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#BREAKING Today @DisRightsTx and @TexasAppleseed are filing complaint with the DOJ about Texas juvenile prisons. In 23 pages, they provide data, links and citations outlining the years of chaos and violence in TJJD.
They’re requesting an investigation. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7273838-DOJ-FINAL-COMPLAINT.html
They’re requesting an investigation. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7273838-DOJ-FINAL-COMPLAINT.html
For background, this request for an investigation is not an idle ask; the DOJ’s Special Litigation Section does this sort of thing, sometimes after seeing news reports or getting requested like this. Here’s some background about that process: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Justice-Department-quietly-probing-Harris-County-13396958.php
The Texas juvenile prison system is, as I and other reporters have documented for years, historically troubled to say the least. Here’s the full complaint https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7273838-DOJ-FINAL-COMPLAINT.html
I’ve written so much about this agency in the past I don’t even know where to start in outlining the problems, but I would be remiss if I did not bring up this gang war, which is also detailed in the report: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/article/Worse-than-the-Wild-West-State-reports-reveal-13677865.php?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_term
And this riot, which the agency said was not a riot even though the kids were running around and assaulting people and breaking things and hiding in trees off and on for a week. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Gangs-lack-of-guards-spark-teen-riot-at-13628283.php
The agency was extremely understaffed, pre-COVID.
And the turnover rates have been extremely high - 64 % turnover for COs at Gainesville, one of the most troubled of the state’s kid prisons.
And, as a reminder, bad things happen when juvenile facilities are understaffed - assaults, of course, but also things like the time that one kid tattooed a penis on another kid’s forehead which would presumably not happen w/adequate supervision.
Another way of looking at this: The agency has been so understaffed there have been reports of staff having to urinate on themselves because they cannot get relief so they can go to the bathroom.
(This only cites one from an IO report but I've seen/heard other reports as well.)
(This only cites one from an IO report but I've seen/heard other reports as well.)
And then there’s ongoing problem with staff getting arrested for sexual activity with youth.
There’s a lot of good charts and data packed into this report, and it’s so good to see it getting some attention… which brings me to a last point. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7273838-DOJ-FINAL-COMPLAINT.html
When I wrote the many stories that I did that are cited in this report, they were not exactly in-demand stories. Although @diannahunt was very supportive and glad to keep letting me write them, no one was begging for more & they did not seem to have much impact.
Now it’s nice to see that these stories have been cited SO MUCH in this complaint - but also I want to highlight this for reporters as an example of the impact your stories can have way down the road.
Reporters: If you know you are covering an important thing, especially one that isn’t getting enough coverage, KEEP COVERING IT. Even if it seems like no one is reading or listening. #localjournalismmatters
