A Statewide Crisis in Texas’s Juvenile Justice System
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department Is In Chaos
Turning the Tide on Juvenile THC Vaping Arrests in Texas
By Claudia Silva, The 74
The number of juveniles facing criminal charges for possession of THC concentrates – a felony in Texas – has skyrocketed in recent months.
A mother watches helplessly as her teenage boy deteriorates in a Texas youth prison
By Lisa Armstrong, The Texas Tribune
August 3, 2022
The state of Texas has essentially controlled her son’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.
Texas’ juvenile justice system provides an ‘unsafe environment’ for detained children, report says
By Lucio Vasquez, Houston Public Media
May 30, 2023
A new report from the Texas Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights found that despite most children having “clear mental health needs,” the Texas Juvenile Justice Department lacks enough resources and staff to provide adequate support for detained children.
“A way to throw kids away”: Texas’ troubled juvenile justice department is sending more children to adult prisons
By Jolie McCullough, The Texas Tribune
April 28, 2023
Moving the most violent and troubled youths to adult prison makes it easier to help others in juvenile facilities, some prosecutors and lawmakers say. Youth justice advocates say Texas is giving up on the children who most need help.
In Texas youth prisons, children trapped in their cells use water bottles and lunch trays for toilets
By Jolie McCullough, The Texas Tribune
September 12, 2022
Throughout this summer, children in Texas’ youth prison system have repeatedly been trapped in their cells, forced to urinate in water bottles and defecate on the floor as the Texas Juvenile Justice Department’s workforce shrunk below dangerous levels.
Almost 600 Texas youths are trapped in a juvenile prison system on the brink of collapse
By Jolie McCullough, The Texas Tribune
August 2, 2022
“Nearing total collapse,” the Texas juvenile prison system is understaffed, overcrowded, and prone to abuse. The staffing crisis has only worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the consequences of these chronic issues are harmful to detained kids.
Understaffed, and under federal investigation, Texas juvenile detention system halts intake
By Jolie McCullough, The Texas Tribune
July 7, 2022
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department doesn’t have enough staff to keep minors safe or deal with increasing suicidal behavior, its interim head says. Texas’ juvenile detention system has shut its doors and won’t accept any new kids because it is “hemorrhaging” staff, and officials fear they can’t ensure the safety of the nearly 600 youths already in their custody.
Isolation, Abuse and Neglect Also Plague County Juvenile Detention
Conroe removes curfew after new state laws make it illegal to enforce
By Catherine Dominguez, Houston Chronicle
September 18, 2023
Several Montgomery County municipalities are removing curfews from their ordinances after Gov. Greg Abbott made it unlawful for cities to enforce curfews for people younger than 18.
Dallas County commissioners use ‘hammer’ on juvenile dept in last-minute budget edits
By Josephine Peterson, Dallas Morning News
September 13, 2023
Following months of tension over facility conditions between the juvenile department and commissioners, the Dallas County budget will exempt top department officials from an annual 5% raise.
Texas investigation into Dallas juvenile department looks at 11 cases of alleged neglect
By Josephine Peterson, Dallas Morning News
August 17, 2023
Dallas County’s Juvenile Department is under state investigation into 11 cases of alleged neglect according to court filings in its lawsuit against commissioners.
Dallas County court hearing set for internal showdown over juvenile records
By Josephine Peterson, Dallas Morning News
July 13, 2023
The Dallas County Juvenile Board is at the center of an ongoing lawsuit, as two elected officials on the board are being sued by the juvenile department. The board met at the Henry Wade Justice Center on Monday, May 15, 2023, in Dallas.
State opens investigation into neglect allegations at Dallas County Juvenile Department
By Josephine Peterson, Dallas Morning News
July 12, 2023
Dallas County’s juvenile detention facility is at the center of a new state investigation regarding neglect allegations of children.
Dallas County’s juvenile justice system is failing teens
By Dallas Morning News Editorial
July 7, 2023
Parents with children in the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice System are so unhappy with the conditions that they wish their teens were incarcerated in adult prison. What does this say about the state of our juvenile detention centers?
‘They are humans not dogs’: Dallas County juvenile lockup mistreating kids, parents say
By Josephine Peterson, The Dallas Morning News
June 29, 2023
Parents say children in the detention center at Henry Wade are being left in locked cells for the majority of the day, have not been sufficiently fed and some have not received medical care.
Tarrant County sends more kids to youth prisons than any other in Texas. Many blame this judge.
By Jolie McCullough, The Texas Tribune
September 21, 2022
“Tarrant County sends more kids to youth prisons than any other in Texas. Many blame this judge.” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.