tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post2077893375663277551..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: More on TYC ending Geo youth prison contractGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-7854268634162331472007-10-06T21:45:00.000-05:002007-10-06T21:45:00.000-05:00Does anyone have the current list of the Facility ...Does anyone have the current list of the Facility Superintendents and Ass. Superintendents?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-53673655282083790902007-10-06T21:42:00.000-05:002007-10-06T21:42:00.000-05:00I happen to know a lot of people in Bronte. I know...I happen to know a lot of people in Bronte. I know that a lot of good church going folks were in the facility on a regular basis. It is extremely difficult for me to believe that any one of those people would have seen anything remotely resembling what has been reported without raising the roof. The people of Bronte are good, honest, old-fashioned types and would not have tolerated for one minute the conditions that have been reported. Take this for what it's worth.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-4209940755332324792007-10-06T09:14:00.000-05:002007-10-06T09:14:00.000-05:00Leadership, Leadership, Leadership, TYC still need...Leadership, Leadership, Leadership, TYC still needs Leadership.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-78504944821106145262007-10-05T22:37:00.000-05:002007-10-05T22:37:00.000-05:00evins should be next.evins should be next.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-66946270401609566472007-10-04T18:21:00.000-05:002007-10-04T18:21:00.000-05:009:15 pm. No, TYC did not lie about the conditions...9:15 pm. No, TYC did not lie about the conditions at Coke County. I did talk with caseworkers who rode the busses. I also talked with people who went to Coke County to investigate. Also, the kids did not all get dumped at one facility. Crockett took 40 from Mart, Mart got 40 from Coke County, and the bulk of the rest went to Ron Jackson.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-7119819598320276772007-10-04T18:16:00.000-05:002007-10-04T18:16:00.000-05:00Thanks for the compliment, Scott, but Old Salty de...Thanks for the compliment, Scott, but Old Salty definitely does not want the job! What TYC needs at the very top is an experienced top-level executive, who knows how to recruit and motivate top-notch jj experts and who can deal effectively with the politicos; a retired CEO of a large corporation, or a retired General or Admiral. Before everyone starts throwing spears at me for that one, note that USAA is a top-rated organization that is also constantly rated as one of the best Corporations in the country to work for - it is run by retired Generals and Admirals who are definitely not insurance experts. They are people who know how to get a job done, and who know how to lead and manage the experts. Old SaltyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-77744286728276250652007-10-04T00:05:00.000-05:002007-10-04T00:05:00.000-05:00What abuse are they doing at Mcfadden?What abuse are they doing at Mcfadden?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-17473098531671673022007-10-03T22:07:00.000-05:002007-10-03T22:07:00.000-05:00I have made several reports of abuse for youth who...I have made several reports of abuse for youth who had come through that facility.<BR/><BR/>There were many specific and serious problems and unfortunately had been there for a long time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-41645747915359046062007-10-03T21:41:00.000-05:002007-10-03T21:41:00.000-05:007:07 and 8:54,I suggest that you reread all the po...7:07 and 8:54,<BR/><BR/>I suggest that you reread all the postings that I have made on this specific blog. I am not an apologist for Geo or the TDCJ folks. I just believe that there should be specific serious problems identified when a contract is immediately terminated and 197 youth are dumped into one TYC facility on little notice. Whatever happened to the people's right to know? I just do not take the stated generalities as fact. There is more to this than has been stated.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Howard A. HickmanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-40736256129064252022007-10-03T21:15:00.000-05:002007-10-03T21:15:00.000-05:00First off let me say to all of you that have such ...First off let me say to all of you that have such negative comments, you need to be there to see what was going on. TYC and Brownwood did nothing but lie and make up stuff to cover up all their problems that they have had that were proven. They were out to make them selves look good at GEO's expense. Thoes kids were not filthy or mistreated, untill Brownwood "pulled and dragged them out". Ask thoes on the bus how far they got before they had to pull over due to the kids trying to rock the bus over. Coke County got all the kids that no one wanted or could handle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-22194549401991105252007-10-03T20:54:00.000-05:002007-10-03T20:54:00.000-05:00Howard, you sound like a Coke County/GEO apologist...Howard, you sound like a Coke County/GEO apologist. Do you really, truly believe that your air of skepticism is warranted when TYC removed those kids as if a Category 5 hurricane was making landfall? There must have been absolutely deplorable conditions in Bronte if they took such swift, unequivocal action. They didn't just issue a stern warning or send some YCI's. They yanked those kids out as though they were at risk of imminent harm. Oh, wait. A youth DID kill himself last year after losing 23 pounds in 2 months. Imminent would be an understatement.<BR/><BR/>Maybe the press isn't more specific because they were not present at the facility and people don't want to screw up pending criminal and admin investigations. We have a group of adults agreeing that these kids were neglected and living in horrid conditions, and you're using the old TYC standby of, "Well, we just have these kids' words to go on. Let's piddle around and see if I feel convinced." You can't take other people's word for it and show more concern for the kids who survived there?