Over the summer of 2024, the Lone Star Justice Alliance convened the Reimagining Reform Workgroup, composed of a cross-section of stakeholders, advocates, legal practitioners, and justice-impacted youth with the goal of reforming the Texas youth justice system. Key components included information gathering, identification of potential reforms, consensus building, guided proposal development, and public and stakeholder input. 

The Reimagining Reform Workgroup  

• Focused on three areas of reform: 1) Diversion & Deflection, 2) Conditions of Confinement, 3) Procedural Justice 

• Identified statutory amendments to improve juvenile justice court procedures, system operations and oversight, and the framework for a continuum of care all with the aim of keeping youth shallow in the system. 

• Conducted a national review of states that invested in a community infrastructure and supported early intervention to reduce recidivism and the long-term costs associated with mental health.  

• Underscored the continuing need to develop specialized facilities and a broad geographical network of integrated treatment services to improve the accessibility and quality of mental health in the youth justice system.