The Williamson County District Courts are pleased to announce that the Williamson County Transformative Justice (TJ) program has received a $15,000 grant from the Texas Bar Foundation. This grant will support enhancements to the mental health services available to TJ program participants.
“I’m deeply grateful to the Texas Bar Foundation for approving this grant,” said District Judge Stacey Mathews, who presides over the TJ program. “These funds will make a real difference for our program as we work to transform young lives and make a positive impact on our community.”
The TJ program is a 10 to 18-month intensive diversionary program that is designed to work with 17 to 24-year-olds who are charged with non-violent felony offenses. The program provides personalized case management and early intervention to meet participants where they are. Program partners learn about the participants’ journeys and help them to address their substance abuse issues, educational and vocational challenges and mental health issues.
The TJ program also provides life skills education to prepare participants for success in the community. Successful graduates from the program are eligible to have their charges dismissed and their records expunged.
“It is easy to lose sight of the fact that individuals facing criminal charges remain a part of our community,” said Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick. “I am proud to support a program that works to keep our community safe while helping participants so that they can make a positive contribution going forward.”
The Transformative Justice program is a collaborative effort of the Williamson County District Courts, Juvenile Services, the Defense Bar and the District Attorney’s Office. With the support of the Williamson County Commissioners Court, the program is focused on reducing recidivism for the emerging adults who participate in order to change the trajectory of their lives and safeguard our community. County leadership has partnered with Texas A&M University and Harvard University to conduct research to verify the effectiveness of this program and its impact on this vulnerable age group.
“Through this randomized control study, we believe the TJ program will show that investing in personal case management and mental health services early-on can reduce recidivism rates and decrease the number of people introduced into the criminal justice system in our community,” said Judge Mathews.
The Texas Bar Foundation is the nation’s largest charitably funded bar foundation. Since its inception in 1965, the Bar Foundation, which is supported by members of the State Bar of Texas, has awarded more than $24 million in grants to law-related programs.