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-88659240434476660862007-10-03T20:48:00.000-05:002007-10-03T20:48:00.000-05:00I agree. Jeannette B. has been screaming for a lon...I agree. Jeannette B. has been screaming for a long time for the rights of youth... put her over the contracts piece! She knows her stuff AND she's an advocate for youth. What could be better!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-85799142118902779852007-10-03T19:54:00.000-05:002007-10-03T19:54:00.000-05:00We had a person like that at McFadden. They even c...We had a person like that at McFadden. They even called her a little pitbull, she was new to Texas and to TYC. She didn't take any garbage from anybody and she stood up against the abuse. She knew what she was doing and she fought for the rights of those boys. She was what every TYC employee should be and stand for....until they terminated her.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-89261631478002641842007-10-03T19:44:00.000-05:002007-10-03T19:44:00.000-05:00They fired all TYC employees who were charged with...They fired all TYC employees who were charged with over sight, even one that was a new employee in orientation. Lynn Parra, Larry Isabelle, Elizabeth Lee (resigned this afternoon), the QA supervisor, and all monitors, for a total of 8. Even a clerk. <BR/><BR/>If they had involved a huge voice, a bullhorn if you will, a true youth advocate who has a tenacity of a pitbull to advocate for the rights and well-being of children in contract care, then they wouldn't be in the position they're in now. <BR/><BR/>Utilize Jeanette Burke. The crazed red-head from Boston is an advocate like no other, and they ignored her. They kept her home, away from the hidden truth of what was happening. <BR/><BR/>Jeannette is sworn to fun, but loyal to none when it comes to issues as this, and it'd be nice to have a gal like her going banshee (sometimes Really Banshee) to watch these contracts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-91850490503850189592007-10-03T19:07:00.000-05:002007-10-03T19:07:00.000-05:00Coke County, Howard, was more of a constitutional ...Coke County, Howard, was more of a constitutional nightmare than just dirty laundry. It wouldn't be fitting for a third-world country. Why was that contract renewed every time it came up? We've been reporting these concerns for years? <BR/><BR/>Something smells foul here, and it's not emitting from the actual facility. This smells worse.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-83360875891568663572007-10-03T18:23:00.000-05:002007-10-03T18:23:00.000-05:007:45, About what are you referring? Who was I stan...7:45, <BR/><BR/>About what are you referring? Who was I standing behind that was doing wrong? About what abuse of employees am I supposed to know about? <BR/><BR/>2:39,<BR/><BR/>I stated that I was not a big fan of Coke County. My point was the TYC press statements indicated the problems were dirty laundry and lack of a substitute for Resocialization, which is pretty strange as a reason for an emergency closure. Even what is reported coming from the Ombudsman's report is vague, general, subjective, and seems mostly based on youth reports. My question is what objective evidence are we talking about? How difficult would it be to take pictures of the unsanitary conditions and release them? <BR/><BR/>I do not want to demean Mart but how much better are conditions when one dumps 197 youth at Mart? I am sure there are some real big problems created by that operation. I am am sure that the Mart staff are doing more than they should be expected to do in that situation and working a lot of overtime. I would bet that there were some problems with the food service contractor meeting the sudden increase in food demand and the youth are receiving cold meals. The Mart staff have my sympathy in handling what must be a logistical nightmare.<BR/><BR/>Howard A. HickmanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-55284959027161366302007-10-03T16:50:00.000-05:002007-10-03T16:50:00.000-05:00"The people at McFadden are crying for help at the..."The people at McFadden are crying for help at their facility, the TYC people at Coke County have done a good job and now they are being thrown to the sharks. How long does it take to destroy a room, a youth can destroy a room while you are trying to talk him down. TYC Central Office, politicians, and newspaper writers need to go out and hold a dorm or work directly with the kids and then offer the criticism they are so free with. Maybe Coke County should have been closed and maybe it should not have but the way TYC handled it was wrong!"<BR/><BR/>Coke County should have been closed, no question about it. The people there did not do a good job according to anybody who visited. Why are you defending it? And how did TYC handle the closure incorrectly? Should TYC have waited for weeks or months more for some official "word" that it needs to be closed? Kids were living in squalor. While you rant about the injustices of closing the facility, think what it would be like living in one of those filthy, cramped cells for one day, one month, or one year, and ask yourself why you're arguing that the place should keep warehousing kids. Where are your priorities?<BR/><BR/>And if you know something is very wrong at McFadden Ranch, have you reported it to the OIG? Or are you typing an effortless ramble that requires even less insight and evaluation than what you claim the media and legislators falsely report to the public?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-5301057258644931022007-10-03T16:43:00.000-05:002007-10-03T16:43:00.000-05:00Thank you 2:39 and 3:41. I agree.While there are s...Thank you 2:39 and 3:41. I agree.<BR/><BR/>While there are still many problems to be addressed at TYC, the decision to remove those youth is not one of them. <BR/><BR/>Their basic rights were being violated. Moving them to another facility was the right move. <BR/><BR/>If the TYC administration hadn't cancelled the contract with Coke County and removed those youth, then we should have been screaming cover-up. <BR/><BR/>The fact that the youth were moved in the middle of the night speaks to how bad the conditions were, not that the administration was trying to hide the move. That would be stupid, they know they are under a microscope.<BR/><BR/>Thank you to the CO staff who visited the program and rang the alarm.