Texas is a Decentralized State: Delinquency services are organized at both the state and local level in Texas. Depending on the county, the juvenile probation department or the prosecuting attorney is responsible for delinquency intake screening.

How is detention organized? 

Nearly every county uses secure pre-adjudication detention, which is administered by county juvenile probation departments acting under the authority of the juvenile board or a private vendor acting under a contract with the county's juvenile board. Currently, 58 secure pre-adjudication facilities are registered with the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission (TJPC).

Informal methods of case handling include supervisory caution and deferred prosecution. In supervisory caution cases, the probation department counsels first-time, minor offenders and refers them and their families to any necessary social services. In deferred prosecution cases (Texas Family Code Section 53.03), juveniles enter into a six-month period of voluntary probation.

The statutory rights of victims of juvenile offenders reside in Texas’ Family Code, Chapter 57 and include the right to be informed of relevant court proceedings, if requested; to make victim impact statements at the disposition hearing; to be notified of the release, escape, or transfer of the offender, if requested; and to have a separate waiting area during court proceedings.

Juvenile probation services are organized at the local level by county-funded probation departments and are administered by juvenile boards. Most state funding for juvenile justice services in Texas is funneled through the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission. The juvenile court determines the terms and duration of probation. 

A juvenile probation officer must have a bachelor's degree and one year of graduate study or one year of experience in casework, counseling, or community/group work in a social service, community, corrections, or juvenile agency.

Once a juvenile is committed to Texas Youth Commission, the agency determines where the juvenile will be placed. After commitment, the youth goes to the centralized Orientation and Assessment Unit, where various assessments, such as educational, psychological, and medical, are conducted.

The release process differs according to the severity of the classifying offense. Once the youth meet release criteria, facility staff members develop a release plan that identifies risk factors and addresses public safety and positive reintegration.

Youth placed in local post-adjudication facilities receive aftercare supervision from the local juvenile probation department. The Texas Youth Commission (TYC) operates a parole system for supervising youth released from its residential programs. The supervision of juveniles on parole is conducted through local TYC district offices.

Texas’ Purpose Clause emphasizes community protection, offender accountability, crime reduction through deterrence, or punishment. It also shares some traces of a more elaborate, multi part purpose clause contained in the Legislative Guide for Drafting Family and Juvenile Court Acts, a publication issued by the Children’s Bureau in the late 1960’s.

Lower Age: 10

Upper Age: 16

Extended Age : 20  

No statewide risk/needs assessment instruments are used to screen youth for detention. Some counties may use assessments, but this may vary by county. Juveniles referred to  detention are offered the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument – 2nd Version (MAYSI-2).