An official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Nov. 3 for the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department’s repurposed community center in the Gulfton area that is focused on educational and vocational training opportunities as well as comprehensive support services for justice-involved youth and the broader community.
HCJPD Executive Director Henry Gonzales said this is part of an ongoing conversation about reforming the juvenile justice system.
“We are committed to creating a future where young people have every opportunity to thrive,” Gonzales said.
How we got here
In spring 2019, HCJPD officials announced plans to close one of their three post-adjudicated juvenile correctional facilities. The selected facility was the Burnett-Bayland Rehabilitation Center in Houston’s Gulfton area. The decision to close, according to officials, aimed to reduce the department’s correctional facility capacity and increase community-based alternatives to incarceration.
Due to the pandemic, repurposing the facility was on hold until 2022. It wasn’t until this November when the new center was ready to open.
“As we celebrate this day and how we make progress, let us be real. In Harris County, 95% of the youth who are in our juvenile justice system are from our Black and brown community. That is unacceptable,” Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones said.
The impact
The facility has been transformed into a space featuring school classrooms, learning labs and vocational workshops. James Olalekan, assistant principal at The Opportunity Center, said the program caps off at 85 students with about 55 students participating in the program, each with the potential to earn their GED diploma.
Staff drive their vans throughout the county, from Pasadena to Spring Branch, he said, and pick up students during the day and then drop them off in the afternoon. Olalekan said while students are there throughout the week, Friday is a popular day because staff participate in a shared breakfast.
“They're leaving here going home with an opportunity, and hopefully a dream and a passion for what is going to be in their future,” Olalekan said.
The details
Program and facility partners at The Opportunity Center include nonprofit WorkTexas, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Houston, and the Houston Food Bank. The new facility will offer a variety of services, including:
- Alternative out-of-home placement that serves as residential rehabilitation programs throughout the day.
- Wraparound services for the youth
- Access to trade-training and job-placement support.
Olalekan said the staff builds rapport with the youth from the time they enter to even more so after they leave.
“It’s even more special when we see their successes and their graduations. I know a lot of our staff tear up because we know the backstory behind how they got here and how far they've come. It's even that much more special when seeing them cross the stage for graduation,” he said.
Going forward
The large facility along Chimney Rock Road is flocked with green space as well as large metal fences surrounding the area.
HCJPD officials said the facility’s transformation efforts continue, aiming to make the appearance of the large facility a space that resembles a welcoming school campus and community center.
