White Supremacist Texas in Constitutional Breach: DOJ Report.

Abusive Texas Juvenile Detention Centers Violate Children's Rights, DOJ Says

• A three-year federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice revealed a disturbing pattern of civil and constitutional rights violations in Texas juvenile detention centers.

• Texas' horrific treatment of vulnerable kids, as young as 10, includes violations of their Eighth and 14th Amendment rights, as well as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Americans with Disabilities Act.

• This isn't the first time: Texas newspapers started uncovering abuses in the early 2000s, leading to a system-wide overhaul. But it wasn't enough. Gov. Greg Abbott ordered Texas Rangers investigations in 2017 and 2021, which resulted in arrests and pleas for DOJ intervention by advocacy groups.

• The DOJ report details the use of "excessive force and prolonged isolation," failure to prevent sexual abuse, and inadequate mental health services. Detention staff also discriminated against children with disabilities, denying them equal opportunities to education and necessary modifications.

• The abuse is sickening and dehumanizing: children were subjected to pepper spray at close range, physical assaults resulting in concussions and lacerations, and solitary confinement that led to suicidal thoughts. Nearly 20% of kids reported sexual abuse, with evidence of grooming and predatory behavior by staff who often turned off body-worn cameras.

• The Texas Juvenile Justice Department claims a "zero-tolerance policy," blaming staffing crises. But this is systemic, and it's been going on for far too long. It's time for real change and accountability.

"We are grateful to the Department of Justice for their thorough investigation and detailed findings. [...] We are hopeful this will be a turning point for youth in these facilities." - Brett Merfish, Texas Appleseed.

• The federal inquiry also slammed the department for ignoring the abuse, which included Minimal educational resources for disabled children, and a lack of psychological counseling and speech-language pathology services.

“The conditions in the facilities are unacceptable. [...] Working with Texas’s other U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Civil Rights Division and the State of Texas, my office hopes to provide protections to the vulnerable and help right wrongs that have existed for far too long.” - Alamdar S. Hamdani, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas.

It's time to protect the vulnerable and hold those responsible accountable. Texas, do better.