues to provide a unique client-based perspective to the Department Through JDAI the representatives receive a stipend for their services and ongoing training on public speaking and professional development Youth are selected after being nominated by their Juvenile Probation Officer and an intensive interview process

For Additional Information Contact

Nancy H Baird Site Coordinator Harris County JDAI 1200 Congress Houston Texas 77002 nbairdsbcglobalnet

Tom Brooks Executive Director Harris County Juvenile Probation thomasbrookshcjpdhctxnet

Annie E Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) httpwwwjdaihelpdeskorg

Volume 3 Issue 3 July 2011 Page 4

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) YAC Chicago Site Visit

JDAI Youth Advisory Council (YAG) Co-Chairs Sylvia Latapie and Carlos Cruz and Juvenile Probations Public Information Officer Legal Services Administrator Kendall Mayfield made a site visit to Cook County to observe their Juvenile Advisory Council The Cook County Council was the model for Harris Countys program and we continue to leam from their success

Cook County has a scholarship program for youth representatives to attend college They have several college graduates one of whom is currently a Juvenile Probation Officer with the department thanks to the scholarship program

Harris County is exploring ways to begin lt-shy

a scholarship program for our Representatives bull They are doing a remarkable job making a difference in the lives of youthful offenders by sharing their stories

Caros Cruz Kendall Mayfield amp Sylvia Latapie with Cook County YAC team

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell YAC Youth Representatives

Annie E Casey Foundation Harris County

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI)

Jeremy Craft and Drew Darnell are the Stars of the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) Drew who begins his 2nd year at S1 Marys Law School in August and Jeremy Craft a Junior majoring in Engineering at Prairie View AampM are both Deans List scholars Drew and Jeremy have provided over 100 hours of service to Juvenile Probation youth They are making presentations at the Juvenile Consequences Program Juvenile Law 101 and throughout the Juvenile Probation Department assisting with the Field Services Admonishment Program every Saturday and serving on JDAI task forces When Drew and Jeremy speak the kids listen

Harris County OAls Youth Advisory Council (YAG) continues to provide a unique client-based perspective to the Department Through JDAI the representatives receive a stipend for their services and ongoing training on public speaking and professional development Youth are selected after being nominated by their Juvenile Probation Officer and an intensive interview process

Harris County Juvenile Probation Departmen

Detention Risk Assessment

1 Most Serious Alleged Offense Category A Felonies Against Persons 1st Degree Felonies Category B Property Related Felonies Drug Distribution Felonies

Category C Felony Possession DrugslWeapons FeloniesOther Felonies Category D State Jail Felony Misdemeanor Against Persons Category E Violations of Probation Category F Other Misdemeanors (Class B or Above)

2 Additional Charges in this Referral Two or More Additional Felony Offenses One Additional Felony Offense One or More Misdemeanor or Violation of Probation Offense

3 Prior Adjudications of Delinquency Two or More Prior Felony Adjudications Against Persons One Prior Felony Adjudication Against a Person Two or more prior Other Felony Adjudications One prior Other Felony Adjudication One Prior Misdemeanor Adjudication Against Person Other Prior Misdemeanor Adjudication

Pending Petitions Felony Against Person Petition(s) Pending Other Felony Petitions Pending Misdemeanor Petition(s) Pending Against Person

5 History of Failure to Appear Two or more prior warrants within the past two years One prior warrant within the past two years

Failure to Comply with EACH Condition of Release

7 Aggregate Score

Score 15 8 7 6 3 2

Group 1 Score

3 2 1

Group 2 Score [illlilllEJl2ill_

9 5 6 4 3 1

Group 3 Score LW~~~~

3 2 1

Group 4 Score

15 7

Group 5 Score

7

Group 6 Score Liiijiiiiijjjjiiii~

Decision Scaled Score LOW RISK - Release without Supervision MEDIUM RISK - Conditioned Release DETAIN - Secure Detention

0-9 10 -14

15 +

1

Harris County Juvenile Probation Department

Detention Risk Assessment Intake Time

Offense

Mandatory Detention Active Warrant

~-------------~_____________ Out of State Runaway ~_____________ Out of County Runaway ~_____________ Offenses involving a Firearm

CJPO custody referred for new offense or technical v violation r-------------~

9 Overrides Release Overrides

r---------~~~Parent Guardian or Custodian present viable and realistic plan of supervison between release from Detention and C1_~~pP~~~~~_____________________________________________________ _

o sign ury no evidence of intent to injure and Parent Guardian or t-____________+C=_~~pound~l_fl_~~_~Y~~~~_~pound_I~laquoLY_~~_~_~t_~_~pound~~e~_~I_~_~p_~Yl~_~~e~___________________________

venile has medical or psychiatric needs that would be better served with community or t-------------- parental supervison

Detention Overrides t-------------

Offense indicates significant degree of violence directed towards victim

no parent UgtUUlon to assume respons to t--_____JTDFPS)

Other (EXPLAIN) ___________________________

2

Harris County Juvenile Probation Department

Executive Report Overview

2006-2011

7

Petitions Filed and Representative Youth 2006-2011

iii Deliquency Petitions Filed Representative Youth

18000

16000

14000

12000

i 10000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Representative 13895 13851 12756 9686 8907 8362Youth

Delinquency 15720 15785 14705 11910 11249 10466Petitions Filed

State Commitments and Certifications

TYCTJJD Commitments

217 174

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

IiiiiI Certifications by Year

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

97

2

50 I

0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

bullbull~~lt BBRC

Youth Village

Delta BootLeadership

BBH Private Facility

HCP

277 144 119

140

63 124 16

262 140 141

138

49 125 15

249 123 159

120

45 158 15

188 115 138

93

43 197 15

167 137 144

91

0 87 15

cZ2011 --

168 114 109

67

0 67 15

Detention Center

Average Daily Population

Average Daily Population by Year -Detention Center -BBRC -Youth Village

-Delta BootLeadership BBH -Private Facility

HCP

300

250

200 cs 0 u 150cs 0 gtshy 100

3

l

Deferred Prosecution

middotmiddotmiddotaOl9middotmiddot 2010 middotmiddot~[Qf1middotmiddottlf~ $555600 $846000 $608400

~DP90~tSavtqQmiddotmiddot ~il

DP90 Successful Completions 1600

bull 1410 1400

1200 tfIIIII11111111~1014 1000

800

600

400

200

o 2009 2010 2011

middot_~i~l tiI~_11i1 $60600 $195600 $213600

DP180 Successful Completions l 400

326 356 350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0 2009 2010 2011

Success was measured by the number of youth that successfully completed the program and were not re-referred as of February 2012 Average estimated cost to file a petition in the juvenile courts is $600 per youth Cost savings calculated using this estimated average multiplied by the number of youth successfully completing deferred prosecution programs

