Investing in safer futures through innovative infrastructure expansion
We Invite you to join us to celebrate the Groundbreaking for the two New TJJD Facilities this October.
By TJJD Communications —
TJJD is taking a significant step forward in the services available to youth in the juvenile justice system in Texas. With two new state-of-the-art secure facilities, the agency is strengthening safety, expanding capacity, and delivering more effective programming to youth from across the state.
A Big Step Forward for Juvenile Justice in Texas
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department will celebrate the groundbreaking of two new state-operated secure facilities this fall. One facility will be celebrated in Brazoria County on October 1 and the other in Ellis County on October 7.
These groundbreaking ceremonies will mark the beginning of the construction phase which is expected to be completed in the first half of 2029. These ceremonies mark a crucial milestone in the long-term investment made by the Legislature during the 89th legislative session to create a safer, more effective juvenile justice system. TJJD looks forward to this opportunity to bring together state and local leaders, community partners, legislators, agency staff, and members of the public to see the vision for these facilities.
Guests will have an opportunity to hear from TJJD leadership, local officials, legislators, and other project partners; learn more about the design and purpose of each facility; view renderings and plans; and take part in the ceremonial groundbreaking. The events will also highlight the innovative practices that are shaping the future of secure juvenile care in Texas.
A Strategic Investment in Safety and Rehabilitation
The Texas Legislature has made a significant investment in these projects because Texas needs a secure juvenile justice system built for the realities of today and the trends we are seeing across the system.
These facilities will expand TJJD’s capacity while addressing longstanding challenges associated with aging infrastructure, appropriate placement of youth with complex needs, staffing, and the ability to provide safe, structured environments that support rehabilitation. The investment allows TJJD to move beyond simply creating additional beds and instead designing environments around who we serve, what they need, and what helps them successfully and safely return to their communities.
The facilities reflect TJJD’s commitment to a balanced approach to juvenile justice. We are always focused on safety first for staff, youth and communities while always staying committed to providing rehabilitative programming that effectively addresses criminogenic risk, while recognizing that change is possible in this population.
By building a space where accountability can coexist with safe and secure operations, treatment, education, and updated technology and structure, we are creating a foundation for a facility where youth can reduce their criminogenic risk factors and staff can be safely help youth succeed in their futures.
Purpose-Built for the Youth We Serve
The two facilities are being designed to meet distinct needs within TJJD’s population.
The Ellis County facility will focus on youth with the highest levels of mental and behavioral health needs, reenforcing responsive therapeutic environments designed with the Texas Model in mind and robust staff support systems while maintaining the security and structure necessary for safe operations. Sleeping spaces, dayrooms, staff spaces, and facility infrastructure will be built specifically to equip staff overseeing our Mental Health Treatment Programs, Behavioral Stabilization Unit, and Crisis Stabilization Unit.
The Brazoria County facility will serve youth with high-risk and violent behavioral profiles, emphasizing safety, security, structure, accountability, rehabilitation, and reentry readiness through secure programming models. The infrastructure being constructed is directly responsive to the rising acuity of the youth in the system, taking into account the risk and responsivity of these youth. The facility will be equipped to handle our Intensive Intervention Program, our Redirect Program, and our Phoenix and Phoenix Max Programs.
These expansions bring a unique opportunity to build juvenile justice facilities in Texas for the first time since the 90’s, when Mart State Juvenile Correctional Facility, which was initially designed and built for adults and later turned into a juvenile justice complex. The population TJJD serves is the most acute in the state, serving youth with progressively challenging mental and behavioral health needs, criminogenic risk, violent histories, and adverse childhood experiences. With commitment and waitlist numbers fluctuating year to year, these two facilities will help address the rising numbers of youth waiting for transfer to our facilities from the county. These facilities will create 200 new beds to serve youth from across the state.
These new builds will not only provide a new space, it will place facilities close to population centers in Texas giving us the chance to recruit and hire staff from the Houston and DFW communities. This will help reduce historic staffing shortage problems and provide approximately 400 new jobs to each of these communities, ultimately better equipping us to serve the youth committed to TJJD.
Build Details
TJJD leadership, the Texas Facilities Commission (TFC), HDR, Kitchell, and Vaughn Construction have worked through an extensive program validation and conceptual design process to translate TJJD’s operational philosophy into purpose-built facility designs.
As these new builds progress through the design phase and into the construction phase, agency leadership and the team of contractors are putting the final touches on the facilities. Everything from dayroom and education design to operational workflows, building systems, and connections between critical functions such as intake, infirmary, residential support, food service, and treatment are critical to daily programming once they are operational. The cross collaboration with experts in their respective fields has created innovative, responsive, and state-of-the-art facility designs that will positively impact Texas’ juvenile population for decades to come.
TFC serves as the authority for state facility construction in Texas, and with their oversight they have brought in specialized partners to lead the design, construction, commissioning, materials testing, and building-system verification. Together, this team brings significant experience in large-scale public facility delivery and is working diligently to ensure the new facilities are built to the highest standards of quality, safety, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.
Looking Ahead
These buildings are an important part of TJJD’s future.
TJJD is committed to delivering a juvenile justice system that is safe, accountable, evidence-informed, and focused on meaningful outcomes. These facilities are an important step toward that vision and toward establishing Texas as a national leader in juvenile justice.
The project schedule calls for construction to continue through 2028, with owner occupancy anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2028 or at the beginning of 2029. As construction progresses, TJJD will continue working with state leaders, local partners, project teams, staff, and communities to ensure these facilities deliver on their intended purpose.
We are creating the conditions where highly trained staff can work safely and effectively, where youth can receive the right interventions for their needs, and where accountability and growth can thrive.
We invite you to follow TJJD’s social media channels for project updates, groundbreaking event information, facility renderings, and progress throughout construction.
Learn more about the new facilities and RSVP for Groundbreakings.
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