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A warning and 2 advisories in effect for 25 regions in the area

See the complete list

WEATHER ALERT

A warning and 2 advisories in effect for 25 regions in the area

TEXAS JUVENILE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT


Texas teens embark on an idealistic quest to shut down the stateโ€™s last five youth prisons

Spurred by reports of inhumane conditions at Texas Juvenile Justice Department facilities, Austin-area teenagers are lobbying the Legislature to reform the system.

Pay raises alone wonโ€™t solve staffing shortages in โ€œnightmareโ€ Texas youth prisons, ex-workers say

Danger and trauma โ€” not low salaries โ€” are what drive most workers to leave the crisis-wracked Texas Juvenile Justice Department.

State agencies push for better worker pay as critical staffing crunch hits Texas government

Texas agencies say they are being hammered by a historic staffing crisis, particularly when it comes to those in the trenches serving the stateโ€™s most vulnerable populations.

Tarrant County sends more kids to youth prisons than any other in Texas. Many blame this judge.

Critics say state District Judge Alex Kim is sending too many children to the stateโ€™s failing youth prison system. The longtime GOP politician points to a rise in teen gang violence.

In Texas youth prisons, children trapped in their cells use water bottles and lunch trays for toilets

Gov. Greg Abbott largely remained silent as dangerous conditions caused by a lack of staff persisted at Texas juvenile facilities during the summer.

sacurrent.com

In Texas youth prisons, children trapped in their cells use water bottles and lunch trays for toilets

Gov. Greg Abbott largely remained silent as dangerous conditions caused by a lack of staff persisted at Texas juvenile facilities during the summer.

Texas awards $295K grant for Uvalde juvenile mental health program

Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Juvenile Justice Department is giving $295,000 to Uvalde for a juvenile mental health program.

mysanantonio.com

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.

TribCast: A crisis in Texasโ€™ youth prisons

On this weekโ€™s episode, Matthew speaks with Jolie about the problems within the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and with Eleanor about the stateโ€™s efforts to expand postnatal Medicaid.

A mother watches helplessly as her teenage boy deteriorates in a Texas youth prison

The state of Texas has essentially controlled her sonโ€™s life since he was 11. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department was supposed to keep him safe and help him get better. It has failed at every turn.

Almost 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 stateโ€™s juvenile prisons this year have been on suicide watch. Following a sexual abuse scandal at one prison in 2007, the agency was rebranded and restructured to merge with local juvenile justice systems. This year, 45% of those held in Texasโ€™ juvenile lockups have been on suicide watch, a percentage that has steadily grown over several years. His vision doesnโ€™t go as far as that of juvenile justice advocates, who have pushed to close all state-run youth prisons within 10 years.

mysanantonio.com

Almost 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 stateโ€™s 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 couldnโ€™t take any more children, Carter said, because the state agency wouldnโ€™t be able to guarantee their safety. His vision doesnโ€™t go as far as that of juvenile justice advocates, who have pushed to close all state-run youth prisons within 10 years.

lmtonline.com

Almost 600 Texas youth 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.

sacurrent.com

Almost 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.

Inspection reports reflect the desperation and danger youths face in Texas juvenile prisons

Visits to Texasโ€™ severely understaffed youth prisons show suicide attempts without intervention, water bottles being used as makeshift toilets, and a rash of possibly gang-related fights.

Understaffed, and under federal investigation, Texas juvenile detention system halts intake

The department doesnโ€™t have enough staff to keep minors safe or deal with increasing suicidal behavior. Gov. Greg Abbott recently shifted millions of dollars from the long-troubled agency to his controversial border security mission.

sacurrent.com

Pay raises to address staff shortages at Texas youth prisons

Texasโ€™ juvenile prison system is giving employees pay raises to address high staff turnover and staffing shortages that earlier this week prompted officials to stop accepting new children into its facilities.

