By Harris                                             S.C.R. No. 22
       74R3435 SMC-D
                                 CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-1        WHEREAS, Juvenile arrest rates have been rising since 1988
    1-2  and, as a result, Texas Youth Commission facilities have become
    1-3  crowded and juvenile probation officer caseloads approach 100
    1-4  youths per officer; and
    1-5        WHEREAS, Young probationers in Texas receive a wide range of
    1-6  supervision and interventions; some require only minimal
    1-7  supervision while others need the extra structure of intensive
    1-8  supervision programs and boot camps, which serve as positive
    1-9  alternatives to commitment to the Texas Youth Commission; and
   1-10        WHEREAS, Juvenile boot camps target the serious, chronic
   1-11  offender and, along with intensive efforts to educate and
   1-12  rehabilitate young offenders, public protection is a main focus of
   1-13  these programs; and
   1-14        WHEREAS, The El Paso Juvenile Probation Department was the
   1-15  first juvenile probation department in the nation to develop and
   1-16  operate a juvenile boot camp, called Challenge, with the goals of
   1-17  protecting public safety while providing violent and habitual
   1-18  adjudicated juveniles with alternatives through a community-based
   1-19  correctional program; and
   1-20        WHEREAS,  Following the success of the El Paso model, the
   1-21  McLennan County Juvenile Services Department initiated its own boot
   1-22  camp called CORPS, a military-style program where repeat offenders
   1-23  are offered one final opportunity to change their behavior with a
   1-24  strong focus on building self-discipline, self-esteem, and good
    2-1  study habits; and
    2-2        WHEREAS, El Paso's Challenge, McLennan County's CORPS, and
    2-3  similar programs have had considerable success in reducing
    2-4  recidivism by showing young offenders what prison life is like
    2-5  before an offender's criminal record is serious enough to lead to
    2-6  an adult facility;  boot camps, "shock" programs, and
    2-7  early-intervention programs such as these are likely to stop the
    2-8  pattern of young offenders headed for a future of crime; and
    2-9        WHEREAS, A large percentage of juvenile crime is committed in
   2-10  urban areas and the location of boot camps near these cities would
   2-11  facilitate the youth's transition back into the community; now,
   2-12  therefore, be it
   2-13        RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas
   2-14  hereby encourage the Texas Youth Commission to increase the usage
   2-15  of boot camps for juvenile offenders and to locate the facilities
   2-16  in close proximity to the large urban areas of our state; and, be
   2-17  it further
   2-18        RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward an official
   2-19  copy of this resolution to the executive director of the Texas
   2-20  Youth Commission.