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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to a report to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department |
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concerning restorative justice programs for juvenile offenders in |
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certain counties. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS. In this Act: |
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(1) "Department" means the Texas Juvenile Justice |
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Department. |
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(2) "Local department" means a local juvenile |
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probation department. |
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(3) "Program" means a restorative justice program |
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created for juvenile offenders. |
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(4) "Restorative justice" means an approach to justice |
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that emphasizes the importance of an offender's reparation of harm |
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caused to a victim by the offender's conduct that violates a penal |
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law. The term includes victim-offender mediation. |
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SECTION 2. APPLICABILITY. This Act applies only to a local |
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department located in a county: |
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(1) with a population of more than 1.5 million; and |
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(2) in which more than 75 percent of the population |
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resides in a single municipality. |
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SECTION 3. REPORT. Not later than December 1, 2016, a local |
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department shall submit a report to the department regarding the |
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program. The report must include: |
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(1) a comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness of |
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the program; |
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(2) the local department's findings and |
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recommendations regarding continuation or expansion of the |
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program; |
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(3) whether the local department developed an action |
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plan and if the action plan was followed; |
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(4) the extent to which restorative justice is offered |
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by the local department, including the specific programs used in |
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restorative justice cases; |
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(5) what methods are used to track data, including |
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compliance with data privacy laws; |
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(6) the number of offenders, victims, and community |
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members participating in the program; |
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(7) information regarding the types of offenses, |
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demographics, and relationships between the victims and offenders; |
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(8) whether monthly audits are conducted and the |
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results of the audits; |
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(9) whether the program is equipped to expand; |
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(10) identification of potential program barriers; |
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(11) information regarding the criminal history of |
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offenders; |
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(12) information regarding the background, |
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experience, and eligibility of mediators; |
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(13) whether the program was offered pre-adjudication |
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or post-adjudication; |
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(14) victim and offender satisfaction rates regarding |
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the program; |
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(15) the overall rate of restitution as a result of the |
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program; and |
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(16) the outcome measures used to determine the |
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effectiveness of the program. |
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SECTION 4. EXPIRATION. This Act expires September 2, 2017. |
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SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September |
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1, 2015. |