Profiles in Government: Texas Juvenile Justice Department

The Texas Juvenile Justice Department manages five secure facilities and four halfway houses that offer programs to meet the individual needs of state juveniles under the agency’s care.

Here is more information about the agency, including who leads it, how many staff the department employs and what the department does as a whole.

FAST FACTS

Budget: Estimated at $318 million overall, with an $11.9 million IT budget, according to Industry Navigator.*

Leadership: Nate Jackson is the agency’s chief information officer.

Staff: According to the agency’s website, the agency has about 1,200 employees.

MORE ABOUT THE AGENCY

On Dec. 1, 2011, the state’s 82nd Legislature passed Senate Bill 653, officially establishing the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Before that, the state relied on the Texas Youth Commission and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission to oversee all juvenile community-based and state programs, services and facilities.

Now, the agency is responsible for overseeing an integrated juvenile justice system that “advances public safety through rehabilitation” and “equitably affords youth access to services and trauma-informed care.”

As for how technology comes into play, below are several goals listed in the agency’s 2021-2025 strategic plan:

• Identifying and implementing new, relevant technology and service delivery options to expand program and service outcomes 
• Examining ways to enhance technology improvements in educational programming to allow youth to advance while keeping them engaged in learning 
• Increasing technology within facilities to enhance safety and security. These opportunities include installing an electronic bed check monitoring system, upgrading facility overhead cameras, completing radio infrastructure upgrades at all secure facilities, developing a new youth case management system and installing an upgraded visitor tracking system 
• Providing youth with additional support and computer resources to improve their chances at employment, access to community-based services and resources and enrollment in secondary and postsecondary education and vocational training 
• Developing a modernized data-sharing system to ensure all information on youth background, services, treatment and development are shared with necessary parties across the system 

*Industry Navigator is a product of e.Republic, which also produces Industry Insider — Texas.