Understaffed, and under federal investigation, Texas juvenile detention system halts intake

The Texas Juvenile Justice Department doesnโ€™t 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 โ€˜excessive 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. โ€œOur agency does not condone any violent behavior toward the youth in our care. Jesus then spat on the teen, according to authorities.

myrgv.com

2 juvenile detention center jailers charged with official oppression

The Texas Juvenile Justice Department on Wednesday arrested two jailers on charges of official oppression and tampering with a government record.

myrgv.com

Justice 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.com

Feds investigating Texas juvenile facilites after reports of staff engagin in โ€˜potentially illegal behaviorโ€™

The Justice Department announced Wednesday that it has opened a statewide investigation into the conditions of five Texas juvenile correctional facilities.

Justice Dept. launches civil rights investigation into Texasโ€™s juvenile detention facilities

The probe comes after local activists and media cited reports that staff members had physically and sexually abused youths in the state-run lockups.

washingtonpost.com

Texas juvenile facilities under investigation for sexual abuse

The Department of Justice is investigating reports of sexual abuse, excessive force, and...

mysanantonio.com

U.S. Department of Justice investigating abuse, mistreatment at Texasโ€™ juvenile lockups

The department says itโ€™s looking into whether the Texas Juvenile Justice Department provides โ€œreasonable protection from physical and sexual abuse by staff and other residents, excessive use of chemical restraints and excessive use of isolation.โ€

Juvenile detention center employee accused of sanctioning assault at Edinburg jail

The Texas Juvenile Justice Department has arrested a youth development coach at the Evins Regional Juvenile Detention Center on accusations he let four offenders assault a 16-year old being held there.

myrgv.com

Evins 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.โ€According to the release, TJJD followed the Prison Rape Elimination Act guidelines and the victim received medical and clinical attention, notifying his family. โ€œThis 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.com

TJJD: Youth development coach arrested after sexual contact with minor at Texas juvenile detention center

A man who worked as a youth development coach at a juvenile detention center in the Rio Grande Valley has been arrested on charges of sex with a minor.

Corpus Christi boy, 16, escapes from juvenile custody in Austin

Erik Robinson, 16, escaped custody at Dell Children's in Austin Monday evening, the Texas Juvenile Justice Dept. said.

caller.com

16-year-old boy from Corpus Christi escapes from custody in Austin, TJJD says

The Texas Juvenile Justice Department is searching for a 16-year-old who escaped from custody Monday evening.

โ€œThey are hurting themโ€: 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 stateโ€™s five youth lockups. โ€œThe 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. โ€œMental 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.

โ€œThey are hurting themโ€: 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 stateโ€™s five youth lockups. โ€œThe 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. โ€œMental 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.

sacurrent.com

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.

Juvenile Justice Dept. staff member at Giddings State School dies week after COVID-19 diagnosis

AUSTIN A staff member at the Texas Juvenile Justice Departments Giddings State School has died less than a week after he was diagnosed with COVID-19, according to TJJD officials. Sean Wilson died June 28 in his home, officials said. He had been diagnosed with COVID-19 on June 22. TTJD officials said Wilson, who was a youth development coach, was a dedicated staff member... who cared deeply for the youth he worked with.Wilson had been employed by the State of Texas for 14 years and had been with TJJD since 2014. We are devastated by their loss and mourn with them during this time, said Camille Cain, executive director of TJJD.

Texas Juvenile Justice Department employee accused of improper sexual activity, arrested

Employee photo of Daniel Holmes (courtesy of the Office of Inspector General of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department). AUSTIN - A Texas Juvenile Justice Department employee was arrested on suspicion of improper sexual activity with a person in custody, officials said. A deputy inspector with the Office of Inspector General of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department arrested Daniel Holmes, 34, officials said. Officials said Holmes, while an employee of the TJJD, engaged in sexual intercourse with an individual known to him to be under the supervision of the TJJD. "This afternoon, following an initial investigation, TJJD's Office of Inspector General arrested Daniel Holmes for improper sexual activity with a person in custody or under the supervision of the agency.

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