Ended indiscriminate shackling

Judge Shapiro ended indiscriminate shackling of detained youth appearing in the 315th District Court, a practice that had impacted youth in the court for decades. People appearing in court should be treated with the same dignity and respect, regardless of circumstances.

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Improved docket access and efficiency pre- and post-pandemic

Judge Shapiro made the 315th District Court accessible for both remote and in-person appearances to accommodate the needs of the individual participants. As a result, the court has disposed of the largest number of delinquency felony cases while maintaining the lowest percentage of Texas Juvenile Justice Division dispositions. By taking immediate measures to address the challenges of COVID-19, the court maintained its CPS docket and limited permissible extensions in order to provide finality for children and families. 

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Improved representation

All children and families, regardless of financial circumstances, deserve quality representation. Judge Shapiro leads the juvenile judges in appointing the Harris County Public Defender's Office. She sponsored the amendment to the Juvenile Board to require bias education for attorneys seeking court appointments in the Juvenile District Courts. Judge Shapiro headed the implementation of a competency exam for eligibility to represent indigent juveniles and volunteered to be the pilot court to explore managed assigned counsel (MAC) for the Juvenile District Courts.

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Dedicated time to the individualized needs of the youth

The 315th is the pilot court for the Dual Status Docket in Harris County. Dual status youth are children involved in both the CPS and delinquency systems. The 315th District Court has a dedicated docket to meet with the children and their teams to tailor plans and eliminate duplicating services. In order to address the specific needs of the most vulnerable youth, the court also presides over C.A.R.E. Court (the juvenile sex trafficking court) and Court 360 (the juvenile mental health court). The 315th court makes it a priority to meet with children, who are the subject of CPS matters, to ensure their voice is considered when decisions are made.

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Click below to learn more about the 315th District Court's work.

315th Accomplishments and Activities

The 315th District Court handles delinquency and dependency dockets, hearing cases in which children are charged with criminal offenses and CPS lawsuits alleging abuse and neglect of children.

When it comes to dependency matters, within months of taking the bench, Judge Shapiro ended indiscriminate shackling of detained youth appearing in the 315th District Court. She continues to advocate to end shackling of youth by working with the Supreme Court of Texas Children’s Commission on Restraints in Juvenile Court. The 315th District Court works diligently to reduce pre-adjudication detention. Daily, the court evaluates detained youth for release and supports a return home by ordering appropriate services for the youth and family. Judge Shapiro and Associate Judge Fisher remain involved post-adjudication by attending graduations, participating in youth programming and events at the local Harris County probation placements, and making appearances in the community. For example, the Judges had the honor of supporting locally placed youth in their spoken-word performances at a slam poetry competition at the Alley Theatre.

Judge Shapiro and Judge Dena Fisher, Associate Judge of the 315th, have worked hard to bring more children in CPS cases to court, so that they can have a voice in their own cases. In addition, pre-COVID they have made themselves available to do in-chamber visits with children to offer them a more private and comfortable environment to speak directly to the judge presiding over their case. Both judges make themselves available during off hours to accommodate the children’s school and pro-social activities.

The 315th has two specialty courts and a specialty docket to address the specific needs of vulnerable populations in order to improve their engagement with the system and ultimate outcomes, C.A.R.E. Court and Court 360.

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The C.A.R.E. Court

Judge Shapiro presides over the C.A.R.E. Court: Creating Acceptance Recovery Empowerment Court. The court serves youth identified as being actively engaged in or at risk of becoming involved in commercial sexual exploitation/sex trafficking by offering specialized supervision and therapeutic services. By utilizing a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and strength-based approach, C.A.R.E. Court effectively addresses the underlying trauma associated with each youth’s at-risk behaviors and related delinquent conduct.

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Court 360

Judge Dena Fisher, Associate Judge of the 315th, presides over Court 360, which is a mental health specialty court. Court 360 focuses on helping young people with diagnoses and their families in identifying and addressing youths’ underlying mental health concerns associated with their at-risk and delinquent behaviors by providing intensive supervision and individualized case planning. Through advocacy, collaboration, and mentorship, youth are connected to services in their communities that address their mental health needs, enhance family functioning issues, and promote academic achievement, vocational attainment, and positive community engagement

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Dual Status Docket

Both Judges also preside over the Dual Status Docket. Dual Status works with youth involved in both the delinquency and dependency systems, some of the most vulnerable populations involved in the court system. The court collaborates with Harris County Juvenile Probation Department, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Department of Child and Protective Services, and the University of Houston Law School’s Juvenile & Children’s Advocacy Project (JCAP)service providers to address the specific needs of dually involved youth, address trauma, and eliminate duplication.

Community and Judiciary Engagement

In addition to traditional duties, Judge Shapiro and Associate Judge Fisher have actively engaged the community and judiciary to enhance the state of dependency and delinquency in Harris County and beyond.

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Education and Community Building Around Juvenile Sex Trafficking

Judge Shapiro aims to better systems and education beyond the matters appearing in the 315th District Court. As a member of the Houston Area Child Sex Trafficking Team Advisory Council, she works to improve collaboration and transparency, eliminate the additional victimization caused by detention in the criminal justice system, and ensure that every Houston-area child sex trafficking victim receives the most coordinated, effective, and trauma-informed response possible. She recently joined the Supreme Court of Texas Children’s Commission Human Trafficking Judicial Workgroup with members of the judiciary throughout the state to update the Children’s Commission’s Human Trafficking Bench Book and bench card. Recently, Judge Shapiro was honored to be invited to the Children’s Justice Act Statewide Multidisciplinary Task Force. She, along with stakeholders from across the state, are taking on the task to eliminate child sex abuse.

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Court Operations and Representation

Locally, Judge Shapiro sits, for the second time, as the Harris County Juvenile Board Vice Chair, Secretary. As a member of the Harris County Juvenile Board, Judge Shapiro sponsored the amendment to require bias education for attorneys seeking court appointments to represent indigent clients. Judge Shapiro is a member of the Harris County Judicial Working Group and Jury Committee, where she, along with other judges, coordinated jury plans, crafted policies and procedures with local authorities, assisted with compliance coordination, and addressed the needs of the county and district courts during the pandemic.    

Associate Judge’s Work in the Community and Classroom

Associate Judge of the 315th District Court, Judge Dena Fisher, was appointed to sit on the Children’s Commission Texas Supreme Court Dual Status Task Force, helping to set statewide policy and guidelines for the treatment of children who are involved in both the CPS and delinquency systems. In addition, she is one of the presenters and facilitators at the first ever 2021 Children’s Commission Pilot Training Program, teaching Child Protection Courts around the state of Texas hearing dual status cases how to best address the needs of that very vulnerable population. Judge Fisher sits on the Harris County Dual Status Steering Committee and the Harris County Dual Status Oversight Committee.

​Judge Fisher enjoys sharing her lifelong experiences working within the systems of dependency and juvenile justice first as a Harris County Juvenile Probation Officer, later as a Harris County Assistant District Attorney, and through years of private practice representing children in both delinquency and dependency matters. Judge Fisher teaches the Juvenile Representation clinic at the University of Houston Law Center. In 2020, Judge Fisher was a contributing author of the first edition of the Texas Juvenile Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Law Bench Book, commissioned by the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health. In addition, Judge Fisher is an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center and is the supervising attorney for the Juvenile Presentation Clinic, helping to cultivate and train the next generation of attorneys working with children.

Marriages & Adoptions

The 315th District Court performs marriages and adoptions for all families regardless of sexual orientation. To properly celebrate these moments, the court has a monthly docket dedicated to adoptions and children uniting with their forever family.