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So Texas Actually Has Laws?
Justice Department finds that detention centers gave kids rights, which is more than they deserve, TBH.
Published August 1, 2024 at 4:55pm by Bianca Moreno-Paz
Texas Juvenile Detention Centers Stripped Of "Most Lawlessness Award" After Recent Child Abuse Discovered
Oh, the humanity!
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department is drowning in hot water after a three-year federal investigation revealed that they've been violating kids' rights. Oh, boo-hoo. The report, released Thursday, shows that these good-for-nothing detention centers violated the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, as well as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
We are grateful to the Department of Justice for their thorough investigation and detailed findings. - Brett Merfish, director of youth justice at Texas Appleseed
Yeah, right. This guy's probably one of those soy-latte-sipping liberals who thinks hugging criminals will turn them into angels.
Anyway, the investigation uncovered that staff were using excessive force, including pepper spray, and isolating kids for fun. They also failed to protect the little brats from sexual abuse and provided crap mental health services. But hey, at least they're teaching these Kids gloves treatment!
And get this: the report also found that these so-called "educators" were discriminating against kids with disabilities. I thought being slow was a prerequisite for landing in juvie. I guess not.
But don't worry, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department is pulling the old "not-it-wasn't-me-I-swear" card, blaming the issues on a staffing crisis. Sure, blame it on the staff. Typical.
This isn't the first time these Texas juvenile detention centers have been caught red-handed. Texas newspapers started exposing their dirty laundry in the early 2000s, leading to a governor-ordered guardianship. But even that wasn't enough to stop these monsters, with investigations by Texas Rangers in 2017 and 2021 resulting in arrests for physical and sexual abuse.
Now, the Justice Department is getting involved, finding that the juvenile justice department knew about the abuse and did nothing. Well, duh. It's not like they had anything better to do than supervise their employees.
With a track record like this, it's no wonder these detention centers have been stripped of their "Most Lawlessness" award. Oh, wait, that's not a thing. My bad.
https://www.justice.gov/d9/2024-07/2024_tjjd_findings_report.pdf
https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/O-McCrawSteven202107121088.pdf
Read more: DOJ finds Texas juvenile detention centers violated Constitution, federal laws