Texas Juvenile Justice Department granted $825k to help reduce youth incarceration

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Texas Juvenile Justice Department will receive a grant of nearly $1 million to help reduce youth incarceration rates, according to a release from Sen. John Cornyn.

The $825,000 federal grant will also expand access to community-based support systems for justice-involved youth across Texas, the release said.

A partnership with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute will utilize the grant to help the Department reduce incarceration rates by "thoroughly assessing resources, pinpointing service gaps, and developing a comprehensive continuum of care model to meet the needs of youth before justice involvement."

The release said the program is aiming to:

• Increase the availability of effective diversion programs
• foster cross-system coordination
• address root causes of confinement.

The grant is being funded by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Building Local Continuums of Care to Support Youth Success initiative.

“By implementing proven policies that combat youth incarceration rates, we can also target the negative behaviors that put minors at risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This funding will help rehabilitate justice-involved youth and combat high-risk behaviors like truancy, substance misuse, and victimization.”