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Nueces County staff request new juvenile probation officer and $55,000 for electronic monitoring as gun-related juvenile referrals rise
Summary
Juvenile probation officials told the commissioners a spike in violent and gun-related juvenile referrals has led to more and longer detentions, prompting a request for a dedicated probation officer for a newly launched weapons court and $55,000 from the general fund to pay for electronic monitoring if a pending grant is not awarded.
Homer, a juvenile probation official, told the Nueces County Commissioners Court during a budget workshop that juvenile referrals have stayed roughly steady but that violent and gun-related offenses among juveniles have increased sharply, producing more detentions and longer stays.
Homer said the county's court commitments to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department rose to nine this year, compared with about seven last year and historically much lower counts in past years. In response, the court formed what officials described as a weapons court (a specialized ‘‘gun court’’) modeled on a Lansing, Michigan pilot. The first cohort of 12 juveniles began in March, with a curriculum provided through the University of Cincinnati; the program requires frequent contact, court-ordered parental attendance at some sessions and intensive counseling.
To sustain the program if an application to the governor’s office for grant funding is not approved, Homer asked the court to add one dedicated juvenile probation officer to the general fund budget at $79,284 (including fringe). He also asked the general fund to assume $55,000 in electronic monitoring costs that historically had been covered by state aid.
Homer presented multi-year charts showing rises in gun-related referrals and said the average daily population in the county's juvenile detention facilities has climbed from about 28 to 36, near the facility capacity of 40. He warned that sustained capacity days have increased overtime costs and operational strain.
A commissioner asked whether defendants or parents are charged for electronic monitoring. Homer said juvenile departments typically do not bill juveniles directly; a court could order a parent to pay, but collection has proven difficult. The commissioner argued that monitoring is a privilege that should include some cost-sharing by families, echoing practice in adult probation in other jurisdictions.
Homer said the county has moved some state aid in the past to cover overtime and that, depending on any grant award for the weapons court, the county might rescind the requested probation position. The presentation closed with the department's overall general-fund request for the juvenile probation/detention line items.
The commissioners did not take a vote during the workshop; next procedural steps will be review and inclusion in the draft budget for formal consideration in public sessions.
The court scheduled continued budget workshops the following day and Thursday.
