NCJ Number
176820
Date Published
1999
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This is a summary of Harris County (TX) Juvenile Probation Department activities during calendar year 1998.
Abstract
During 1998 tough sentencing by the district judges, careful supervision by the staff of the Juvenile Probation Department and several innovative county initiatives contributed to significant decreases in juvenile crime. The Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program, the countywide gang task force, the juvenile curfew and the addition of more than 250 patrol deputies also contributed to the decrease. The new Harris County Charter Schools opened in all of the Juvenile Probation facilities to help at-risk students catch up academically before returning to their neighborhood schools. Also during 1998, the Pre-Adjudication Team began working to provide intensive supervision to juveniles who can be released from detention to await their court date; the new Education Complex opened for classes at the Harris County Youth Village; the Families Forward Program developed by the department and the ESCAPE Center presented information to parents about the juvenile justice system; and the Phoenix Project, funded by the Mayor's Anti-Gang Office and offered through the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans, informed parents of gang members about the challenges they face. Figures, tables