4

Judges Still Sticking ~to Old Lawyer Game Updnte(1 Tuesday 20 Mar 20121013 PM COT Publis~ecJ Tues(iay 20 Mar 2012 tlA 7 PM CD T

~~ ISIAH CAREYfi j Reporter 8

HOUSTON - When a criminal defendant couldnt afford an

attorney a Harris County judge would just appoint onelt

courtesy of the taxpayer

Thats why Houston Pastor Robert Jefferson fought for the

Harris County Public Defenders Office Its been operating

since 2011 lt

These appointed attorneys are arrogant and they will not

take care of our people Jefferson said Too many of our people are going to jail on pleas

bull Download the free FOX 26 But weve learned some judges are refusing to use the 37 bull Send FOX 26 Your News Tip - Click Here

defense attorneys in the office Instead many are sticking to the old game and using court-appointed attorneys paid $40

to $100 an hour by the county

Alexander Bunin the head of the Public Defenders Office said his attorneys are making inroads with some judges but theres still work to do

There are folks that see us as a threat and they see us as youre taking more and more of the case loads from lawyers who depend on that money Bunin said

He said the Harris County Republican Party sent a letter to judges telling them not to use the Public DefenderS Office In the meantime Jefferson said if judges dont appoint attorneys and use the public defenders they could lose potential

campaign donationslt

We established the public defenderS office so this kind of thing personal feeling personal money personal wealth

wouldnt be in it he saidlt

There is a pie big enough and the good thing is we help the other people in the pielt We raise the quality for other lawyers

because were a resource here Bunin saidlt

Out of the 22 judges surveyed Mary Lou Keel used the Public Defenders Office the most 345 times Judges Denise Collins and Janine Barr gave the Public Defenders Office only six cases over a years time the lowest on the list Judge Marc

Carter has used the Public Defenders Office 75 times and is among the top 10 users Carter said hes happy with what he sees in his court

Ive seen them in trial and theyve done a great job in trial and its my intention to use them more he saidlt

Bunin said the annual cost to operate the Public Defenders Office is $8 million a year A portion of the cost is picked up by

the state of Texaslt

We also attempted to reach Jared Woodfill with the Harris County Republican Party to address the memo his organization

sent out but we have not heard baltk

Chanse HApPENS

FonrvlERLY FUUSA

9

Board of Directors

Bnud Ch~irptlSon

Cllrti~ V fotHrs

I bull

letlt GIt~s-Ctlslt

RI(trelfd f rll V Brolssard

Vamssfl T Reetl

RObbyn 10llIs01l 7 I

Relltrend Leslie Smitl1 II

_--------- shyApril 2 2012

T() whom it may concern

My Ilame is Reverend Leslie Smith and ram the Chief Executive Oiliccr and founder of Change Happens formerly known a Families Under Lrhan and Social Attac~ (FLUSA) r have had the opportunity to witness and collaborate with the Juvenile Justice System of Harris County for several years [havc becn a member of the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) Management Oversight Committee since 2008 The charge ofthat committee is to observe and make recolllmendations to improve the Juvenile Justice system and ensure that policies and practices represent failllcss tovards all youth and families regardless of race and gender The goal of the lDAf is to reduce the number of youth in detenlion and llIorc specifically reduce the disproportionate confinement of minority youth by providing altcmativcs to detention and allcl11utives 10 removal from home

Twill admit that initially I was leery of the legitimacy of this organization as J had always seen the justice system and law enforcement as all us verses them As a member of the community I had never experienced the 0ppOItunily to be heard and collaborate on positive change

Through my observation of specific cases I have witnessed Judge John Phillips on several occasions take thc time to do wha1 s best for the children in front of him and explore all altcmatives to incarceration He listens to all sides and demands all availahle infonnation before making a decision I havt seen the coul1 aplxlinlcd atlorney~ argue 011 behalf of lheir cl iCllt~ to get the best and tairest results

The positive changes in the Harris County Juvenile Justice systern are not just anecdotal but show results through data Since 2006 delinquency petition tiled have dropped from 15720 to 1O~66 Youth committed to the State School has dropped from 691 in 2006 to 97 in 20 I J TIle number of youth certified to adult court dropped from 90 in 2006 down to 38 in 2011 The average daily detention popUlation has dropped from 277 in 2006 to 168 in 2011

This tremendous progress is taking place because of collaborations with community takcholdcrs coming to the tahle and providing services and programs to keep kids in the community and Ollt

oftrouhle This could 110t happen wilhollt a concel1ed cHi)li by community and faith based organizations law enfiJfCement the District Attorneys Office defense attol1leys juvenile probation and the COUtts

In conclusion I am a proponent of seeing that all children get fair representation and fair judgment by the courts l fcel contident in saying that this is happening within the Harris (ounly Juvenile Courts JalII happy to say that Ihe Harris County juvenile justice system continues 10

improve

Sincerelv

Re Leslie Smith

3353 Eight Street HOIstOll Texas bull 77004-3531 Teleplwlle (713) J74-I200middotlacsimile (713) 651-8045 WlLWc1lalU(ellllPllellstxor~

Harris County Juvenile Probation Department

Detention Risk Assessment Intake Time

Offense

Mandatory Detention Active Warrant

~-------------~_____________ Out of State Runaway ~_____________ Out of County Runaway ~_____________ Offenses involving a Firearm

CJPO custody referred for new offense or technical v violation r-------------~

9 Overrides Release Overrides

r---------~~~Parent Guardian or Custodian present viable and realistic plan of supervison between release from Detention and C1_~~pP~~~~~_____________________________________________________ _

o sign ury no evidence of intent to injure and Parent Guardian or t-____________+C=_~~pound~l_fl_~~_~Y~~~~_~pound_I~laquoLY_~~_~_~t_~_~pound~~e~_~I_~_~p_~Yl~_~~e~___________________________

venile has medical or psychiatric needs that would be better served with community or t-------------- parental supervison

Detention Overrides t-------------

Offense indicates significant degree of violence directed towards victim

no parent UgtUUlon to assume respons to t--_____JTDFPS)

Other (EXPLAIN) ___________________________

2

Harris County Juvenile Probation Department

Executive Report Overview

2006-2011

7

Petitions Filed and Representative Youth 2006-2011

iii Deliquency Petitions Filed Representative Youth

18000

16000

14000

12000

i 10000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Representative 13895 13851 12756 9686 8907 8362Youth

