It is the goal of the Galveston County Juvenile Justice Department to provide a simple judicial procedure through which the juvenile is assured a fair hearing. The program, in accordance with Title III: Juvenile Justice Code of the Texas Family Code, the Texas Constitution and related statutes of the Texas Administrative Code and Texas Penal Code, assures the juvenile due process and the protection of all parties’ constitutional and other legal.

To that end, the mission of the Juvenile Justice Department is to:

provide for the rehabilitation of the child and protection of the public;

provide services for the benefit of the juvenile offenders;

provide consistency between the goal of protection of the public and rehabilitation of juveniles following participation in criminal acts;

remove, where appropriate, the taint of criminality from juveniles committing certain unlawful acts;

provide treatment, training, and rehabilitation that emphasizes the accountability and responsibility for the child’s conduct by both the parent(s) and the child;

provide for the care, protection and development of a wholesome moral, mental and physical development of all children coming within the juvenile system;

protect the welfare of the community and deter the commission of unlawful acts by juveniles; and

achieve the foregoing purposes in a family environment, whenever possible, separating the juvenile from the juvenile’s parent(s) only when necessary for the juvenile’s welfare or in the interest of public safety and when a juvenile is removed from the juvenile’s family, to give him the care that should be provided by parent(s).