Texas Juvenile Justice Department Breaks Ground on New Ellis County Facility
A new juvenile correctional facility in Ellis County, along with an additional facility in Brazoria County, will add a combined 200 beds to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department’s statewide system. | Photo Credit: TJJD
By Charlie Lange
WAXAHACHIE, Texas – The Texas Juvenile Justice Department broke ground Oct. 7 on a new secure juvenile correctional facility in Ellis County — the second of two new facilities designed to modernize the state’s juvenile justice infrastructure, better accommodate the needs of incarcerated youth and improve staff safety and operational efficiency.
The facility, located near the Ellis County Juvenile Services Building in Waxahachie, is part of a $304 million investment approved by the Texas Legislature during its 88th and 89th legislative sessions. The funding supports construction of the two new juvenile facilities in Brazoria and Ellis counties, which will add a combined 200 beds to the state’s juvenile justice system.
The Brazoria County project broke ground Oct. 1; completion of both facilities is targeted for the first half of 2029. The projects bring together TJJD and the Texas Facilities Commission, architect HDR, and construction partners Vaughn Construction and Kitchell.
The Ellis County facility is designed to serve youth with significant mental health and behavioral needs, providing additional space for specialized treatment and programming focused on safety, accountability, rehabilitation and successful reentry.
“Our goal is to give youth the ability to make different choices, to live lawfully, to obtain education, learn a trade or earn a job, receive treatment, return to their families and raise their children, be with their parents. That is what we strive for every day,” said Shadra Carter, Executive Director of the TJJD. “This facility will help give us the ability to do this in a safer environment, while continuing to do what our staff do each and every day already.”
According to TJJD, the new facilities are intended to address longstanding challenges within the state’s juvenile justice system, including staffing shortages, facility waitlists, aging infrastructure and outdated technology. The projects will also expand the department’s ability to provide comprehensive services and support to youth in state custody.
“These facilities are intentionally different and they are being built different,” Carter said. “My executive team, myself and our partners have spent countless hours ensuring these facilities meet the needs of the youth of today and what we see for the future.”
Commissioner Manny Ramirez, TJJD Board Chair, said at the ceremony that the groundbreaking events mark the next step after decades of planning and visioning.
“We know that these types of facilities are not just about buildings on the ground and not just about the folks working for them. It’s about what it means for the entire state of Texas,” said Ramirez. “That we take juvenile justice seriously, we are going to invest where it matters, and we are going to step up and lead where folks thought it wasn’t possible.”
Ramirez also praised Carter, TJJD leadership and staff for spearheading significant progress, transforming the department’s operations and bringing its approach to juvenile justice more closely in line with modern best practices.
“This agency is absolutely unrecognizable from what it was a decade ago. And a lot of that is because of the leadership of Director Carter, the leadership of the board that came before me and the current board today,” said Ramirez.
Texas District 2 Senator Bob Hall said at the ceremony that the state’s dedication to improving youth justice outcomes is reflected in the investment in these projects, which included $200 million approved by the state legislature in 2023 and an additional $104 million approved in 2025.
“We are committed to supporting the work being done to strengthen the state of Texas,” said Hall.