Fort Bend County leaders to launch program to help juvenile offenders after release
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Fort Bend County leaders are hoping the doors of their juvenile detention facility will lead to a path of success with the help of a new program.
"We expect that this would be completely transformational for these children's lives, where they actually have a roadmap of where they can go once they leave this facility," Commissioner Dexter L. McCoy said.
This week, the county commissioners unanimously approved the use of $2 million in federal funding to help build a vocational training center with the goal of teaching skills that'll land them a job.
"Programs we'll offer here are programs like HVAC, welding, and cosmetology. We'll be teaching these children these trades, hopefully leading to a certification," McCoy said.
According to state data, there has been an increase in juveniles charged with committing violent crimes. Officials in Fort Bend County couldn't provide concrete numbers but said with the county rapidly growing, there is a significant number of juveniles in their detention center.
"These are folks who perhaps don't have the family support or the strong examples of the sorts of opportunities you have in your life or even access to get these sorts of skills," McCoy said.
While the program applies to students while they're at the facility, the county is hopeful it'll have an impact on the community as a whole.
"We absolutely want to make sure that whenever we have the opportunity to touch a child's life, we are setting them up for long-term success so they could be productive members of society," he said.
