TCJPD receives state grant aimed at educating youth on impacts of crime

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Travis County Juvenile Probation Department (TCJPD) announced it was awarded a $3,000 grant from the Texas Bar Foundation.

The grant is expected to go toward the department's restorative juvenile justice program, which aims to educate youth on the impact of crime on victims.

The Texas Bar Foundation is an organization that helps provide funding to "enhance the rule of law and the system of justice in Texas," according to its mission statement.

Since its creation in 1965, the organization has awarded more than $28 million in grants to law-related programs, per the press release.

"The Pot of Gold program benefits Travis County by serving as an avenue for justice and holding juvenile offenders accountable for the victim’s losses. It also fosters empathy by helping juveniles to internalize the consequences of their actions and understand the broader impact of crime on victims and their families," TCJPD Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Cory Burgess.

The TCJPD also said the grant money would help victims receive financial compensation for property crimes through the Pot of Gold program. The department stressed the program's importance because victims of property crimes have to rely on the juvenile offender or their family's ability to pay financial restitution.