Delinquency 15720 15785 14705 11910 11249 10466Petitions Filed

State Commitments and Certifications

TYCTJJD Commitments

217 174

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

IiiiiI Certifications by Year

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

97

2

50 I

0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

bullbull~~lt BBRC

Youth Village

Delta BootLeadership

BBH Private Facility

HCP

277 144 119

140

63 124 16

262 140 141

138

49 125 15

249 123 159

120

45 158 15

188 115 138

93

43 197 15

167 137 144

91

0 87 15

cZ2011 --

168 114 109

67

0 67 15

Detention Center

Average Daily Population

Average Daily Population by Year -Detention Center -BBRC -Youth Village

-Delta BootLeadership BBH -Private Facility

HCP

300

250

200 cs 0 u 150cs 0 gtshy 100

3

l

Deferred Prosecution

middotmiddotmiddotaOl9middotmiddot 2010 middotmiddot~[Qf1middotmiddottlf~ $555600 $846000 $608400

~DP90~tSavtqQmiddotmiddot ~il

DP90 Successful Completions 1600

bull 1410 1400

1200 tfIIIII11111111~1014 1000

800

600

400

200

o 2009 2010 2011

middot_~i~l tiI~_11i1 $60600 $195600 $213600

DP180 Successful Completions l 400

326 356 350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0 2009 2010 2011

Success was measured by the number of youth that successfully completed the program and were not re-referred as of February 2012 Average estimated cost to file a petition in the juvenile courts is $600 per youth Cost savings calculated using this estimated average multiplied by the number of youth successfully completing deferred prosecution programs

4

Judges Still Sticking ~to Old Lawyer Game Updnte(1 Tuesday 20 Mar 20121013 PM COT Publis~ecJ Tues(iay 20 Mar 2012 tlA 7 PM CD T

~~ ISIAH CAREYfi j Reporter 8

HOUSTON - When a criminal defendant couldnt afford an

attorney a Harris County judge would just appoint onelt

courtesy of the taxpayer

Thats why Houston Pastor Robert Jefferson fought for the

Harris County Public Defenders Office Its been operating

since 2011 lt

These appointed attorneys are arrogant and they will not

take care of our people Jefferson said Too many of our people are going to jail on pleas

bull Download the free FOX 26 But weve learned some judges are refusing to use the 37 bull Send FOX 26 Your News Tip - Click Here

defense attorneys in the office Instead many are sticking to the old game and using court-appointed attorneys paid $40

to $100 an hour by the county

Alexander Bunin the head of the Public Defenders Office said his attorneys are making inroads with some judges but theres still work to do

There are folks that see us as a threat and they see us as youre taking more and more of the case loads from lawyers who depend on that money Bunin said

He said the Harris County Republican Party sent a letter to judges telling them not to use the Public DefenderS Office In the meantime Jefferson said if judges dont appoint attorneys and use the public defenders they could lose potential

campaign donationslt

We established the public defenderS office so this kind of thing personal feeling personal money personal wealth

wouldnt be in it he saidlt

There is a pie big enough and the good thing is we help the other people in the pielt We raise the quality for other lawyers

because were a resource here Bunin saidlt

Out of the 22 judges surveyed Mary Lou Keel used the Public Defenders Office the most 345 times Judges Denise Collins and Janine Barr gave the Public Defenders Office only six cases over a years time the lowest on the list Judge Marc

Carter has used the Public Defenders Office 75 times and is among the top 10 users Carter said hes happy with what he sees in his court

Ive seen them in trial and theyve done a great job in trial and its my intention to use them more he saidlt

Bunin said the annual cost to operate the Public Defenders Office is $8 million a year A portion of the cost is picked up by

the state of Texaslt

We also attempted to reach Jared Woodfill with the Harris County Republican Party to address the memo his organization

sent out but we have not heard baltk

Chanse HApPENS

FonrvlERLY FUUSA

9

Board of Directors

Bnud Ch~irptlSon

Cllrti~ V fotHrs

I bull

letlt GIt~s-Ctlslt

RI(trelfd f rll V Brolssard

Vamssfl T Reetl

RObbyn 10llIs01l 7 I

Relltrend Leslie Smitl1 II

_--------- shyApril 2 2012

T() whom it may concern

My Ilame is Reverend Leslie Smith and ram the Chief Executive Oiliccr and founder of Change Happens formerly known a Families Under Lrhan and Social Attac~ (FLUSA) r have had the opportunity to witness and collaborate with the Juvenile Justice System of Harris County for several years [havc becn a member of the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) Management Oversight Committee since 2008 The charge ofthat committee is to observe and make recolllmendations to improve the Juvenile Justice system and ensure that policies and practices represent failllcss tovards all youth and families regardless of race and gender The goal of the lDAf is to reduce the number of youth in detenlion and llIorc specifically reduce the disproportionate confinement of minority youth by providing altcmativcs to detention and allcl11utives 10 removal from home

Twill admit that initially I was leery of the legitimacy of this organization as J had always seen the justice system and law enforcement as all us verses them As a member of the community I had never experienced the 0ppOItunily to be heard and collaborate on positive change

Through my observation of specific cases I have witnessed Judge John Phillips on several occasions take thc time to do wha1 s best for the children in front of him and explore all altcmatives to incarceration He listens to all sides and demands all availahle infonnation before making a decision I havt seen the coul1 aplxlinlcd atlorney~ argue 011 behalf of lheir cl iCllt~ to get the best and tairest results

The positive changes in the Harris County Juvenile Justice systern are not just anecdotal but show results through data Since 2006 delinquency petition tiled have dropped from 15720 to 1O~66 Youth committed to the State School has dropped from 691 in 2006 to 97 in 20 I J TIle number of youth certified to adult court dropped from 90 in 2006 down to 38 in 2011 The average daily detention popUlation has dropped from 277 in 2006 to 168 in 2011

This tremendous progress is taking place because of collaborations with community takcholdcrs coming to the tahle and providing services and programs to keep kids in the community and Ollt

oftrouhle This could 110t happen wilhollt a concel1ed cHi)li by community and faith based organizations law enfiJfCement the District Attorneys Office defense attol1leys juvenile probation and the COUtts

In conclusion I am a proponent of seeing that all children get fair representation and fair judgment by the courts l fcel contident in saying that this is happening within the Harris (ounly Juvenile Courts JalII happy to say that Ihe Harris County juvenile justice system continues 10

improve

Sincerelv

Re Leslie Smith

3353 Eight Street HOIstOll Texas bull 77004-3531 Teleplwlle (713) J74-I200middotlacsimile (713) 651-8045 WlLWc1lalU(ellllPllellstxor~

Harris County Juvenile Probation Department

Executive Report Overview

2006-2011

7

Petitions Filed and Representative Youth 2006-2011

iii Deliquency Petitions Filed Representative Youth

18000

16000

14000

12000

i 10000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Representative 13895 13851 12756 9686 8907 8362Youth

