Last week’s long-awaited Sunset Advisory Commission staff report on juvenile justice did not disappoint. In a joint document providing analysis and recommendations for both the Texas Youth Commission (TYC) and Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (TJPC), the sunset staff advocates bold reforms.
Key recommendations closely track our sunset letter and our paper The ABC’s Before TYC. While the headline-grabber is the recommendation to merge the two agencies, there are several even more significant proposals.
First, Sunset suggests creating a pilot program in which counties could take some of the funds now used for their nonviolent youths to TYC and instead allocate those funds to local alternatives that may be more effective and less costly. This is a version of the Ohio RECLAIM funding system, which has reduced recidivism and state commitment costs.
Second, Sunset proposes streamlining TJPC’s 18 funding streams into one community corrections block grant. This will give juvenile probation departments more flexibility than the current system where some state funding is linked to placement at local lockups called post-adjudication facilities.
Taken together, the pilot program and the consolidated funding streams would essentially create a market where juvenile judges and probation departments could use existing state funds to choose from TYC, local lockups, private residential options, and day treatment based on the success rate of each strategy. For this market to function most effectively, every institution should report their recidivism rate to the state, which would in turn publish the results.
If TYC cannot compete with local alternatives to attract nonviolent youths, some facilities can be closed. Indeed, the sunset report cites several TYC facilities that are underperforming or hampered by their remote location and notes that tens of millions of dollars would be saved if they were shuttered.
In short, the sunset report more than fulfills its purpose in creating a blueprint for policymakers to make the state’s juvenile justice system more effective and efficient.
– Marc Levin