In Texas, municipal and justice courts come into contact with more children accused of violating the law than juvenile courts. Juvenile case managers are employed as a local strategic measure to help prevent children from becoming further involved in the justice system and to curb juvenile crime at the local level.
A juvenile case manager provides services in cases involving juvenile offenders before a court consistent with the court’s statutory powers[1]. Juvenile case managers assist the court in administering the court’s juvenile docket and in supervising its orders in juvenile cases[2]. Juvenile case managers timely report any information or recommendations relevant to assisting the judge in making decisions that are in the best interest of the child[3].
While state law provides some parameters, the work performed by juvenile case managers is determined in light of local needs and circumstances. Accordingly, case managers may also perform intake duties on complaints filed, operate diversion programs, implement dispositional orders by providing supervision services, and initiate proceedings for enforcing those orders in the event of a violation[4].