Delinquency 15720 15785 14705 11910 11249 10466Petitions Filed

State Commitments and Certifications

TYCTJJD Commitments

217 174

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

IiiiiI Certifications by Year

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

97

2

50 I

0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

bullbull~~lt BBRC

Youth Village

Delta BootLeadership

BBH Private Facility

HCP

277 144 119

140

63 124 16

262 140 141

138

49 125 15

249 123 159

120

45 158 15

188 115 138

93

43 197 15

167 137 144

91

0 87 15

cZ2011 --

168 114 109

67

0 67 15

Detention Center

Average Daily Population

Average Daily Population by Year -Detention Center -BBRC -Youth Village

-Delta BootLeadership BBH -Private Facility

HCP

300

250

200 cs 0 u 150cs 0 gtshy 100

3

l

Deferred Prosecution

middotmiddotmiddotaOl9middotmiddot 2010 middotmiddot~[Qf1middotmiddottlf~ $555600 $846000 $608400

~DP90~tSavtqQmiddotmiddot ~il

DP90 Successful Completions 1600

bull 1410 1400

1200 tfIIIII11111111~1014 1000

800

600

400

200

o 2009 2010 2011

middot_~i~l tiI~_11i1 $60600 $195600 $213600

DP180 Successful Completions l 400

326 356 350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0 2009 2010 2011

Success was measured by the number of youth that successfully completed the program and were not re-referred as of February 2012 Average estimated cost to file a petition in the juvenile courts is $600 per youth Cost savings calculated using this estimated average multiplied by the number of youth successfully completing deferred prosecution programs

4

Judges Still Sticking ~to Old Lawyer Game Updnte(1 Tuesday 20 Mar 20121013 PM COT Publis~ecJ Tues(iay 20 Mar 2012 tlA 7 PM CD T

~~ ISIAH CAREYfi j Reporter 8

HOUSTON - When a criminal defendant couldnt afford an

attorney a Harris County judge would just appoint onelt

courtesy of the taxpayer

Thats why Houston Pastor Robert Jefferson fought for the

Harris County Public Defenders Office Its been operating

since 2011 lt

These appointed attorneys are arrogant and they will not

take care of our people Jefferson said Too many of our people are going to jail on pleas

bull Download the free FOX 26 But weve learned some judges are refusing to use the 37 bull Send FOX 26 Your News Tip - Click Here

defense attorneys in the office Instead many are sticking to the old game and using court-appointed attorneys paid $40

to $100 an hour by the county

Alexander Bunin the head of the Public Defenders Office said his attorneys are making inroads with some judges but theres still work to do

There are folks that see us as a threat and they see us as youre taking more and more of the case loads from lawyers who depend on that money Bunin said

He said the Harris County Republican Party sent a letter to judges telling them not to use the Public DefenderS Office In the meantime Jefferson said if judges dont appoint attorneys and use the public defenders they could lose potential

campaign donationslt

We established the public defenderS office so this kind of thing personal feeling personal money personal wealth

wouldnt be in it he saidlt

There is a pie big enough and the good thing is we help the other people in the pielt We raise the quality for other lawyers

because were a resource here Bunin saidlt

Out of the 22 judges surveyed Mary Lou Keel used the Public Defenders Office the most 345 times Judges Denise Collins and Janine Barr gave the Public Defenders Office only six cases over a years time the lowest on the list Judge Marc

Carter has used the Public Defenders Office 75 times and is among the top 10 users Carter said hes happy with what he sees in his court

Ive seen them in trial and theyve done a great job in trial and its my intention to use them more he saidlt

Bunin said the annual cost to operate the Public Defenders Office is $8 million a year A portion of the cost is picked up by

the state of Texaslt

We also attempted to reach Jared Woodfill with the Harris County Republican Party to address the memo his organization

sent out but we have not heard baltk

Chanse HApPENS

FonrvlERLY FUUSA

9

Board of Directors

Bnud Ch~irptlSon

Cllrti~ V fotHrs

I bull

letlt GIt~s-Ctlslt

RI(trelfd f rll V Brolssard

Vamssfl T Reetl

RObbyn 10llIs01l 7 I

Relltrend Leslie Smitl1 II

_--------- shyApril 2 2012

T() whom it may concern

My Ilame is Reverend Leslie Smith and ram the Chief Executive Oiliccr and founder of Change Happens formerly known a Families Under Lrhan and Social Attac~ (FLUSA) r have had the opportunity to witness and collaborate with the Juvenile Justice System of Harris County for several years [havc becn a member of the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) Management Oversight Committee since 2008 The charge ofthat committee is to observe and make recolllmendations to improve the Juvenile Justice system and ensure that policies and practices represent failllcss tovards all youth and families regardless of race and gender The goal of the lDAf is to reduce the number of youth in detenlion and llIorc specifically reduce the disproportionate confinement of minority youth by providing altcmativcs to detention and allcl11utives 10 removal from home

Twill admit that initially I was leery of the legitimacy of this organization as J had always seen the justice system and law enforcement as all us verses them As a member of the community I had never experienced the 0ppOItunily to be heard and collaborate on positive change

Through my observation of specific cases I have witnessed Judge John Phillips on several occasions take thc time to do wha1 s best for the children in front of him and explore all altcmatives to incarceration He listens to all sides and demands all availahle infonnation before making a decision I havt seen the coul1 aplxlinlcd atlorney~ argue 011 behalf of lheir cl iCllt~ to get the best and tairest results

The positive changes in the Harris County Juvenile Justice systern are not just anecdotal but show results through data Since 2006 delinquency petition tiled have dropped from 15720 to 1O~66 Youth committed to the State School has dropped from 691 in 2006 to 97 in 20 I J TIle number of youth certified to adult court dropped from 90 in 2006 down to 38 in 2011 The average daily detention popUlation has dropped from 277 in 2006 to 168 in 2011

This tremendous progress is taking place because of collaborations with community takcholdcrs coming to the tahle and providing services and programs to keep kids in the community and Ollt

oftrouhle This could 110t happen wilhollt a concel1ed cHi)li by community and faith based organizations law enfiJfCement the District Attorneys Office defense attol1leys juvenile probation and the COUtts

In conclusion I am a proponent of seeing that all children get fair representation and fair judgment by the courts l fcel contident in saying that this is happening within the Harris (ounly Juvenile Courts JalII happy to say that Ihe Harris County juvenile justice system continues 10

improve

Sincerelv

Re Leslie Smith

3353 Eight Street HOIstOll Texas bull 77004-3531 Teleplwlle (713) J74-I200middotlacsimile (713) 651-8045 WlLWc1lalU(ellllPllellstxor~

