Bill Text: TX HB937 | 2013-2014 | 83rd 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) 2013-04-24 - Left pending in committee [HB937 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-HB937-Introduced.html
83R6205 EAH-F | ||
By: Farias | H.B. No. 937 |
|
||
|
||
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) "Department" means the Texas Juvenile Justice | ||
Department. | ||
(2) "Local 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 local department located in a county: | ||
(1) with a population of more than 1.5 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 department shall establish a restorative justice | ||
pilot program for juvenile offenders to be implemented by a local | ||
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 department shall | ||
require a local department to: | ||
(1) establish a resource network relating to | ||
restorative justice that includes representatives from the local | ||
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 department; 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, 2014, a | ||
local department shall submit a report to the department regarding | ||
the program. The report must include: | ||
(1) a comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness of | ||
the program; and | ||
(2) the local department's findings and | ||
recommendations regarding continuation or expansion of the | ||
program. | ||
Sec. 62.005. PROGRAM FUNDING. The department shall | ||
provide sufficient funds to a local department for the program and | ||
report, if funds are appropriated for purposes of this chapter. | ||
Sec. 62.006. EXPIRATION. This chapter expires September 2, | ||
2015. | ||
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |