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Posted: May 19, 2022
Categories: Hot Topics
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Column by Commissioner Cook

Williamson County Commissioner Cook: Spotlight on transformative justice (statesman.com)

In 2018, a program began in Williamson County diverting young adults ages 17 to 24 accused of nonviolent felonies, such as drug charges, from the traditional criminal justice system to services that address their development needs and help them make wise decisions to develop a strong foundation for adulthood.

Judge Stacey Mathews of the 277th District Court presides over the Transformative Justice Program, based on the model of stakeholder and community partnerships. The TJ program team includes court staff, prosecutors from the Williamson County’s district attorney’s office, members of the defense bar and county's Juvenile Services staff.  The county aggressively seeks grant-funding for such programs to offset costs and reduce the burden on the taxpayer. The Commissioners Court proudly partners with the Texas Indigent Defense Commission and the Texas Bar Foundation to help us fund this important program.

Does a community-based program led by decision-making teams improve emerging adults’ physical and mental health and reduce recidivism compared to the current criminal justice system? I interviewed two alums of this program. I changed their real names to protect their identities.

“Laura” was born into an unstable environment in a Michigan inner-city home. Her father left the family after fathering four children in as many years. Mom, who drank heavily, moved with her three kids to a trailer home in Georgetown, leaving one son behind. When Laura was 9, CPS removed the kids from the home. She, along with the older and younger brother, were placed in a neighborhood home for two weeks and ultimately moved to a group home of strangers. While there, Laura’s mom gave up her parental rights. Later, a foster family with big hearts adopted the three children. 

Laura thrived in her first two years of high school, joining ROTC, the Color Guard and becoming active in community service. However, her fragile life foundation began crumbling during her junior year, and she lost interest in the programs she had so enjoyed. Lacking friends outside of her prior groups, she drifted. In her words, “everything became meaningless.” Then her new parents divorced, and she moved again with her adoptive dad.

She started associating with troubled kids and began making poor decisions. She was arrested in Leander with a bag containing drugs and paraphernalia (the result of a group purchase) on a felony charge to the terror of her younger brother who witnessed her being handcuffed and placed in a police vehicle.

At the jail, J.R. Hancock, a defense attorney for the Transformative Justice Program and whose position is partially funded by the Texas Indigent Defense Commission grant, contacted Laura about the new program. Unbeknownst to her, Hancock was part of Laura’s adoption legal team. Recognizing the value of joining this program, Laura agreed to become one of its early clients. The next day Laura walked out of jail to her adoptive dad and her two siblings with a business card<

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Posted: May 9, 2022
Categories: Hot Topics
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Information from the Williamson County Elections Office

Image of illustrated hand depositing ballot into white box marked VOTE by www.bing.com/imagesElection Day: Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Early Voting period: Monday, May 16 to Friday, May 20

Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (Received, not postmarked): Friday, May 13

CLICK HERE FOR COMPREHENSIVE SAMPLE BALLOT

NOTICE OF ELECTION - DEMOCRATIC PARTY

NOTICE OF ELECTION - REPUBLICAN PARTY
The polling location is in the designated areas of each location.

May 24, 2022 Texas Secretary of State Election Law Calendar

If you voted in the March 1 primary, you can cast your vote only in runoff races for the same party. If you didn’t vote in the March primaries this year, you can choose to vote in either the Democratic or Republican runoffs as long as you are registered to vote.

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Posted: May 4, 2022
Categories: Hot Topics
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Information from the Williamson County Elections Office

Depending on where you live, you may get to vote on city council and school board elections, and city propositions.

Image of a a hand with a finger pressing the red button with white letters that spell VOTE from www.flaticon.com/free-icon/online-voting

Everyone has the opportunity to vote on TWO statewide propositions.

CLICK HERE FOR SAMPLE BALLOT LOOKUP

Elections (wilco.org)


 

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Posted: Apr 21, 2022
Categories: Hot Topics
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Column by Commissioner Cook

Williamson Co. Commissioner Cook: Newest court helps families make it together (statesman.com)

District Court Judge Ryan Larson is one of three Williamson County judges who have collectively worked to establish a specialty court for family restoration.

We travel through life wishing certain moments were forever. For some, that wish seems to happen. For others, the wish dims but for a while, then the glow returns. Yet there are many whose wish disappears with little hope of it returning. 

I have written about several programs in the Williamson County judicial system restoring lives and hope: our specialty courts for those suffering from substance use disorder(s) like illicit drugs and alcohol; our transformative justice program for youthful offenders (non-violent) and, just last month, our stellar juvenile justice program of trust-based relational intervention for the troubled youths sent to their care. 

I recently joined the Round Rock Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for an Ishtar dinner the first weekend of Ramadan and was asked to speak about "Justice through Compassion." What a great opportunity to talk about the three programs listed above and how, through investing in those lives — seemingly on the wrong path — brings changes in positive ways. Jail is sometimes cheaper but rarely results in positive changes in the trajectory of a person’s life.

I’m lauding our newest, compassionate program: Family Recovery Court. This program focuses on families torn apart by drugs, alcohol and perhaps mental health challenges in which children are removed from their homes destined, at least for a time, for life in the Child Protective Services arena. We’ve heard the disconcerting tales of the CPS world in Texas and feel blessed that we were never in that or that we survived. This court must address the needs of at least one parent, but hopefully both parents, and all their children. In this case, it does take a community.

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Posted: Apr 19, 2022
Categories: Events
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Lyrics rewritten by Commissioner Cook and sung by Cathie Sheridan to the original song "Be Our Guest" by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken

Be our Guest – Tribute to Brushy Creek Trail  --  Available at https://www.facebook.com/wilcogov and select “videos”  OR by YouTube https://youtu.be/GF7udIbyrTs

LadAward presented by Government Social Media https://www.governmentsocialmedia.com/Another section of the new Brushy Creek Trail over Brushy Creek as part of Phase V.ies & Gentlemen, it is with deepest pride

And great pleasure that we welcome you today

And now we invite to  join in, hike on this new trail

As Wilco Parks now proudly presents

The newest!

Be our guest be our guest

Put this new trail to the test

Pull your hat on; tie your shoes, my dear

And we’ll provide the rest

Sun or shade, quite the view

Chasco built it, yes its new

RVI planned it with much talk

Don’t believe me, hit the boardwalk

Birds will sing, and they feed

After all, this stream is free

And the fishing here is never second best

Go on down there’s a bridge

Just one stroll and then you’ll

Be our guest, yes our guest

Be our guest

Water flows, under foot

Dapple shade, poison ivy,

Turtles, snakes and stream mighty

Biological cabaret

Until now you never cared

The bridge and rails, all prepared

It’s so roomy for the hikers,

Strollers, wheelchairs and the bikers

Moving fast, or slow behinders

Choose a pace, there’s no timers

And it’s all in perfect weather you can bet

Come on get off the grass

You have your own free pass

To be our guest if you’re stressed

It’s slow walking we suggest

Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest

Life has b

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