State Commitments and Certifications

TYCTJJD Commitments

217 174

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

IiiiiI Certifications by Year

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

97

2

50 I

0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

bullbull~~lt BBRC

Youth Village

Delta BootLeadership

BBH Private Facility

HCP

277 144 119

140

63 124 16

262 140 141

138

49 125 15

249 123 159

120

45 158 15

188 115 138

93

43 197 15

167 137 144

91

0 87 15

cZ2011 --

168 114 109

67

0 67 15

Detention Center

Average Daily Population

Average Daily Population by Year -Detention Center -BBRC -Youth Village

-Delta BootLeadership BBH -Private Facility

HCP

300

250

200 cs 0 u 150cs 0 gtshy 100

3

l

Deferred Prosecution

middotmiddotmiddotaOl9middotmiddot 2010 middotmiddot~[Qf1middotmiddottlf~ $555600 $846000 $608400

~DP90~tSavtqQmiddotmiddot ~il

DP90 Successful Completions 1600

bull 1410 1400

1200 tfIIIII11111111~1014 1000

800

600

400

200

o 2009 2010 2011

middot_~i~l tiI~_11i1 $60600 $195600 $213600

DP180 Successful Completions l 400

326 356 350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0 2009 2010 2011

Success was measured by the number of youth that successfully completed the program and were not re-referred as of February 2012 Average estimated cost to file a petition in the juvenile courts is $600 per youth Cost savings calculated using this estimated average multiplied by the number of youth successfully completing deferred prosecution programs

4

Judges Still Sticking ~to Old Lawyer Game Updnte(1 Tuesday 20 Mar 20121013 PM COT Publis~ecJ Tues(iay 20 Mar 2012 tlA 7 PM CD T

~~ ISIAH CAREYfi j Reporter 8

HOUSTON - When a criminal defendant couldnt afford an

attorney a Harris County judge would just appoint onelt

courtesy of the taxpayer

Thats why Houston Pastor Robert Jefferson fought for the

Harris County Public Defenders Office Its been operating

since 2011 lt

These appointed attorneys are arrogant and they will not

take care of our people Jefferson said Too many of our people are going to jail on pleas

bull Download the free FOX 26 But weve learned some judges are refusing to use the 37 bull Send FOX 26 Your News Tip - Click Here

defense attorneys in the office Instead many are sticking to the old game and using court-appointed attorneys paid $40

to $100 an hour by the county

Alexander Bunin the head of the Public Defenders Office said his attorneys are making inroads with some judges but theres still work to do

There are folks that see us as a threat and they see us as youre taking more and more of the case loads from lawyers who depend on that money Bunin said

He said the Harris County Republican Party sent a letter to judges telling them not to use the Public DefenderS Office In the meantime Jefferson said if judges dont appoint attorneys and use the public defenders they could lose potential

campaign donationslt

We established the public defenderS office so this kind of thing personal feeling personal money personal wealth

wouldnt be in it he saidlt

There is a pie big enough and the good thing is we help the other people in the pielt We raise the quality for other lawyers

because were a resource here Bunin saidlt

Out of the 22 judges surveyed Mary Lou Keel used the Public Defenders Office the most 345 times Judges Denise Collins and Janine Barr gave the Public Defenders Office only six cases over a years time the lowest on the list Judge Marc

Carter has used the Public Defenders Office 75 times and is among the top 10 users Carter said hes happy with what he sees in his court

Ive seen them in trial and theyve done a great job in trial and its my intention to use them more he saidlt

Bunin said the annual cost to operate the Public Defenders Office is $8 million a year A portion of the cost is picked up by

the state of Texaslt

We also attempted to reach Jared Woodfill with the Harris County Republican Party to address the memo his organization

sent out but we have not heard baltk

Chanse HApPENS

FonrvlERLY FUUSA

9

Board of Directors

Bnud Ch~irptlSon

Cllrti~ V fotHrs

I bull

letlt GIt~s-Ctlslt

RI(trelfd f rll V Brolssard

Vamssfl T Reetl

RObbyn 10llIs01l 7 I

Relltrend Leslie Smitl1 II

_--------- shyApril 2 2012

T() whom it may concern

My Ilame is Reverend Leslie Smith and ram the Chief Executive Oiliccr and founder of Change Happens formerly known a Families Under Lrhan and Social Attac~ (FLUSA) r have had the opportunity to witness and collaborate with the Juvenile Justice System of Harris County for several years [havc becn a member of the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) Management Oversight Committee since 2008 The charge ofthat committee is to observe and make recolllmendations to improve the Juvenile Justice system and ensure that policies and practices represent failllcss tovards all youth and families regardless of race and gender The goal of the lDAf is to reduce the number of youth in detenlion and llIorc specifically reduce the disproportionate confinement of minority youth by providing altcmativcs to detention and allcl11utives 10 removal from home

Twill admit that initially I was leery of the legitimacy of this organization as J had always seen the justice system and law enforcement as all us verses them As a member of the community I had never experienced the 0ppOItunily to be heard and collaborate on positive change

Through my observation of specific cases I have witnessed Judge John Phillips on several occasions take thc time to do wha1 s best for the children in front of him and explore all altcmatives to incarceration He listens to all sides and demands all availahle infonnation before making a decision I havt seen the coul1 aplxlinlcd atlorney~ argue 011 behalf of lheir cl iCllt~ to get the best and tairest results

The positive changes in the Harris County Juvenile Justice systern are not just anecdotal but show results through data Since 2006 delinquency petition tiled have dropped from 15720 to 1O~66 Youth committed to the State School has dropped from 691 in 2006 to 97 in 20 I J TIle number of youth certified to adult court dropped from 90 in 2006 down to 38 in 2011 The average daily detention popUlation has dropped from 277 in 2006 to 168 in 2011

This tremendous progress is taking place because of collaborations with community takcholdcrs coming to the tahle and providing services and programs to keep kids in the community and Ollt

oftrouhle This could 110t happen wilhollt a concel1ed cHi)li by community and faith based organizations law enfiJfCement the District Attorneys Office defense attol1leys juvenile probation and the COUtts

In conclusion I am a proponent of seeing that all children get fair representation and fair judgment by the courts l fcel contident in saying that this is happening within the Harris (ounly Juvenile Courts JalII happy to say that Ihe Harris County juvenile justice system continues 10

improve

Sincerelv

Re Leslie Smith

3353 Eight Street HOIstOll Texas bull 77004-3531 Teleplwlle (713) J74-I200middotlacsimile (713) 651-8045 WlLWc1lalU(ellllPllellstxor~

