Lawmakers decry collapsing Texas juvenile prison system, ask Abbott to call special session
Without a jolt of funding, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department will struggle to hire workers and regain control over the safety and treatment of almost 600 incarcerated youth, its acting director told lawmakers at a hearing.
Almost 600 Texas youth are trapped in a juvenile prison system on the brink of collapse โ Houston Public Media
The agency is so understaffed that teens have reported spending up to 23 hours locked in their cells, using water bottles to go to the bathroom. A staggering number have hurt themselves or been placed on suicide watch.
houstonpublicmedia.orgAlmost 600 Texas youth are trapped in a juvenile prison system on the brink of collapse
Texasโ juvenile prison system is nearing total collapse. Nearly half of those locked in the stateโs juvenile prisons this year have been on suicide watch. This year, 45% of those held in Texasโ juvenile lockups have been on suicide watch, a percentage that has steadily grown over several years. Texasโ youth prisons couldnโt take any more children, Carter said, because the state agency wouldnโt be able to guarantee their safety. His vision doesnโt go as far as that of juvenile justice advocates, who have pushed to close all state-run youth prisons within 10 years.
lmtonline.comAlmost 600 Texas youths are trapped in a juvenile prison system on the brink of collapse
The agency is so understaffed that teens have reported spending up to 23 hours locked in their cells, using water bottles to go to the bathroom. A staggering number have hurt themselves or been placed on suicide watch.
Understaffed, and under federal investigation, Texas juvenile detention system halts intake
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department doesnโt have enough staff to keep minors safe or deal with increasing suicidal behavior, its interim head says. Gov. Greg Abbott recently shifted millions of dollars from the long-troubled agency to his controversial border security mission.
Edinburg juvenile jailers face termination after โexcessive forceโ on teen
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department fired an Edinburg juvenile detention center employee on Monday and initiated termination procedures for another after both men were arrested this week and charged with using excessive force against a teenager. The agency said it fired 24-year-old Edinburg resident Luis Alexander Jesus for cause and has suspended 28-year-old McAllen resident Christopher Cuadra without pay with plans to fire him. In a statement, TJJD interim executive director Sandra Carter said the agency does not condone the alleged actions of Jesus and Cuadra. โOur agency does not condone any violent behavior toward the youth in our care. Jesus then spat on the teen, according to authorities.
myrgv.comTexas congressional Democrats ask Biden administration to review Operation Lone Star funding โ Houston Public Media
The request comes after Gov. Greg Abbott announced last month that Texas would divert about $500 million from state agencies to fund the controversial border mission.
houstonpublicmedia.orgJustice Dept. investigating abuse, mistreatment at Texasโ juvenile lockups
The federal government opened an investigation Wednesday into Texasโ long-troubled juvenile lockups, which currently detain nearly 700 teens who often are found to need heightened supervision or have committed violent crimes.
myrgv.comU.S. Department of Justice investigating abuse, mistreatment at Texasโ juvenile lockups โ Houston Public Media
The department says itโs looking into whether the Texas Juvenile Justice Department provides โreasonable protection from physical and sexual abuse by staff and other residents, excessive use of chemical restraints and excessive use of isolation.โ
houstonpublicmedia.orgU.S. Department of Justice investigating abuse, mistreatment at Texasโ juvenile lockups โ Houston Public Media
The department says itโs looking into whether the Texas Juvenile Justice Department provides โreasonable protection from physical and sexual abuse by staff and other residents, excessive use of chemical restraints and excessive use of isolation.โ
houstonpublicmedia.orgU.S. Department of Justice investigating abuse, mistreatment at Texasโ juvenile lockups
The department says itโs looking into whether the Texas Juvenile Justice Department provides โreasonable protection from physical and sexual abuse by staff and other residents, excessive use of chemical restraints and excessive use of isolation.โ
Justice Department Announces Investigation into Conditions at Five Juvenile Facilities in Texas
The Justice Department announced today that it has opened a statewide investigation into the conditions in the five secure juvenile correctional facilities run by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. โToo often children held in juvenile detention facilities are subject to abuse and mistreatment, and deprived of their constitutional rights,โ said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Departmentโs Civil Rights Division. The investigation will be conducted under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA) and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. Both statutes give the department the authority to investigate systemic violations of the rights of young people in juvenile correctional facilities. Additional information about the Civil Rights Divisionโs work regarding juvenile correctional facilities and the administration of juvenile justice is available on its website at https://www.justice.gov/crt/rights-juveniles.
justice.govEvins Juvenile coach arrested for improper sexual activity with minor in custody
A youth development coach at the Evins Regional Juvenile Center in Edinburg was arrested Tuesday for improper sexual activity with a person in custody and indecency with a child. Todd Hanks, 50, has been with the agency since 2005, a release from the Texas Juvenile Justice Department said. This evening, he was arrested and booked into the Hidalgo County Jail.โAccording to the release, TJJD followed the Prison Rape Elimination Act guidelines and the victim received medical and clinical attention, notifying his family. โThis agency has zero tolerance for any employee who preys upon or endangers the youth in our care, and we will always respond swiftly to such allegations. I am heartbroken for the youth, and we are doing everything we can to provide proper treatment and care.โ
myrgv.comโThey are hurting them': Advocacy groups ask feds to investigate sexual assaults, gang violence in Texas youth lockups
Children in Texasโ youth lockups are suffering from widespread sexual assault and other constitutional violations, reform advocates wrote Wednesday in a complaint urging a federal investigation into the stateโs five youth lockups. โThe state facilities are not just failing the youth in them, they are hurting them,โ said Brett Merfish, director of youth justice at Texas Appleseed. As TJJD has encouraged more reliance on county facilities and reduced the number of state youth lockups from 12 in 2007 to five today, there has been a sustained drop in juveniles detained in state lockups. โMental health is key to youth rehabilitation,โ said Beth Mitchell, a top attorney at Disability Rights Texas. The plan requests more funding for county facilities and proposes more state facilities closer to urban centers to address staffing shortfalls.
Former juvenile correctional facility employee accused of having sex with person in her care
HOUSTON A 37-year-old woman who worked as a youth development coach at a Texas juvenile correctional facility is accused of having sex with a person in her care, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department announced Monday in a statement. A statement from TJJD says Andrea Banks was suspended and then fired after allegations surfaced on July 14 at the Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex in Brownwood. Banks, who has worked for the TJJD since 2011, was arrested Monday and booked into the Brown County Jail. Camille Cain, the Executive Director of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, issued a statement that read, in part, Without exception, any employee who betrays their oath to protect our youth and commits a criminal act will face the highest penalties allowed under the law. TJJD has zero tolerance for such behavior, and I encourage anyone who suspects abuse, neglect, or criminal activity to report it immediately.
After 17 youths test positive for the coronavirus, Texas juvenile lockups to begin mass testing
TJJD/Bob DaemmrichAfter 17 young people tested positive for the coronavirus inside Texas state-run juvenile lockups, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department said Wednesday it will test all detainees and staff. Only two employees tested positive in April and May, according to agency news releases. But last month, 28 more employees and the 17 detainees also tested positive for the virus at four of the states juvenile lockups. The youth were all being treated at the lockups, TJJD said in a Tuesday news release. Sean Wilson, 43, worked at the Giddings State School and died on June 28 after testing positive for the virus the week before.