Youth Justice

Proposed truancy law would nearly double fines on parents

Video screengrab of two students smiling at each other

Big changes could be coming to how unexcused absences are handled at your child's school. Some lawmakers want to increase the penalties for truancy. Not everyone is on board with this plan. Instead, wanting to address the root causes of the absences.

Read the rest of this story from FOX San Antonio.

“A way to throw kids away”: Texas’ troubled juvenile justice department is sending more children to adult prisons

Giddings State School, a Texas Juvenile Justice Department correctional facility, in Lee County on July 20, 2022. ( Credit: Jolie McCullough/The Texas Tribune

Desperate to restore order within the walls of the five youth prisons it operates, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department has been asking judges to push more of its most troubled kids into the adult prison system.

Read the rest of this article from the Texas Tribune.

Beaumont police partners with Southeast Texas organization to tackle juvenile crime

Screengrab from KDFM news video of reporter speaking in front of Beaumont Police logo

The Beaumont Police Department began its partnership with Inspire, Encourage, Achieve five years ago in order to make a difference in the life of juveniles that are currently in the Minnie Rogers Juvenile Justice Center. There are 15 mentors that meet weekly with the juveniles to show them a positive outlook on life and help them believe in themselves.

Read the rest of this story from KDFM News.

Texas lawmakers could make it easier to kick students out of class

The Texas legislature meets for only 140 days every two years.(CrackerClips Stock Media; Bryan Mullennix / Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Texas teachers and school administrators could more easily kick misbehaving students out of class under a wide-ranging bill debated this week. In the weeks after the Uvalde massacre, a Lubbock Republican drew attention when he told his fellow lawmakers: “Not all kids belong in the classroom anymore.” Sen. Charles Perry pledged to tackle school discipline this session.

Change Can't Wait, Texas Is Overdue for Real Public Safety Solutions

Graphic via Texas Signal with Capitol, WTF TXLEGE, Move Texas and Signal logos

In the Lone Star State, a person’s path through the justice system is rarely guided by justice. It’s guided by politics. A young person of color fears when a police car follows them, knowing some police scour the streets looking for an excuse to turn on their red and blues. A person short on cash can’t make bail, calling the jail their temporary home – a rich person cuts a check and walks immediately.

Read the rest of this story from the Texas Signal.

Youth activists back Texas bill to close juvenile facilities, citing 'inhumane conditions'

Youths walk by the windows of the dining hall on their way to lunch Thursday, Oct. 12, 2006, at the Giddings State School in Giddings, Texas. Via BRETT COOMER/HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Youth justice advocates, including some Houstonians, are fighting in support of a bill that would see the closure of the state’s five juvenile detention centers, which they say have been beset by “dangerous and inhumane conditions.”

Read the rest of this article from the Houston Chronicle.

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