50 I

0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

bullbull~~lt BBRC

Youth Village

Delta BootLeadership

BBH Private Facility

HCP

277 144 119

140

63 124 16

262 140 141

138

49 125 15

249 123 159

120

45 158 15

188 115 138

93

43 197 15

167 137 144

91

0 87 15

cZ2011 --

168 114 109

67

0 67 15

Detention Center

Average Daily Population

Average Daily Population by Year -Detention Center -BBRC -Youth Village

-Delta BootLeadership BBH -Private Facility

HCP

300

250

200 cs 0 u 150cs 0 gtshy 100

3

l

Deferred Prosecution

middotmiddotmiddotaOl9middotmiddot 2010 middotmiddot~[Qf1middotmiddottlf~ $555600 $846000 $608400

~DP90~tSavtqQmiddotmiddot ~il

DP90 Successful Completions 1600

bull 1410 1400

1200 tfIIIII11111111~1014 1000

800

600

400

200

o 2009 2010 2011

middot_~i~l tiI~_11i1 $60600 $195600 $213600

DP180 Successful Completions l 400

326 356 350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0 2009 2010 2011

Success was measured by the number of youth that successfully completed the program and were not re-referred as of February 2012 Average estimated cost to file a petition in the juvenile courts is $600 per youth Cost savings calculated using this estimated average multiplied by the number of youth successfully completing deferred prosecution programs

4

Judges Still Sticking ~to Old Lawyer Game Updnte(1 Tuesday 20 Mar 20121013 PM COT Publis~ecJ Tues(iay 20 Mar 2012 tlA 7 PM CD T

~~ ISIAH CAREYfi j Reporter 8

HOUSTON - When a criminal defendant couldnt afford an

attorney a Harris County judge would just appoint onelt

courtesy of the taxpayer

Thats why Houston Pastor Robert Jefferson fought for the

Harris County Public Defenders Office Its been operating

since 2011 lt

These appointed attorneys are arrogant and they will not

take care of our people Jefferson said Too many of our people are going to jail on pleas

bull Download the free FOX 26 But weve learned some judges are refusing to use the 37 bull Send FOX 26 Your News Tip - Click Here

defense attorneys in the office Instead many are sticking to the old game and using court-appointed attorneys paid $40

to $100 an hour by the county

Alexander Bunin the head of the Public Defenders Office said his attorneys are making inroads with some judges but theres still work to do

There are folks that see us as a threat and they see us as youre taking more and more of the case loads from lawyers who depend on that money Bunin said

He said the Harris County Republican Party sent a letter to judges telling them not to use the Public DefenderS Office In the meantime Jefferson said if judges dont appoint attorneys and use the public defenders they could lose potential

campaign donationslt

We established the public defenderS office so this kind of thing personal feeling personal money personal wealth

wouldnt be in it he saidlt

There is a pie big enough and the good thing is we help the other people in the pielt We raise the quality for other lawyers

because were a resource here Bunin saidlt

Out of the 22 judges surveyed Mary Lou Keel used the Public Defenders Office the most 345 times Judges Denise Collins and Janine Barr gave the Public Defenders Office only six cases over a years time the lowest on the list Judge Marc

Carter has used the Public Defenders Office 75 times and is among the top 10 users Carter said hes happy with what he sees in his court

Ive seen them in trial and theyve done a great job in trial and its my intention to use them more he saidlt

Bunin said the annual cost to operate the Public Defenders Office is $8 million a year A portion of the cost is picked up by

the state of Texaslt

We also attempted to reach Jared Woodfill with the Harris County Republican Party to address the memo his organization

sent out but we have not heard baltk

Chanse HApPENS

FonrvlERLY FUUSA

9

Board of Directors

Bnud Ch~irptlSon

Cllrti~ V fotHrs

I bull

letlt GIt~s-Ctlslt

RI(trelfd f rll V Brolssard

Vamssfl T Reetl

RObbyn 10llIs01l 7 I

Relltrend Leslie Smitl1 II

_--------- shyApril 2 2012

T() whom it may concern

My Ilame is Reverend Leslie Smith and ram the Chief Executive Oiliccr and founder of Change Happens formerly known a Families Under Lrhan and Social Attac~ (FLUSA) r have had the opportunity to witness and collaborate with the Juvenile Justice System of Harris County for several years [havc becn a member of the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) Management Oversight Committee since 2008 The charge ofthat committee is to observe and make recolllmendations to improve the Juvenile Justice system and ensure that policies and practices represent failllcss tovards all youth and families regardless of race and gender The goal of the lDAf is to reduce the number of youth in detenlion and llIorc specifically reduce the disproportionate confinement of minority youth by providing altcmativcs to detention and allcl11utives 10 removal from home

Twill admit that initially I was leery of the legitimacy of this organization as J had always seen the justice system and law enforcement as all us verses them As a member of the community I had never experienced the 0ppOItunily to be heard and collaborate on positive change

Through my observation of specific cases I have witnessed Judge John Phillips on several occasions take thc time to do wha1 s best for the children in front of him and explore all altcmatives to incarceration He listens to all sides and demands all availahle infonnation before making a decision I havt seen the coul1 aplxlinlcd atlorney~ argue 011 behalf of lheir cl iCllt~ to get the best and tairest results

The positive changes in the Harris County Juvenile Justice systern are not just anecdotal but show results through data Since 2006 delinquency petition tiled have dropped from 15720 to 1O~66 Youth committed to the State School has dropped from 691 in 2006 to 97 in 20 I J TIle number of youth certified to adult court dropped from 90 in 2006 down to 38 in 2011 The average daily detention popUlation has dropped from 277 in 2006 to 168 in 2011

This tremendous progress is taking place because of collaborations with community takcholdcrs coming to the tahle and providing services and programs to keep kids in the community and Ollt

oftrouhle This could 110t happen wilhollt a concel1ed cHi)li by community and faith based organizations law enfiJfCement the District Attorneys Office defense attol1leys juvenile probation and the COUtts

In conclusion I am a proponent of seeing that all children get fair representation and fair judgment by the courts l fcel contident in saying that this is happening within the Harris (ounly Juvenile Courts JalII happy to say that Ihe Harris County juvenile justice system continues 10

improve

Sincerelv

Re Leslie Smith

3353 Eight Street HOIstOll Texas bull 77004-3531 Teleplwlle (713) J74-I200middotlacsimile (713) 651-8045 WlLWc1lalU(ellllPllellstxor~

l

Deferred Prosecution

middotmiddotmiddotaOl9middotmiddot 2010 middotmiddot~[Qf1middotmiddottlf~ $555600 $846000 $608400

