AUSTIN, Texas — Two state lawmakers are looking to make changes to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD).
On Thursday, State Rep. James Talarico (D-Round Rock) announced House Bill 4356, which aims to dissolve the TJJD by 2030 and replace it with the Office of Youth Safety and Rehabilitation.
According to a press release from Talarico's office, the new office would use the savings from closing "child prisons" to build a system to rehabilitate juvenile offenders closer to home, including secure rehab centers for those deemed a risk to themselves or others.
The filed bill "intends to fundamentally change the state's approach to juvenile justice by refocusing efforts away from incarceration and towards rehabilitation," the release from Talarico's office states.
The release specifically references reports from last year that children in Texas’ youth prison system had repeatedly been trapped in their cells, forced to urinate in water bottles and defecate on the floor. The Texas Tribune reported last September that in some instances where there was no one to fill in for vacant officer positions, youths were kept in their cells 22 hours a day.
Talarico's office noted that in Texas, eight institutions in the state's youth prison system have already been closed since 2007, and "youth crime rates and recidivism rates have gone down since then."
“Child prisons are a failed policy experiment,” Talarico said. “The trauma of incarceration makes kids MORE likely to commit crime, not less. I’m proud to file House Bill 4356 to close all child prisons in Texas by 2030 and create a system to rehabilitate kids.”
Talarico isn't the only Texas lawmaker hoping for changes to the TJJD. Earlier this week, State Rep. Joe Moody (D-El Paso) filed House Bill 16, known as the "Closer to Home" bill.
The bill aims to help divert children from juvenile post-adjudication facilities into community programs that will keep families together and provide youths with needed resources.
"Kids are different than adults, and incarceration should be the absolute last resort for any child," Moody said. "That’s truer now than ever when we have a juvenile system stretched way beyond capacity. Our goal should always be to protect Texas children and help put them on the path to success."
According to a release from Moody's office, HB 16 aims to promote diversion to community-based services and would create a presumption for release, connect children with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services when appropriate and include "strict timelines for each stage of the juvenile process that may involve detention."
The bill would also establish a community reinvestment fund in each Texas county for "mentoring, behavioral and mental health services, and assistance with a broad array of issues confronting youths, from housing instability to job training."
House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) has said he looks forward to his chamber passing HB 16 during this legislative session.
Moody's bill has been referred to the House Select Committee on Youth Health & Safety.