Groups Form Coalition to Tackle Issue of Justice for Texas Minority Youth

Houston, TX – At a news briefing on Thursday, December 16, a group of community- and faith-based, youth advocacy, and civil rights organizations will discuss growing concerns with the Texas juvenile justice system including the overrepresentation and overincarceration of African American and Latino youth. The briefing will be held in the auditorium of the Tejano Center for Community Concerns, 2950 Broadway, beginning at 11:30 a.m.

From 1999 to 2004, Latino and African American youth have consistently been overrepresented in the Texas juvenile justice system. In FY04, Hispanic and Black youth made up 46% and 31% respectively of the new commitments to the Texas Youth Commission. Confirming reports from Texas-based organizations that work on juvenile justice issues, a recent publication by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), Lost Opportunities: The Reality of Latinos in the U.S. Criminal Justice System, found that alternatives to incarceration programs are more effective and less costly. The State of Texas estimates that it saves $770,000 for every 100 offenders who go through a prison diversion program. Nonetheless, the Texas Youth Commission has recently cut funding to several organizations that provide community-based contract care.

In response, participants at the news conference will announce the formation of The Texas Coalition Advocating Justice for Juveniles (TCAJJ) – a statewide network of community- and faith-based organizations, juvenile justice experts, and youth advocates promoting reform of the juvenile justice system to ensure justice for all Texas youth – to help educate communities impacted by the juvenile justice system, policy-makers, and the general public on these issues.

Participating in the news briefing are Dr. Juan Sanchez, President and CEO, Southwest Key Program, Inc.; Richard Farias, Executive Director, Tejano Center for Community Concerns (TCCC); State Representative Harold Dutton (D-District 142); State Representative Sylvester Turner (D-District 139); Mary Covington, Program Director for Harris County Drug Court; Ernest McMillian, 5th Ward Enrichment Program; and Angela Arboleda, NCLR Civil Rights Policy Analyst and co-author of Lost Opportunities who will discuss some of the report’s key findings.

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