~DP90~tSavtqQmiddotmiddot ~il

DP90 Successful Completions 1600

bull 1410 1400

1200 tfIIIII11111111~1014 1000

800

600

400

200

o 2009 2010 2011

middot_~i~l tiI~_11i1 $60600 $195600 $213600

DP180 Successful Completions l 400

326 356 350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0 2009 2010 2011

Success was measured by the number of youth that successfully completed the program and were not re-referred as of February 2012 Average estimated cost to file a petition in the juvenile courts is $600 per youth Cost savings calculated using this estimated average multiplied by the number of youth successfully completing deferred prosecution programs

4

Judges Still Sticking ~to Old Lawyer Game Updnte(1 Tuesday 20 Mar 20121013 PM COT Publis~ecJ Tues(iay 20 Mar 2012 tlA 7 PM CD T

~~ ISIAH CAREYfi j Reporter 8

HOUSTON - When a criminal defendant couldnt afford an

attorney a Harris County judge would just appoint onelt

courtesy of the taxpayer

Thats why Houston Pastor Robert Jefferson fought for the

Harris County Public Defenders Office Its been operating

since 2011 lt

These appointed attorneys are arrogant and they will not

take care of our people Jefferson said Too many of our people are going to jail on pleas

bull Download the free FOX 26 But weve learned some judges are refusing to use the 37 bull Send FOX 26 Your News Tip - Click Here

defense attorneys in the office Instead many are sticking to the old game and using court-appointed attorneys paid $40

to $100 an hour by the county

Alexander Bunin the head of the Public Defenders Office said his attorneys are making inroads with some judges but theres still work to do

There are folks that see us as a threat and they see us as youre taking more and more of the case loads from lawyers who depend on that money Bunin said

He said the Harris County Republican Party sent a letter to judges telling them not to use the Public DefenderS Office In the meantime Jefferson said if judges dont appoint attorneys and use the public defenders they could lose potential

campaign donationslt

We established the public defenderS office so this kind of thing personal feeling personal money personal wealth

wouldnt be in it he saidlt

There is a pie big enough and the good thing is we help the other people in the pielt We raise the quality for other lawyers

because were a resource here Bunin saidlt

Out of the 22 judges surveyed Mary Lou Keel used the Public Defenders Office the most 345 times Judges Denise Collins and Janine Barr gave the Public Defenders Office only six cases over a years time the lowest on the list Judge Marc

Carter has used the Public Defenders Office 75 times and is among the top 10 users Carter said hes happy with what he sees in his court

Ive seen them in trial and theyve done a great job in trial and its my intention to use them more he saidlt

Bunin said the annual cost to operate the Public Defenders Office is $8 million a year A portion of the cost is picked up by

the state of Texaslt

We also attempted to reach Jared Woodfill with the Harris County Republican Party to address the memo his organization

sent out but we have not heard baltk

Chanse HApPENS

FonrvlERLY FUUSA

9

Board of Directors

Bnud Ch~irptlSon

Cllrti~ V fotHrs

I bull

letlt GIt~s-Ctlslt

RI(trelfd f rll V Brolssard

Vamssfl T Reetl

RObbyn 10llIs01l 7 I

Relltrend Leslie Smitl1 II

_--------- shyApril 2 2012

T() whom it may concern

My Ilame is Reverend Leslie Smith and ram the Chief Executive Oiliccr and founder of Change Happens formerly known a Families Under Lrhan and Social Attac~ (FLUSA) r have had the opportunity to witness and collaborate with the Juvenile Justice System of Harris County for several years [havc becn a member of the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) Management Oversight Committee since 2008 The charge ofthat committee is to observe and make recolllmendations to improve the Juvenile Justice system and ensure that policies and practices represent failllcss tovards all youth and families regardless of race and gender The goal of the lDAf is to reduce the number of youth in detenlion and llIorc specifically reduce the disproportionate confinement of minority youth by providing altcmativcs to detention and allcl11utives 10 removal from home

Twill admit that initially I was leery of the legitimacy of this organization as J had always seen the justice system and law enforcement as all us verses them As a member of the community I had never experienced the 0ppOItunily to be heard and collaborate on positive change

Through my observation of specific cases I have witnessed Judge John Phillips on several occasions take thc time to do wha1 s best for the children in front of him and explore all altcmatives to incarceration He listens to all sides and demands all availahle infonnation before making a decision I havt seen the coul1 aplxlinlcd atlorney~ argue 011 behalf of lheir cl iCllt~ to get the best and tairest results

The positive changes in the Harris County Juvenile Justice systern are not just anecdotal but show results through data Since 2006 delinquency petition tiled have dropped from 15720 to 1O~66 Youth committed to the State School has dropped from 691 in 2006 to 97 in 20 I J TIle number of youth certified to adult court dropped from 90 in 2006 down to 38 in 2011 The average daily detention popUlation has dropped from 277 in 2006 to 168 in 2011

This tremendous progress is taking place because of collaborations with community takcholdcrs coming to the tahle and providing services and programs to keep kids in the community and Ollt

oftrouhle This could 110t happen wilhollt a concel1ed cHi)li by community and faith based organizations law enfiJfCement the District Attorneys Office defense attol1leys juvenile probation and the COUtts

In conclusion I am a proponent of seeing that all children get fair representation and fair judgment by the courts l fcel contident in saying that this is happening within the Harris (ounly Juvenile Courts JalII happy to say that Ihe Harris County juvenile justice system continues 10

improve

Sincerelv

Re Leslie Smith

3353 Eight Street HOIstOll Texas bull 77004-3531 Teleplwlle (713) J74-I200middotlacsimile (713) 651-8045 WlLWc1lalU(ellllPllellstxor~

Judges Still Sticking ~to Old Lawyer Game Updnte(1 Tuesday 20 Mar 20121013 PM COT Publis~ecJ Tues(iay 20 Mar 2012 tlA 7 PM CD T

~~ ISIAH CAREYfi j Reporter 8

HOUSTON - When a criminal defendant couldnt afford an

attorney a Harris County judge would just appoint onelt

courtesy of the taxpayer

Thats why Houston Pastor Robert Jefferson fought for the

Harris County Public Defenders Office Its been operating

since 2011 lt

These appointed attorneys are arrogant and they will not

take care of our people Jefferson said Too many of our people are going to jail on pleas

bull Download the free FOX 26 But weve learned some judges are refusing to use the 37 bull Send FOX 26 Your News Tip - Click Here

defense attorneys in the office Instead many are sticking to the old game and using court-appointed attorneys paid $40

to $100 an hour by the county

Alexander Bunin the head of the Public Defenders Office said his attorneys are making inroads with some judges but theres still work to do

There are folks that see us as a threat and they see us as youre taking more and more of the case loads from lawyers who depend on that money Bunin said

