Texas lege reorganizes TYC

The Texas legislature is reorganizing the scandal ridden Texas Youth Commission.

It might be needed, certainly change is needed, but I'm not so sure that management by the lege is a good idea. TYC has been run by incompetent boobs. So long as incompetent boobs continue to run things then organization isn't going to help anything

TDC firing felons

Texas has so many prisons that they simply hire enough guards. They have a larger percentage of open slots for corrections officers than any other state.

That's why the Texas Youth Commission got a little slack in background requirements for their hiring -- the juvenile prison system had even more problems finding qualified people to hire than the adult system. Little things like felony convections got overlooked.

Then they started getting some problems. Things like guards, staff, and administrators getting into some sexual escapades with the juvenile inmates.

Now they're firing all those felons they previously hired, even the ones that haven't been raping
kids.

Hawkins said some of the agency staffers suspected of abusing youths had criminal records and some didn't.

They should be covering the ass of the inmates. Instead they're covering their own ass.

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Texas Youth Commission, a model for America

The number one responsibility of a prison is to protect the inmates. By taking away their freedoms we take away their ability to protect themselves so the government has a greater responsibility to provide protection to inmates than it does to citizens in general.

Serving time in a prison isn't supposed to be just a period of torture and it's not supposed to be a death sentence. You aren't supposed to be raped by employees of the state either.

What's been going on at the Texas Youth Commission is really, really unacceptable to any civilized society.

This is an ongoing story that I haven't really talked about. Here's a recent Austin newspaper story on it.

Two former administrators at a Texas Youth Commission lockup were indicted on felony sex charges Tuesday, almost two months after allegations that they had preyed on incarcerated teenage boys ignited a statewide corruption scandal.

It's not just guards. It's administrators, wardens. The bosses.

It was ignored for two years.

The development came as the West Texas prosecutor who did not file charges after learning of the accusations in 2005 was named in two ouster petitions and he filed one against his chief local critic, the county attorney.

The story isn't over.

Tuesday's indictments did not mention a third case of sexual-assault allegations investigated by Texas Ranger Sgt. Brian Burzynski: a female correctional officer accused of having an improper relationship with a male youth. Declining to discuss any further details, an Abbott spokeswoman in Austin said the investigation was continuing.

UPDATE

NPR has picked up the story.