Children in the custody of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department face excessive force, sexual abuse and a lack of important services, a federal investigation...
A sign outside the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice building in Washington, May 4, 2021. A Department of Justice investigation found excessive force, sexual abuse and isolation undermine efforts toward rehabilitation at five Texas juvenile justice facilities.
Children committed to those facilities are supposed to receive treatment and rehabilitation so they can rejoin their communities as productive citizens, Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s civil rights division, said during a Thursday news conference.
“The staff in these facilities use excessive force, including physical force and pepper spray, which often results in injuries to children,” Clarke said.Children in the facilities are subjected to prolonged periods of isolation, locked in their cells for days or weeks without educational programming or other ways to pass the time, putting them at high risk of depression, anxiety and suicide, she said.
“Our investigation also revealed a persistent pattern of sexual abuse,” Clarke said. “In many incidents TJJD staff, the very people charged with keeping children safe, are the abusers.”The department could take the state to court to force changes, but Clarke said federal officials are pleased with the cooperation they’ve had so far from the state.
“We’re going to work to build on the cooperation that we’ve had with the state of Texas to date,” Clarke said., Washington correspondent. Joseph Morton covers the intersection of business and politics in the Washington Bureau. Before joining The News, Joseph worked for CQ Roll Call and the Omaha World-Herald. He graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
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