Youth Justice Archives

2023 Policy Areas

Incarcerated teen in strong pose in front of window

Finish the 5: Youth Prison Closures & Community Reinvestment

Young boy with head in arms leaning against wall

Lower Age

Hands in handcuffs clasped in front of bars

Second Look

2021 Policy Areas

[2021 Session] Keep 10- and 11-Year-Olds Out of the Juvenile Justice System

Lower Age

[2021 Session] “Raise the Age”: Hold 17-Year-Olds Accountable in the Juvenile Justice System

Raise the Age

[2021 Session] Help Kids Be Successful in the Community

Juvenile Probation Reform

[2021 Session] Implement Restorative Justice Practices to Improve Student and School Success

Restorative Justice

[2021 Session] Shrink School Policing and Prioritize Mental Health Supports for Students

School Policing & Mental Health

[2021 Session] “Second Look”: Provide an Earlier Parole Review to People Sent to Adult Facilities as Youth

Second Look

2019 Policy Areas

[2019 Session] “Raise the Age”: Hold 17-Year-Olds Accountable in the Juvenile Justice System

Raise the Age

[2019 Session] Implement Holistic Reform Throughout the State’s Juvenile Justice System

Juvenile System Reforms

[2019 Session] “Second Look”: Provide an Earlier Parole Review to People Sent to Adult Facilities as Youth

Second Look

[2019 Session] Eliminate Mandatory Minimum Terms for Determinate Sentences

Determinate Sentences

2017 Policy Areas

[2017 Session] Return Children Under the Age of 18 to the State’s Juvenile Justice System

Age of Juvenile Jurisdiction

"Second Look": Parole

[2017 Session] Improve the Juvenile Record Sealing Process and Limit Access to Juvenile Records

Juvenile Records

2015 Policy Areas

[2015 Session] Fund Front-End Agency Operations that Support Research-Based Practices and Prioritize the Safety and Security of Youth

Key Agency Budget Items

[2015 Session] Improve Oversight of Youth in All Facilities in Which They are Held, and Decentralize Facilities for Better Youth Outcomes

Facility Oversight & System Regionalization

[2015 Session] Return Children Under the Age of 18 to the State’s Juvenile Justice System, and Limit the Use of Secure Confinement for Children Under the Age of 13

Age of Juvenile Jurisdiction

[2015 Session] Reform Policies that Subject Children to Criminal Penalties for Engaging in Conduct that Would Not Be Deemed Criminal if Engaged in by Adults

Status Offenses

[2015 Session] Eliminate the Offense of Failure to Attend School and Implement Appropriate Tools to Treat the Symptoms that Contribute to Truancy

Truancy-Related Offenses

[2015 Session] Equip School District Peace Officers and School Resource Officers with Adequate Training to Better Serve Texas Students

School Law Enforcement Training

[2015 Session] Support a Meaningful Opportunity for Release for Youth Sentenced to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice

Juvenile Life Without Parole

[2015 Session] Improve the Juvenile Record Sealing Process And Limit Access to Juvenile Records

Record Sealing