Bill Text: TX HB1787 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to establishing a restorative justice pilot program for juvenile offenders in certain counties.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-04-13 - No action taken in committee [HB1787 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-HB1787-Introduced.html
| 82R6267 SJM-F | ||
| By: Farias | H.B. No. 1787 | |
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| relating to establishing a restorative justice pilot program for | ||
| juvenile offenders in certain counties. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Title 3, Family Code, is amended by adding | ||
| Chapter 62 to read as follows: | ||
| CHAPTER 62. RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PILOT PROGRAM FOR JUVENILE | ||
| OFFENDERS IN CERTAIN COUNTIES | ||
| Sec. 62.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: | ||
| (1) "Commission" means the Texas Juvenile Probation | ||
| Commission. | ||
| (2) "Department" means a local juvenile probation | ||
| department. | ||
| (3) "Program" means the restorative justice pilot | ||
| program created under this chapter for juvenile offenders. | ||
| (4) "Restorative justice" means an approach to justice | ||
| that emphasizes the importance of an offender's reparation of harm | ||
| caused to a victim by the offender's conduct that violates a penal | ||
| law. The term includes victim-offender mediation. | ||
| Sec. 62.002. APPLICABILITY OF CHAPTER. This chapter | ||
| applies only to a department located in a county: | ||
| (1) with a population of more than one million; and | ||
| (2) in which more than 75 percent of the population | ||
| resides in a single municipality. | ||
| Sec. 62.003. ESTABLISHMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PILOT | ||
| PROGRAM. (a) The commission shall establish a restorative justice | ||
| pilot program for juvenile offenders to be implemented by a | ||
| department with funds appropriated for that purpose. The program: | ||
| (1) must include a pretrial diversion program for | ||
| children alleged to have engaged in conduct that violates a penal | ||
| law of this state other than conduct that violates a penal law | ||
| listed in Article 17.032(a), Code of Criminal Procedure; and | ||
| (2) may include a post-adjudication victim-offender | ||
| mediation program for juvenile offenders adjudicated to have | ||
| engaged in conduct that violates a penal law listed in Article | ||
| 17.032(a), Code of Criminal Procedure, for the purpose of | ||
| determining appropriate restitution. | ||
| (b) In implementing the program, the commission shall | ||
| require a department to: | ||
| (1) establish a resource network relating to | ||
| restorative justice that includes representatives from the | ||
| department, the local dispute resolution center, the juvenile | ||
| courts, the district attorney's office, and the local juvenile | ||
| defense bar association; | ||
| (2) develop the program consistent with restorative | ||
| justice principles and best practices for victim-offender | ||
| mediation as identified by the commission; and | ||
| (3) identify outcome measures that may be used to | ||
| measure the effectiveness of the program. | ||
| Sec. 62.004. REPORT. Not later than December 1, 2012, the | ||
| department shall submit a report to the commission regarding the | ||
| program. The report must include: | ||
| (1) a comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness of | ||
| the program; and | ||
| (2) the department's findings and recommendations | ||
| regarding continuation or expansion of the program. | ||
| Sec. 62.005. PROGRAM FUNDING. The commission shall | ||
| provide sufficient funds to the department for the program and | ||
| report, if funds are appropriated for purposes of this chapter. | ||
| Sec. 62.006. EXPIRATION. This chapter expires September 2, | ||
| 2013. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. | ||
