New Report: Dallas County Juvenile Justice Showing Results

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New Report: Dallas County Juvenile Justice Showing Results

March 10, 2026 | Evident Change

A group of teens leaning against a wall with a city skyline in the background.

Evident Change has released its follow-up to a 2023 evaluation of the juvenile justice case disposition process in Dallas County, Texas.

Disposition is the point in a juvenile court case where the probation department or a judge decides the most appropriate outcome for the young person. Outcomes range from dismissing charges, placing the youth on formal probation, or sending them to an out-of-home placement.

The 2023 evaluation found that in Dallas County, youth in detention were waiting an average of 140 days for disposition (more than four times the national 30-day benchmark). Youth in the community often waited over 300 days.

The new data tell a very different story:

  • The time from detention to disposition dropped 59% (from 140 to 57 days).
  • Detention use declined 24% (the average monthly census of 103 youth decreased to 78).
  • Detention has become more targeted, with high-risk youth now making up 61% of those detained (up from 54%).
  • More youth stayed in their communities to receive services and supports. The use of diversion (keeping youth in the community) expanded, with supervisory caution (guidance and referrals given by a probation officer) increasing 61% (from 18% to 29%).
  • Misdemeanor filings dropped 41%, with more cases resolved earlier in the case process.

Together, these changes reflect a system that is expanding developmentally appropriate diversion while matching intensity of system responses to the risk and needs of youth, and reserving formal court involvement for youth with higher risk and needs.

Read the report