SPECIALTY COURTS WE SERVE

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Juvenile Specialty Courts:

GRIP Court

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The Gang Recidivism Intervention Program (GRIP) Court program focuses on eliminating delinquent conduct by reducing gang association in juveniles through increasing pro-social factors, redirecting youth to healthier alternatives and improving relationships within the family. GRIP Court receives referrals from the YESS Unit targeting youth that are non-compliant or displaying heavy gang involvement. These participants are closely monitored and receive individualized treatment plans. Mentoring programs, educational assistance, tattoo removal, relocation assistance, substance abuse and mental health treatment, and other community-based resources are utilized to overcome the challenges of eliminating gang behavior.

PROGRAM NEEDS

Transportation and bus cards
Educational/vocational financial aid
Gift and grocery cards
Day care
Personal items and other items

SUCCESS STORIES

Daniel

Daniel* stands out as a client who made a complete turnaround. Prior to coming into the GRIP Court program, he was involved with the Southwest Cholos street gang and heavily abused marijuana and cocaine. He had a history of possessing weapons and gang paraphernalia. In March 2019, Daniel was admitted into a residential drug treatment facility, but was discharged early due to a physical altercation at the facility. There were also several reported occasions of Daniel leaving his court-ordered placement without permission.

If you asked him at the time, Daniel would have said the odds of him successfully completing probation were low, as he repeatedly violated his probation orders, had recurrent episodes of truancy with previous field supervision programs and didn’t believe in himself. He was assigned to the GRIP Court program in July 2019 and the challenging process of supporting positive change while completing probation requirements ensued. He was admitted into another residential drug treatment program at Casa Phoenix in August and successfully completed the program that November. He began outpatient drug treatment shortly thereafter and became active with the Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office.

GRIP connected Daniel to mentorship, community-based services and one-on-one counseling sessions, while the program’s parent partner also provided guidance and assisted Daniel’s mother with relocating out of Southwest Houston in an effort to limit gang-affiliated contacts. Daniel enrolled in a charter school, where he continues his self-improvement goals towards education and school attendance. He would like to pursue his GED and focus on the next chapter in his life. He completed probation successfully in March 2020 and has sustained these positive changes. He remains active with the Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office and in his outpatient drug treatment counseling with Casa Phoenix, and has expressed interest in enlisting in the military.

*not his real name

Miguel

Miguel* is a juvenile offender who successfully completed the GRIP Court program. He came from a single parent home, and was greatly affected when his older sibling was deported to Honduras. Miguel had a history of encounters with the juvenile system dating back to 2014. He witnessed gang violence and was verbally threatened and shot at on several occasions. He had a history of truancy and drug abuse. Gang involvement with the Playboy Cartel and confrontations with law enforcement led to his placement at Harris County Youth Village (HCYV) in June 2019. While at HCYV, his best friend was murdered by a rival gang. He was released from HCYV in December and accepted into the GRIP Court program.

The GRIP Court officer was able to build rapport and trust with Miguel in order to encourage self-improvement while completing his probation requirements. He enrolled into a GED program, brought his infant son to class when he couldn’t arrange childcare. While making progress towards his GED, Miguel found a job at McDonalds, which helped him financially support for his mother and son and lessened the time he was on the streets. Support from Houston ReVisions, a mentoring program, connected him with several community services and individual counseling sessions. GRIP’s parent partner also assisted the family in connecting with organizations that would help with their immigration status. Miguel successfully completed probation in August 2019 and continues to make positive changes. He successfully earned his GED and relocated to Dallas with his son and family. He is now working in construction and learning valuable new trade skills to help him become a productive member of society.