Changing Profile of the Texas Youth Commission Population

• NCJ Number: 163648
• Author(s): S Birch; N Arrigona
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 25 pages
• Sale Source: Texas Criminal Justice Policy Council
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The number of first-time commitments to the Texas Youth Commission (TYC) has increased since 1990, but this number continues to represent a small proportion of all juvenile offenders in the State.

Abstract

In 1995, 2,318 juveniles were newly committed to the TYC, compared to 1,985 in 1990. The number of new commitments to the TYC represented approximately 2.3 percent of all delinquent referrals to probation departments in 1995, a decline from 1990 when commitments represented 3 percent of all delinquent referrals. The commitment rate decreased during this period primarily due to a State policy implemented in 1992 that gave financial incentives to juvenile probation departments to find alternatives to TYC commitment. The profile of juveniles committed to the TYC changed between 1990 and 1995, with more violent offenders, more juveniles using weapons in their offenses, and more juveniles with a history of substance abuse and gang involvement at the end of the 5-year period. In 1995, the TYC classified 37 percent of its new commitments as violent, compared to 16 percent in 1990. A higher proportion of juveniles newly committed in 1995 used a firearm in their offense (21 percent), compared to juveniles committed in 1990 (8 percent). Other self-report indicators showed that 43 percent of juveniles committed in 1995 had a gang affiliation, compared to 18 percent in 1990; 58 percent reported a history of truancy, compared to 41 percent in 1990; and 27 percent reported a history of abuse or neglect, compared to 25 percent in 1990. Black and Hispanic juveniles continued to represent the great majority of new commitments (37 percent and 41 percent, respectively) in 1995. The TYC's primary care population was 43 percent larger in 1995 than in 1990, while the aftercare population was 21 percent smaller. Most nonviolent offenders spent 6 to 7 months in primary care in 1995, while violent offenders spent 10 to 14 months. Most juveniles committed to the TYC are admitted between 15 and 16 years of age, and most of them become adults during their length of stay. Tables and figures