The Judge Mario E. Ramirez, Jr. Juvenile Justice Center is a County Department under the authority of the Hidalgo County Juvenile Board of Judges. The Juvenile Justice Center became fully operational on December 31, 2007. This 137,459 sq. ft. 16.7 million dollar facility was built on a thirty acre site located at 1001 N. Doolittle Road in Edinburg, Texas.

On March 28, 2008, the Juvenile Justice Center was officially dedicated in honor of Judge Mario E. Ramirez, Jr., Judge of the 332nd State District Court. Judge Ramirez has served as the Overseer of the Juvenile Probation Department for over twenty-eight (28) years. The Juvenile Justice Center is responsible for the processing of Juvenile Offenders between the ages of 10-17 referred by law enforcement agencies for law violations.

This facility was designed to accommodate the operations of a Juvenile Probation Department, a ninety-six (96) bed secure Pre-adjudication Detention Facility, and a State District Court specializing in processing juvenile cases. It should be noted that the juvenile court subsequently became the 449th State District Court. The location and size of this facility does not only satisfy the current needs of the Juvenile Justice System in Hidalgo County, but will also allow for future expansion. The goal is that this facility will continue to serve the needs of the Hidalgo County Juvenile Justice System for years to come.



It is the mission of the Judge Mario E. Ramirez, Jr. Juvenile Justice Center, under the authority of the Juvenile Board, to serve the Juvenile Courts and be accountable:

• To direct the rehabilitation, education, care, and security of youthful offenders;
• To protect the community;
• To be sensitive to victims’ issues;
• To address elements in society that contribute to delinquency trends through community education; and,
• To continue to recognize the value of research as it relates to the casual factors and supervision methods.