SB 1727 (Authors: Schwertner; Johnson; Paxton; Perry; Springer | Sponsors: Canales; Dutton), Relating to the continuation and functions of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, the functions of the office of independent ombudsman for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, and the powers and duties of the office of inspector general of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. SB 1727 is intended to address the functions, policies, and practices of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD). Positive provisions relate to: ongoing regionalization efforts that would keep children closer to home; a requirement for TJJD to consider processes for downsizing, closing, or repurposing large state secure facilities to shift toward a more regionally-based juvenile justice system; increased flexibility in funding within TJJD to prioritize diversion; improvements in aggregate data collection and publishing; and expansion of independent oversight of the Department. However, the bill does include a provision allowing for the retrofitting of adult prisons and jails to be utilized for children, a reversal of a change in code from SB 1630 in 2015.
See a TJJD summary of the bill here: https://www.sunset.texas.gov/public/uploads/2023-05/TJJD_OIO.pdf
Effective on 9/1/23
During the 2023 session of the Texas Legislature, the Texas Center for Justice and Equity tracked around 40 youth and adult justice bills that made it to the Governor's desk. You can find links to all of our analyses in our 2023 Bill Analysis Guide.