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-61075996151928304882007-10-03T16:37:00.000-05:002007-10-03T16:37:00.000-05:00One of things that an administration must have is ...One of things that an administration must have is information regarding the status of all of its institutions and programs. I have not heard anything about what oversight systems are in place for the administration to know what is going on. This was an issue with the previous admin. and after 6 months, how much progress has been made by the new administration in really evaluating the conditions in the facilities? Where are they with the risk assessments they were to do that were announced months ago? What are the systems to ensure that the youth are well cared for and not being abused? How can Pope say with certainty that there is no more abuse? What is her evidence? How can she be sure that this is not happening at TYC facilities or other contract facilities, especially with the staff shortages? Coke County did not change overnight. She and Owens said a month ago that the conditions are greatly improved and then they close down a facility and send kids to already overburdened and understaffed facilities. Another criticism is that there was no programming. What programming is supposed to be taking place since they stopped Resocialization? Can they be sure that programming is occurring at TYC run institutions especially since there really is no approved program? I am not saying that Coke Co. shouldn't have had its contract terminated, but I am questioning the competence of the current administration to address the issues in an organized and thoughtful manner that will, in fact, benefit the youth in its care.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-91767752777489725962007-10-03T16:34:00.000-05:002007-10-03T16:34:00.000-05:00Isn't this closure interesting. TYC cannot close ...Isn't this closure interesting. TYC cannot close one of their own facilities but can swoop down and close a contract facility. TYC-CO has not listened to its staff so why should they start at the Coke County program? Ms Pope and her people who are really not intereted in kids or their staff (people's) lives and future are about as callous and uncaring as anyone can possibly get. To think these people are making decisions that will affect youth and destroy personal lives does not leave one with any sense of well being for those who have put her (Ms Pope) in a position of power (of which she is drunk on). The people at McFadden are crying for help at their facility, the TYC people at Coke County have done a good job and now they are being thrown to the sharks. How long does it take to destroy a room, a youth can destroy a room while you are trying to talk him down. TYC Central Office, politicians, and newspaper writers need to go out and hold a dorm or work directly with the kids and then offer the criticism they are so free with. Maybe Coke County should have been closed and maybe it should not have but the way TYC handled it was wrong!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-80854974222926363712007-10-03T16:05:00.000-05:002007-10-03T16:05:00.000-05:00Absolutely, 2:39 and 3:41. 100% in agreement.Absolutely, 2:39 and 3:41. 100% in agreement.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-80114815954066738522007-10-03T15:41:00.000-05:002007-10-03T15:41:00.000-05:00I agree with 2:39. The removal of kids from Coke ...I agree with 2:39. The removal of kids from Coke County was a good decision and the morally right thing to do. Just because TYC is imperfect doesn't mean it has some evil agenda that involves cancelling contracts and shifting kids around so that it can divert people's attention from other things.<BR/><BR/>Sometimes in people's attempts to be "justifiably" cynical, they come across as naive and silly, instead. If anyone wants to paint this as a TYC diversion tactic, they'd have to implicate the Ombudsman, too. People need to get a grip on reality and discuss ACTUAL problems and how to solve them instead of complaining about the good decisions, as well. The question now is how to best treat these kids and hold those who failed them accountable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-66010248840976676022007-10-03T14:39:00.000-05:002007-10-03T14:39:00.000-05:00I've worked with and respected Howard while at TYC...I've worked with and respected Howard while at TYC, and applaud his willingness to sign his name and own his comments. But come on Howard, you know how bad Coke County was. <BR/><BR/>Of course there's more to it than can be discussed publicly. There are limits due to confidentiality and ongoing investigation. Bait and switch? Huh? <BR/><BR/>I see this as the first positive thing this new administration has done. Shouldn't we support the positive steps as well as rail against the missteps? <BR/><BR/>A little positive reinforcement goes a long way toward shaping the behavior to be what you want. Getting them out of Coke County will only benefit those youth.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-71961526060430001262007-10-03T12:45:00.000-05:002007-10-03T12:45:00.000-05:00Ok, maybe I would get promoted if I had a DWI conv...Ok, maybe I would get promoted if I had a DWI conviction and went trolling for hookers. No wonder I can't get ahead, I have a clean record. And where is Quality Assurance at Cooke COunty. That place did not turn that bad overnight. You can't blame Rumbo and Cooke County on the old adminstraion. This happened under the reformed leadership of those 'professionals" from TDCJ. Hoe much longer is the leg. going to close there eyes to management that is just as bad as the ones that were replaced?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-89856256870090721872007-10-03T09:38:00.000-05:002007-10-03T09:38:00.000-05:00properly resolving problems at Mcfadden??? That is...properly resolving problems at Mcfadden??? That is so funny!!!!! Nothing gets "resolved" there. It gets covered-up and buried. If Cooke gets to keep her job ( not to mention her freedom) after this latest fiasco, I am sure that maybe there is somebody in a higher office that will listen. An election year is coming up.....<BR/><BR/>There are TOO many allegations of abuse for such a small facility. SOMEBODY will get something done...we just have to find the right person.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com