PROBATION DEPARTMENT

The Juvenile Probation Department is the physical office utilized by a county or district level governmental unit established under the authority of a juvenile board to facilitate the execution of its responsibilities enumerated in Title 3 of the Texas Family Code and Chapter 141 of the Texas Human Resources Code. The Juvenile Probation Department accommodates all probation and support staff responsible for the delivery of probation services to juvenile offenders and their parent(s).

JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICER

The Juvenile Probation Officer's primary responsibility and essential job function is to provide juvenile probation services and supervision duties authorized under statutory and agency administrative law that can only be performed by active certified juvenile probation officer in good standing with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.

TWO TYPES OF SUPERVISION:

Deferred Prosecution

 Deferred Prosecution supervision is on a volunteer basis by both the child and the parent and is considered to be informal supervision. The Department signs a contract with the child and the parent and closely monitors the child for no more than six (6) months. The Department’s goal is to prevent the child from formally entering the juvenile justice system. The Court can also order this type of supervision.

Judicial Probation

Formal Judicial Probation for a juvenile requires that he/she be found true of committing the alleged offense (s) brought forth by the District attorney's Office as so stipulated in a court order through an Adjudication Hearing. The outcome resulting from a Disposition Hearing determines the length of time the juvenile will be supervised by the Juvenile Probation department. The length can be from six (6) months or up to his/her 18th birthday. Informal counseling takes place with the child, family, guardian(s), school personnel and other parties who have an interest in the juvenile.