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Juvie probation directors grumbling over strings attached to diversion grant funds

To get a sense of criticisms being raised by some Texas juvenile probation directors over new diversion grant funds made available by the 81st Legislature aimed at reducing Texas Youth Commission commitments, see the discussion under Item 7 in the minutes (pdf) from the Juvenile Probation Commission's November 20, 2009 meeting.Some agencies spurned the process and local departments didn't apply for all the diversion money, leaving enough for roughly 30 additional placements on the table. According to the TJPC minutes, "One [local] board chairman's comment when they declined their funding was that the state gives nothing without a hook and they didn?t want their neck in the noose when the hook was pulled."My sense is that local probation directors should get used to this grant-driven mechanism - aiming to tweak rather than overthrow it - because it's worked well for the Lege on adult probation and the topline results have even been good on the juvenile side...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on March 10, 2010 (boomark / email).