Solutions

Many people would look at our juvenile justice system and see nothing but problems. Judge Michael "Mike" Schneider sees the problems, but also sees opportunities.


  • Since Mike's first full year on the bench in 2007, the number of juvenile offenders sent to state correctional facilities from Harris County has dropped an unprecedented 62 percent. The number of juveniles whose criminal cases are transferred to the clogged adult court system has dropped 31 percent and, during the same period, the number of placements of juveniles outside of their family homes has dropped 42 percent. What does that mean? It means local reform efforts that have included more efficient and intense community supervision programs are working, that the juvenile system is getting better at handling cases that were once automatically sent to the crowded adult system and that more families are being kept together. Mike has led the way on finding those solutions. He has led the way on getting the community more invested in making sure that today's juvenile offender is not tomorrow's career criminal.
  • Mike has expanded the pool of qualified attorneys practicing in his court, streamlined court operations and championed the use of the latest courtroom and docketing technology.
  • He has raised the educational and professional standards for attorneys eligible to represent indigent defendants.
  • Mike created a groundbreaking program that tracks down abused and neglected teens that have run away from their foster homes and turned to life on the streets. The challenge? Track these kids down and get them back in school and off the streets before they themselves become crime victims or run afoul of the law. Several kids located through this program are off the streets, in school and living with their families.
  • Mike has pushed for better use of social workers and child advocacy agencies and has held bureaucrats accountable on issues ranging from how child abuse and custody cases are handled to courthouse security.
  • Mike has brought more oversight and transparency to the child welfare system by appointing more child advocate volunteers than any other family or juvenile court in Harris County.
  • When the state agency charged with reforming juvenile offenders faced turmoil and controversy over abuse allegations, Mike stepped up, used his position as a statewide leader on juvenile law issues and put a local authority in place to investigate such claims by juveniles from Harris County. He also established a toll-free hotline for families of incarcerated youths to report abuse in state facilities to local authorities.
  • Mike is developing a mentor program for young lawyers and public defenders to learn from more seasoned attorneys because the judge knows the next generation of litigators needs to be ready now.
  • Mike was the first to establish education opportunities for the local legal community and child advocates to learn more about the correlation between animal abuse and child abuse.