PACE Exexutive Summary

A Collaboration between P.A.C.E. Youth Programs, Inc & Harris County Juvenile Probation Department - 2008-2009

Youthful Offenders returning to their families and communities residing in Harris County face multiple economic challenges that place them at greater risk for increased violence, drugs, mental health problems, and incarceration.  The recidivism rate for children with mental health and substance abuse in Harris County is 30%- 40% greater than other counties in Texas.  There are very few faith-based non-residential programs in existence, and even fewer are dedicated to the cause of assisting youthful offenders in their re-entry back into their Harris County communities.  Out of 400+ youthful offenders residing in Harris County who were paroled three years ago from Texas Youth Commission, 273 were re-arrested by June 30, 2005 and 167 had already been re-incarcerated, according to Dr. Chuck Jeffords, Research Director at TYC.  Youthful Offenders referred to the Harris County Juvenile Probation are no better off.  Four out of 10 have an educational disability, mental illness, or mental retardation. 26% of Harris County detainees required substance abuse treatment according to CHILDREN AT RISK 2004 Indicators.

The average cost of housing a child at TYC facilities is $197.00 per day, with the average length of stay of 20.4 months. That’s $71,905.00 per year. The PACE program has worked with youth referred to the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department for over four years.  These youth had the potential of being committed to the Texas Youth Commission but instead, 282 youth successfully completed the PACE program. With this success rate, the state would have spent over $10 million if only half the number of youth had been committed to the Texas Youth Commission rather than the PACE program. 

One of the goals of the PACE program is to reduce the disproportionate minority representation of youth referred to the juvenile justice system by lowering recidivism among those youth who have been released from county juvenile correctional facilities in Harris County. The PACE program will target youthful offenders, both male & females referred to the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department. Because the majority of these youth need special services and additional resources that are, at best, scant, according to the National Association of Child Advocates group, the PACE program can provide these youth with one year of aftercare that starts even before they are released from the juvenile justice system. Working with the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department, PACE will provide 150 youthful offenders specific opportunities to focus on developing their own (P)roper self-esteem, (A)cademics, (C)hacrater, and (E)mployment in order to give them vision and goals that go beyond just getting off probation.  Through the coordinated efforts of PACE and HCJPD, at least 80% of the youth being released are expected to remain arrest-free, saving tax payers an additional $ 3 million per year.