Justice for Parents: Accountability for Youth, Safety for Families

As a parent in Texas, I am speaking not just for myself, but for countless families who are suffering in silence. We have exhausted every resource available — community programs, wraparound services, school supports, hospitalizations, CPS involvement — yet our children still spiral into dangerous behaviors that put themselves, their siblings, and entire communities at risk.

No parent should have to give up their rights or custody in order for the State to step in and provide help. We are taxpayers who fund these systems, and we deserve solutions that protect our families without forcing us to surrender them. We are not asking for punishment — we are asking for accountability, structure, and real support.

Why We Need This
Despite laws like Texas Senate Bill 103 (2007), which banned juvenile incarceration for Class C misdemeanors, many adolescents remain unaccountable—engaging in violent, unpredictable, and destructive behaviors. Meanwhile, overwhelmed parents, after exhausting community supports, mental health services, court petitions, and residential treatment, still can't find safe, effective solutions. Families are at their breaking point.

Life-altering tragedies in Harris County reflect this disturbing reality:

A 13-year-old charged with manslaughter after fatally shooting his 14-year-old brother on July 4, 2025. (houstonchronicle.com)
Three teenage sisters (ages 14–16) attacked their mother with knives and a brick after she turned off the Wi-Fi. (abc7.com)
In Baytown, a 13-year-old allegedly shot his 14-year-old classmate at a playground. (people.com)
A 16-year-old charged as an adult for capital murder of his 62-year-old neighbor. (houstonchronicle.com)

These aren't isolated tragedies—they are heartbreaking signals of a system failing both youth and their families.

What We’ve Tried
Parents and caregivers have already pursued every available avenue—community-based organizations, wraparound services, the YES waiver program, special education, mental health authorities, CPS involvement, hospital admissions, and court filings. Yet the system continues to circulate youth without consequences, leaving homes unsafe and families traumatized.

Parents should not have to surrender their parental rights or give up custody to the State in order to receive help. Families are taxpayers, contributing to the very community programs and laws meant to protect them. Those dollars should ensure that parents have access to real, effective interventions without being forced to relinquish their rights as mothers and fathers.

What We Want to Restore
We support reinstating effective, structured youth accountability programs—not to re-institutionalize kids, but to teach accountability, structure, and consequences. These include:

Structured boot camp–style programs, discipline-based residential models, and Scared Straight–type interventions, carefully regulated and monitored.
Restored elements of former systems like TYC, supervised camps, and transitional programs that balanced discipline with therapeutic support.
Legislative reforms to allow tailored, short-term placements focused on behavior correction, emotional growth, and skill-building—especially for adolescents who repeatedly spiral despite community-based efforts.

What We’re Asking
Support the “Justice for Parents: Accountability for Youth, Safety for Families” petition to:

Advocate for legislative reforms that allow for structured, temporary residential programs focused on accountability and rehabilitation—not punishment—for youth in crisis.
Support funding and oversight for programs that blend discipline, therapy, education, and vocational training.
Ensure better safety for families by enabling interventions that are stronger than community services—but still rooted in rehabilitation—not incarceration.
Protect parental rights by making programs accessible without requiring custody surrender to CPS or the State.

Why This Matters
This petition is not about giving up on our kids. It’s about recognizing the limits of home-based care and ensuring that parents—already doing everything humanly possible—aren’t forced to choose between emotional collapse and a failing, broken system. It's about restoring safety, responsibility, and hope.

Call to Action
Sign “Justice for Parents: Accountability for Youth, Safety for Families” and urge Texas lawmakers to support:

Redeployment of structured youth accountability programs—properly monitored and rehabilitative in nature.
Expanded capacity for short-term crisis intervention placements for families overwhelmed by uncontrollable adolescent behavior.
Protection of parental rights, so families can access real help without losing their children to the system.

Together, we can support children in crisis while protecting families and communities.

No parent should ever feel trapped between fear for their child and fear for their family’s safety. We love our children, but love alone cannot replace the structure, accountability, and interventions they desperately need.

By signing this petition, you are standing with parents across Texas who are calling for change — not to abandon our children, but to save them. We are asking lawmakers to restore programs that work, create new pathways to accountability, and protect parents’ rights to seek help without losing their children to the system.

Together, we can demand Justice for Parents: Accountability for Youth, Safety for Families and build a future where families are safe, children learn accountability, and communities thrive.

Please sign and share today — because our children, our families, and our communities cannot wait any longer.