Juvenile Bench Book Committee

The Texas Juvenile Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Law Bench Book (commonly called the “Juvenile Bench Book”) is a procedural guide for Texas juvenile judges hearing cases regarding children with mental illness and/or IDD, developed by the JCMH and numerous contributing authors and editors including the Juvenile Bench Book Committee. 

The Juvenile Bench Book Committee is chaired by Judge Cynthia Wheless and meets as needed to advise on content, editing, and feedback on the most up to date version of the Juvenile Bench Book. In 2021, the Committee reconvened to advise on the 2nd edition of the book, which is available here.

• Hon. Cynthia Wheless, Chair 
  417th District Court 
• Jamie Bernstein, J.D. 
  Supreme Court Children’s Commission 
• Ryan Bristow
  Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Amanda Peters Britton, M.Ed., L.P.C., N.C.C.
  Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Tina Carnes, J.D.
  Texas Health and Human Services Commission
• Shandra Carter, L.C.S.W.-S.
  Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Kimberly Cooper, M.P.H., L.M.S.W.
  Texas Health and Human Services Commission
• William R. “Bill” Cox, J.D. 
  Texas Indigent Defense Commission
• Tami Coy 
  Texas Juvenile Justice Department 
• Emily Dirksmeyer, L.C.S.W.
  Texas Health and Human Services Commission
• Lacey Evans, L.C.S.W.-S.
  Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Alyse Ferguson, J.D.
  Rosenthal Kalabus & Therrian
• Hon. Dena Fisher 
  315th District Court 
• Morgen Gawlik
  Texas Health and Human Services Commission
• Hon. Cynthia Porter Gore 
  Allen Municipal Court 
• Sean Grove, J.D.
  Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Yakir Harosh
  Texas Health and Human Services Commission
• Jennifer Jones
  Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Chris Lopez, J.D.
  Texas Health and Human Services Commission
• Jill Mata, J.D. 
  Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department 
• Hon. Stacey Mathews 
  277th District Court 
• Rosie Medina
  El Paso County Juvenile Probation Department
• Morgan Miller, J.D., M.S.W.
  Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department
• Janel Morgan
  El Paso County Juvenile Probation Department
• Valerie Murrieta, M.S.W. 
  Texas Health and Human Services Commission 
• Brittany Norman, J.D.
  Disability Rights of Texas
• Evan Norton, Psy.D.
  Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Todd Novak
  Texas Juvenile Justice Department
• Susan Palacios, Ph.D., L.P.C. 
  Texas Juvenile Justice Department 
• DuJuan Prater, M.S.
  Texas Health and Human Services Commission
• Officer Terry Qualls
  McKinney Police Department
• Hon. Renee Rodriguez-Betancourt 
  449th District Court 
• Simone Salloum, J.D.
  Texas Health and Human Services
• Hon. Riley Shaw
  Associate Judge, 323rd District Court
• Kaci Singer, J.D. 
  Texas Juvenile Justice Department 
• Hon. Charles A. Stephens, II
  Comal County Court at Law #2
• Nydia Thomas, J.D. 
  Lone Star Justice Alliance 
• Jeannie Von Stultz, Ph.D. 
  Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department 
• Kimberly Wied
  Texas Health and Human Services Commission 

As of October 2023