Fort Bend County’s Commissioners Court has approved $2 million in federal funds to help construct a juvenile detention vocational training facility, the office of County Commissioner Precinct 4 Dexter L. McCoy announced in a February 25 press release. This center will be the first facility of its kind in Texas and its goal is to support juveniles in gaining job skills, education, and open future employment opportunities while they are in juvenile detention.

This vocational training facility would allow young people who are being held in the Fort Bend Juvenile Detention Center to have access to skills training in fields such as cosmetology, carpentry, HVAC/Electrical, and welding. The facility would also include additional classroom space, offices, and a computer lab. Juveniles in detention already receive classroom instruction; however, through partnerships with local higher educational partners, Fort Bend County hopes this new facility would help prepare juveniles for our growing workforce.

“I’m proud that Fort Bend County is leading the way in providing additional opportunities for children who are all too often written off by their communities,” said Commissioner McCoy, who has championed this project. “These young people will get education and skills training that will help to send them in a new direction, achieve gainful employment in the future, and ultimately uplift them, their families, and all of Fort Bend County.”

Research has shown that investments in education and training for justice-involved youth help prevent recidivism, improve public safety, and offer opportunities for young people that may be inaccessible to them elsewhere, the commissioner’s office said.

Fort Bend County is in the beginning stages of planning for the new facility to be located on the site of the Juvenile Detention Center at 1700 Oliver Hill Way in Richmond. On February 25, Commissioners Court passed a resolution asking the Texas state legislature to provide matching funds to assist with equipment, programming, and other infrastructure costs related to this project.