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TDCJ victim services details notification system, victim-offender mediation and new employee wellness resources
Summary
Victim Services presented annual data on registrations, hotline activity and clearinghouse work, described expanded options for notification timing, and outlined a new wellness Legislative Appropriation Request that would add regional clinicians, training sergeants and post-critical incident resources for staff.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Victim Services Division presented an overview of program activity, outreach and a planned expansion of employee wellness supports at a board committee meeting.
Division Director Angie McCown reviewed fiscal year 2024 statistics, noting a heavy volume of hotline and notification work: the division’s hotline answered 17,851 calls and the correspondence team sent roughly 141,000 notifications last year. McCown said the division also receives and processes victim impact statements and operates the Texas Crime Victims Clearinghouse, which is charged by statute with certain victim services functions.
McCown described a recent change to the notification system that gives victims more control over timing. Working with the vendor that operates the integrated victim services system (IVUS), staff added "dark hours" and blackout-date settings so registered victims can avoid notifications during sensitive times such as holidays or anniversaries. "Some victims want notifications 24/7, but some victims don't," said McCown; the update followed requests from victim advocates and local partnerships.
Victim-offender mediation dialogue (VOMD): McCown detailed the state-mandated program allowing victims to request mediated in-person dialogue with an incarcerated person in narrowly defined circumstances. "This victim offender mediation dialogue program is probably one of the more powerful things that TDCJ does," McCown said, adding the process is victim-initiated, time consuming (often averaging six months of preparatory work) and requires inmate consent.
Employee support and wellness: McCown highlighted employee support services that provide crisis intervention and post-critical-incident outreach to staff, and she described a new Legislative Appropriation Request (LAR) that would fund six regional clinicians, training sergeants, support staff, comfort dogs and post-critical-incident seminars to expand services systemwide. McCown and Deputy Director Mary McCafferty credited Executive Director Brian Collier and other senior leaders for backing the initiative.
Board members asked about the low return rate for victim impact statements, which McCown said averages roughly 15% at the county level and about 11% of statements ultimately reaching TDCJ; district variation is substantial (Harris County was cited as about 25%, Travis County about 2.3%). McCown said multiple factors explain low returns and that the clearinghouse and regional victim services coordinators are working to improve collection and reporting.
Ending: The board praised the expansion of employee wellness services and asked staff to continue outreach to county prosecutors and victim advocates to boost victim-impact-statement returns and to refine reporting of execution-related victim support and employment of victim-offender dialogue programs.
