Texas Appleseed at the Core of Juvenile Justice Reform in Texas

Texas Appleseed’s youth justice reform work epitomizes what a relatively small but mighty advocacy organization can do to improve the treatment of youth who become ensnared in the juvenile justice system.  Reforms advanced by Texas Appleseed in the juvenile justice arena have, over the years, helped to change the lives of thousands of youth – youth who otherwise would have been cast out of school, locked up, and denied the opportunities owed to all children. 

I have witnessed the work of Texas Appleseed up close for years. I’ve worked with them on various advocacy projects, first when I was a senior attorney at the National Center for Youth Law and then as an independent youth justice strategist. Texas Appleseed has been a major player in moving juvenile justice policy and the practices of state and local officials toward a more rehabilitative and less punitive model of treatment. The organization has indeed been at the core of many of the large and successful systemic juvenile justice reforms in Texas, reforms that have made a huge difference in how youth are now being treated statewide.

For example, the work of Texas Appleseed to move policy makers and agency officials toward a more effective regional and research-based juvenile justice system has produced a 65-percent reduction in the number of youth incarcerated in state secure facilities. 

And over the past several years Texas Appleseed, along with its advocacy partners, have helped to reduce the numbers of children being unjustly pushed out of schools into inferior alternative schools and/or into the courts. 

The efforts of Texas Appleseed and its advocacy partners to eliminate the criminal prosecution of children for school truancy have been extraordinarily successful. So far this advocacy has resulted in a 90 % statewide reduction of referrals to truancy court.

Importantly, Texas Appleseed always keeps its juvenile justice work and priorities focused on addressing the disproportionate impact practices like school push-out and the excessive use of incarceration have on youth of color. The organization’s juvenile justice advocacy is also guided by an abiding recognition of the importance of providing youth appropriate supports to keep them at home and in the community and of the harms inflicted on youth by locking them up.

One of the keys to Texas Appleseed’s successes is that it always maximizes limited resources and its change-making potential by teaming up with other advocacy organizations, pro bono lawyers and, whenever possible, it collaborates with systems officials to create the most effective and workable solutions to systems problems. 

Another important strength of this amazing organization is that it strategically and expertly employs multiple advocacy tools to achieve change. In addition to legislative advocacy and policy education, their juvenile justice reform strategies have included the use of administrative complaints filed with the US Department of Justice and the state department of education, and the development of litigation to challenge the prosecution of truant youth. Their powerful use of the media is evident by the many times they are quoted as experts on juvenile justice issues in the press in both state and national media.

 The tremendous respect the organization is paid by other advocates, a vast cadre of pro bono lawyers, judges, legislators and many who are part of the systems the organization seeks to reform is very richly deserved. Most importantly, advocates at Texas Appleseed should feel incredibly proud of the deep gratitude I have heard expressed for their work by youth and their families whose lives have been positively affected by advocates from this organization. I am among the many in awe of the juvenile justice reforms achieved by Texas Appleseed and its organizational partners. 

This post is part of Texas Appleseed’s 20th anniversary celebration. Between now and the end of December, we’re celebrating 20 of our proudest accomplishments. Learn about the rest of our work here and on social media. Donate now if you want to support the next 20 years of fighting for justice.