He said the Harris County Republican Party sent a letter to judges telling them not to use the Public DefenderS Office In the meantime Jefferson said if judges dont appoint attorneys and use the public defenders they could lose potential

campaign donationslt

We established the public defenderS office so this kind of thing personal feeling personal money personal wealth

wouldnt be in it he saidlt

There is a pie big enough and the good thing is we help the other people in the pielt We raise the quality for other lawyers

because were a resource here Bunin saidlt

Out of the 22 judges surveyed Mary Lou Keel used the Public Defenders Office the most 345 times Judges Denise Collins and Janine Barr gave the Public Defenders Office only six cases over a years time the lowest on the list Judge Marc

Carter has used the Public Defenders Office 75 times and is among the top 10 users Carter said hes happy with what he sees in his court

Ive seen them in trial and theyve done a great job in trial and its my intention to use them more he saidlt

Bunin said the annual cost to operate the Public Defenders Office is $8 million a year A portion of the cost is picked up by

the state of Texaslt

We also attempted to reach Jared Woodfill with the Harris County Republican Party to address the memo his organization

sent out but we have not heard baltk

Chanse HApPENS

FonrvlERLY FUUSA

9

Board of Directors

Bnud Ch~irptlSon

Cllrti~ V fotHrs

I bull

letlt GIt~s-Ctlslt

RI(trelfd f rll V Brolssard

Vamssfl T Reetl

RObbyn 10llIs01l 7 I

Relltrend Leslie Smitl1 II

_--------- shyApril 2 2012

T() whom it may concern

My Ilame is Reverend Leslie Smith and ram the Chief Executive Oiliccr and founder of Change Happens formerly known a Families Under Lrhan and Social Attac~ (FLUSA) r have had the opportunity to witness and collaborate with the Juvenile Justice System of Harris County for several years [havc becn a member of the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) Management Oversight Committee since 2008 The charge ofthat committee is to observe and make recolllmendations to improve the Juvenile Justice system and ensure that policies and practices represent failllcss tovards all youth and families regardless of race and gender The goal of the lDAf is to reduce the number of youth in detenlion and llIorc specifically reduce the disproportionate confinement of minority youth by providing altcmativcs to detention and allcl11utives 10 removal from home

Twill admit that initially I was leery of the legitimacy of this organization as J had always seen the justice system and law enforcement as all us verses them As a member of the community I had never experienced the 0ppOItunily to be heard and collaborate on positive change

Through my observation of specific cases I have witnessed Judge John Phillips on several occasions take thc time to do wha1 s best for the children in front of him and explore all altcmatives to incarceration He listens to all sides and demands all availahle infonnation before making a decision I havt seen the coul1 aplxlinlcd atlorney~ argue 011 behalf of lheir cl iCllt~ to get the best and tairest results

The positive changes in the Harris County Juvenile Justice systern are not just anecdotal but show results through data Since 2006 delinquency petition tiled have dropped from 15720 to 1O~66 Youth committed to the State School has dropped from 691 in 2006 to 97 in 20 I J TIle number of youth certified to adult court dropped from 90 in 2006 down to 38 in 2011 The average daily detention popUlation has dropped from 277 in 2006 to 168 in 2011

This tremendous progress is taking place because of collaborations with community takcholdcrs coming to the tahle and providing services and programs to keep kids in the community and Ollt

oftrouhle This could 110t happen wilhollt a concel1ed cHi)li by community and faith based organizations law enfiJfCement the District Attorneys Office defense attol1leys juvenile probation and the COUtts

In conclusion I am a proponent of seeing that all children get fair representation and fair judgment by the courts l fcel contident in saying that this is happening within the Harris (ounly Juvenile Courts JalII happy to say that Ihe Harris County juvenile justice system continues 10

improve

Sincerelv

Re Leslie Smith

3353 Eight Street HOIstOll Texas bull 77004-3531 Teleplwlle (713) J74-I200middotlacsimile (713) 651-8045 WlLWc1lalU(ellllPllellstxor~

Chanse HApPENS

FonrvlERLY FUUSA

9

Board of Directors

Bnud Ch~irptlSon

Cllrti~ V fotHrs

I bull

letlt GIt~s-Ctlslt

RI(trelfd f rll V Brolssard

Vamssfl T Reetl

RObbyn 10llIs01l 7 I

Relltrend Leslie Smitl1 II

_--------- shyApril 2 2012

T() whom it may concern

My Ilame is Reverend Leslie Smith and ram the Chief Executive Oiliccr and founder of Change Happens formerly known a Families Under Lrhan and Social Attac~ (FLUSA) r have had the opportunity to witness and collaborate with the Juvenile Justice System of Harris County for several years [havc becn a member of the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) Management Oversight Committee since 2008 The charge ofthat committee is to observe and make recolllmendations to improve the Juvenile Justice system and ensure that policies and practices represent failllcss tovards all youth and families regardless of race and gender The goal of the lDAf is to reduce the number of youth in detenlion and llIorc specifically reduce the disproportionate confinement of minority youth by providing altcmativcs to detention and allcl11utives 10 removal from home

Twill admit that initially I was leery of the legitimacy of this organization as J had always seen the justice system and law enforcement as all us verses them As a member of the community I had never experienced the 0ppOItunily to be heard and collaborate on positive change

Through my observation of specific cases I have witnessed Judge John Phillips on several occasions take thc time to do wha1 s best for the children in front of him and explore all altcmatives to incarceration He listens to all sides and demands all availahle infonnation before making a decision I havt seen the coul1 aplxlinlcd atlorney~ argue 011 behalf of lheir cl iCllt~ to get the best and tairest results

The positive changes in the Harris County Juvenile Justice systern are not just anecdotal but show results through data Since 2006 delinquency petition tiled have dropped from 15720 to 1O~66 Youth committed to the State School has dropped from 691 in 2006 to 97 in 20 I J TIle number of youth certified to adult court dropped from 90 in 2006 down to 38 in 2011 The average daily detention popUlation has dropped from 277 in 2006 to 168 in 2011

This tremendous progress is taking place because of collaborations with community takcholdcrs coming to the tahle and providing services and programs to keep kids in the community and Ollt

oftrouhle This could 110t happen wilhollt a concel1ed cHi)li by community and faith based organizations law enfiJfCement the District Attorneys Office defense attol1leys juvenile probation and the COUtts

In conclusion I am a proponent of seeing that all children get fair representation and fair judgment by the courts l fcel contident in saying that this is happening within the Harris (ounly Juvenile Courts JalII happy to say that Ihe Harris County juvenile justice system continues 10

improve

Sincerelv

Re Leslie Smith

3353 Eight Street HOIstOll Texas bull 77004-3531 Teleplwlle (713) J74-I200middotlacsimile (713) 651-8045 WlLWc1lalU(ellllPllellstxor~