Juvenile Justice/Dual Status

Generally, children who are 10 years of age or older but under 17 years of age and are alleged to have engaged in delinquent conduct or conduct indicating a need for supervision are subject to the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. Dual status refers to a child with concurrent child welfare and juvenile justice system involvement.

The Children’s Commission is expanding our work in this area of law, so more juvenile justice/dual status content is coming soon! In the meantime, below are some of our previous and upcoming projects.

Juvenile Justice

The inaugural Judicial Conference on Juvenile Justice (JCJJ) took place on August 17-18, 2026 in Round Rock, Texas. The first-of-its-kind conference was designed exclusively for Texas judges who preside over juvenile justice cases.

Attendees heard from judicial leaders, an individual with lived experience, and leading experts as they explored key legal requirements, revealed emerging data trends, and shared innovative approaches shaping the field. Sessions were tailored to focus on judicial practice and included the following topics: juvenile crime trends, determinate sentence and certification cases, specialty courts for juveniles, risk-need-responsivity, sex offenses, engaging parents/guardians, juvenile boards, an update from Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD), and a moderated judicial discussion. The curriculum provided 11.25 Continuing Judicial Education hours and 1 hour of ethics for judges, as well as related TBLS credit hours and .25 Family Violence credit hours.

For more information or for questions please email CCJuvenile@txcourts.gov.

Bench Cards:

2026 Judicial Conference on Juvenile Justice Materials:

Session PowerPoints:

  • Session 1: The Power of Mentorship: Mentor One Child, Change Two Lives
  • Session 2: What Story Does the Data Tell? A Look at Trends in Juvenile Justice; PowerPoint
  • Session 3. Determinate Sentence and Certification Cases; PowerPoint
  • Session 4: Key Takeaways from the Continuum of Care Initiative; PowerPoint
  • Session 5: Making the ‘What Works’ Actually Work: Risk-Need-Responsivity in Action; PowerPoint
  • Session 6: Starting and Sustaining a Specialty Court; PowerPoint
  • Session 7: Texas Juvenile Justice Department Leadership Panel; PowerPoint
  • Session 8: Strategies for Addressing Challenges with Parents in Juvenile Cases; PowerPoint
  • Session 9 – Juveniles Who Engage in Sexually Offending Behavior; PowerPoint
  • Session 10 – Juvenile Boards: Power and Responsibility; PowerPoint; Juvenile Board Reference Guide
  • Session 11 – Judicial Leadership Panel

Additional Resources:

Dual Status