Schneider: Improving foster care should include juvenile justice reforms
Each child who walks into my courtroom is unique, but most of them have a lot in common. Many have been scarred by childhood neglect and extreme trauma.
Some of these children come to my court by way of Child Protective Services (CPS) and the foster-care system that state lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott vowed to transform during the 2017 legislative session. Some of them come to my court by way of the juvenile-justice system. And, unfortunately, many Texas children first appear in court through a CPS case and then end up back in my courtroom as a juvenile offender.
While many children in the care of CPS stay out of trouble, research shows neglected and abused kids are at a much higher risk of getting arrested as a juvenile.
