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Post-adjudication facilities are the Burnett-Bayland Rehabilitation
Center, the Harris County Leadership Academy and the Harris County
Youth Village. The Division continues to use the DART system of
structured supervision and programming from campus to campus. DART
stresses personal accountability through Discipline, Accountability,
Redirection and Transition.
Burnett-Bayland Rehabilitation Center
6500 Chimney Rock
The Burnett Bayland
Rehabilitation Center (BBRC) is a secure placement with a
capacity of 144 boys. Each male juvenile offender to be placed in a
county residential facility is first sent to BBRC to be carefully
evaluated. In 2008, assessments were completed for 1,547 youth who
were then routed to other county campuses, private placement, TYC
and in some cases, placed at home on regular probation or assigned
to BBRC. In addition to the general population programming, BBRC
offers specialized treatment components: Sex Offender Program,
Psychiatric Stabilization Unit and a drug dependent treatment
program. There is also a 30-day Intense Impact program which
emphasizes structure and early reconnection to family. MHMRA
provides intense counseling to the Psychiatric Stabilization Unit
residents and crisis intervention.
The Aid to
Victims of Domestic Abuse Program and Love U2 groups provides
curriculum that teaches boys how to develop and maintain healthy
relationships. The Children’s Assessment Center provides individual
counseling for those youths who indicate sexual victimization in
their past. Writers in Schools assists juveniles in writing projects
and the Rotary Club provides “Success at Work” groups with a focus
on life skills. Volunteers from Special Youth Services and
Crossroads bring guest speakers, tutors, religious services, art and
other programs to BBRC. In addition, BBRC has participated in a
research project with Fordham University on decision-making skills
among males who have been placed on probation.
Harris County Youth Village
210 J.W. Mills Drive, Seabrook
 The
Harris County Youth Village (HCYV) is a lakefront campus located in
the Clear Lake area that provides educational, medical and
therapeutic services, as well as drug education therapy, for males
10 to 17 years of age. The total capacity of the Youth Village is
170, and in 2008, 644 youths resided there. The behavioral program
of the Youth Village targets personal responsibility, appropriate
expression of anger, positive decision-making, leadership and,
ultimately, self-management of one’s own behavior. Student-led
community governments meet weekly.
Student-led
community governments meet weekly. Support team meetings and
staffings are held to assist students with their progress on campus
and to prepare them to return to their homes, schools and community.
Parent and guardian involvement is encouraged with visitation, input
on treatment plans family and multi-family counseling and home
visits. Community volunteers also support the Youth Village program
by providing incentive awards and working with residents as mentors,
training coaches, advisors and tutors.
In 2008, the
Youth Village’s vocational program continued providing residents
with stronger ties to continuing education as well as to employers
in the community. The Vocational Education Program (VEP) can
accommodate 120 students per year. Central to this program is its
partnership with the San Jacinto College System’s Central Campus,
where residents complete certificate-level vocational classes, which
are industry recognized and can be used to further the students’
studies at either college or general trades’ level. Professors from
San Jacinto College instruct students in an 18-week program in
either electrical or automotive repair studies. Students in the
electrical program receive instruction in basic residential and
commercial wiring, and students in the automotive program attend
Introduction to Automotive Systems. In addition to vocational
studies, all students are enrolled in on campus GED classes. They
spend four hours each day preparing to take not only the GED exam,
but college-level entrance exams. All students are given academic
and employment counseling by both Youth Village staff and San
Jacinto College who assist with college financial aid paperwork,
scholarships, grants and job applications. Some youth in this
program can qualify for grants to cover tuition and fees for one
year after their release which will allow many students to continue
their college studies as they transition back into the community.
In January 1,
2010, Harris County Youth Village accepted the girls that previously
were housed at Burnett-Bayland Home (BBH). In December 2009,
Burnett Bayland Home closed and the girls relocated to the Youth
Village, and began the Girls Program. Family visitation is
encouraged and parents participate in regular counseling sessions.
Residents attend on-campus classes taught by the Juvenile Justice
Charter School. A vocational curriculum has been added with
instruction on writing resumes and completing job applications.
Those attending GED classes or extra-curricular activities may go
off campus. Drug and alcohol counseling, therapy and peer mediation
play a significant role in the rehabilitation of the residents.
Privately-funded activities such as art, a photography program and a
print shop bring yet another learning dimension to the residents.
The Rotary Club of Houston continued its generous support and
conducted weekly tutoring.
Harris County Leadership Academy
9120 Katy-Hockley, Katy
The Harris
County Leadership Academy (HCLA) provides a residential correctional
program for adjudicated males, ages 13 to 16, who have been
determined by the court to need a strong structured and
discipline-oriented program. The Harris County Leadership Academy is
in west Harris County, opened in 1999, and has a capacity of *96
residents. During 2008, 592 young men participated in the
program. The focus of the program is to redirect the thinking and
behavior patterns of juveniles by instilling in them a sound
foundation embracing a healthy self-concept, respect for others,
authority and personal accountability. This is accomplished in a
safe, secure environment with zero tolerance for abuse of any kind
while maximizing opportunities for development of body, mind and
spirit. The juveniles take part in a structured basic program
incorporating the four phases of DART (Discipline, Accountability,
Redirection and Transition.) The goal of Harris County Leadership
Academy is to provide a successful reintegration into the community
and family. Educational classes are provided by teachers from the
Juvenile Justice Charter School as well as counseling, anger
management and mental health services by MHMRA of Harris County.
Additionally
the juveniles of Harris County Leadership Academy have the
opportunity to participate in a Vocational Education Program in
conjunction with San Jacinto College. Trainees who have problems
with alcohol and/or drugs are provided treatment via Turning Point
of Houston. Special Youth Services and Youth Exchange provide
religious programs. A gardening program highlights the juvenile’s
ability to discover the value of working with nature. Upon
completion of the program, a promotion ceremony is held when parents
witness how their sons have matured. Juveniles return home and
attend school with intensive supervision by juvenile probation
officers from CUPS 7, a special Probation Services aftercare unit.
They also participate in community service projects, drug testing
and counseling sessions. A 30-45 day impact program designed to
redirect probationers whose behavior is jeopardizing their current
community or residential probation status recorded a 94% success
rate in 2008.
* HCLA
originally opened as Delta Boot Camp in 1999, with a capacity for
144 youth; however, in 2009, the program was redesigned to the
current HCLA and a capacity of 96 youth. |
