6/29/2026 7:41 PM
Summary
The 85th Legislature’s House Bill 1204 directed the Office of Court Administration to conduct a study on the use of the terms “juvenile,” “child,” and “minor” throughout the criminal justice and juvenile justice statutes of Texas and the varying definitions assigned to those terms.
The 85th Legislature’s House Bill 1204 directed the Office of Court Administration to conduct a study on the use of the terms “juvenile,” “child,” and “minor” throughout the criminal justice and juvenile justice statutes of Texas and the varying definitions assigned to those terms. The bill also instructed OCA to determine:
Whether adjudication under the adult criminal justice system of juveniles charged with misdemeanors punishable by fine only is just and efficient; and
Whether certain procedures under the juvenile justice system, if used in the adjudication of juveniles charged with misdemeanors punishable by fine only, would provide a more just and efficient process for responding to violations of the law by juvenile offenders.
Study on Certain Juvenile Justice Issues