Here are several items from the mainstream media about the Texas Youth Commission that will interest many readers:
And if you didn't read these stories about TYC this week, make sure you've seen them; they're important:
- Employers hesitant to release applicants' background information, Dallas News, Diane Jennings
- Get tough guy among TYC advisers says: Get smart, too, Dallas News, Steve Blow
- Youth prisons need expert leaders, not TDCJ refugees, Dallas News, editorial board
- Teen beaten as guards stood by says TYC paying $30,000, Houston Chronicle, Lisa Sandberg
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25 comments:
It does not seem to matter what is written about TYC anymore. Our current leadership has the backing of the guv and the lege!! It is going to take the public's outcry & DOJ involvement to force the necessary changes that will reform our agency. They seem to have forgotten that our focus should be the rehabilitation juvenile offenders sent to TYC by the courts. What is going on now is merely political bulls*** at the expense of youth and employees.
If you read Whitmires statement about the TYC leadership, he places no blame on the job they have done so far, just the obstacles they have no control over. Makes you feel warm and fuzy inside now doesn't it?
Today's article by Mike Ward, Austin American Statesman, had some interesting quotes. IMO the most troublesome was from John Whitmire; "We're just three months into the reforms. You can't change everything overnight."
Really John? You and Madden need to step up to the "lick log" and take your punishment. You all wanted to drive the car. Now that you all wrecked it you say it isn't your fault.
John; this is at least your second major wreck (Remember TDC/TDCJ?).Please show us you are a man and correct your mistakes. Have the committee take some positive steps NOW!
We do not need the "Red Team" attempting to operate TYC; they wasted millions of tax dollars;their mistakes in TYC will waste lives.
Whitmire is such an idiot that he blames Congress for TYC confidentiality laws when they are in state law. No wonder the reform is so screwed up.
There were huge problems that caused the lege to get involved at tyc. Including non-responsive leaders in the first place. Those leaders have been replaced by more non-responsive leaders. The purpose of the overhaul was to reduce the population by releasing all but the worst of the worst. Instead, the misd are still there, who knows what is going on with the indeterminate sentenced kids. YET TYC wants to release the SENTENCED murderers, rapists and assaultive types. What is wrong with that picture? How about the fact that it is totally opposite of the intent for reform by the lege? Population is down -- get it down further by releasing the youth who should have been released in the first place. Then work on rehab of the ones left and implement some with serious changes. When a kid isn't required to complete programming because he misbehaves, but is still scheduled for release, nothing is taught except his bad behavior continues to work for him.
I don't think current leadership has the backing of the guv and lege -- it may be a case now of how do we get out of this without looking racist?
Racist???? Incompetent yes! Racist, huh!
3:49 - I suggest you read the bill. It does not call for the release of misdemeanants. In fact, it allows judges to continue to send misdemeanants to TYC as long as they committed their misdemeanor prior to Sept. 1, 2007. That means TYC will continue to receive youth for misdemeanors well into the current fiscal year. What the bill does demand say is that TYC no longer has authority over youth over the age of 21. What the sorry architects of the bill neglected to do is identify a means of legally transferring sentenced offenders over 19 out of TYC. Many juvy judges have read the bill and claim they no longer have jurisdiction. Thus these 19 year old and over sentenced offenders are in legal limbo. Good job, Lawyer Whitmire!
Everyone needs to read SB 103 in regards to release. All youth 19 or older were suppose to have been released regardless of what type of sentenced they came into TYC with. If they were indeterminate sentence youth they were to be discharged. If they were determinate sentence youth they were to be transferred to TDCJ Parole. If you read and understand SB 103 in conjuction with the Human Resource Code, TYC had no option with determinate sentence youth that were 19 or older. When the legal age of jurisdiction was changed from 21 to 19, by law all the determinate sentence youth should have been paroled to TDCJ, there was and is still no option to transfer those youth to prison. It will take just one smart defense attorney to make TYC and TDCJ follow the law. The legislators need to stop blaming everyone else because they were told several times that an amendment needed to be added to SB 103 to allow TYC and TDCJ to treat determinate sentence youth differently, ie. old law youth vs. new law youth. If people want to be mad they need to be mad at the Texas Legislature. In addition, SB 103 specifically says indetermiante sentence youth committed for a misdemeanor do not need to be discharged until their 19th birthday. Everyone that is mad needs to take their anger out at the right people. And the MSM need to do their research and let the public know. Just do an open records request for any information sent to the Texas Legislature regarding the processing of determinate sentence youth before the law was passed and signed.
I made a typo in my last post. Instead of "over 21" it should read, "over 19."
Grits, with all of this talk about TYC promoting a supervisor into a regional director over the West Texas region who might have had knowledge of Brookins sexual perversion and failed to act, would you be interested into looking into this? Sounds like TYC's version of the TDCJ Sammy Buentello story.
The only persons who had knowledge of Brookins perversion were Brookins and his victims. The Texas Ranger report, though thorough, is mostly a lot of "He said...she said." Everyone at WTSS had heard the rumors, and Ayo reported what he had heard to Mr. Harrison, as did many others. Unlike the media and the legislature Mr. Harrison did not take action, because he did not have proof. The supervisor in question was working directly for Brookins, and operated within the parameters that were established at the time. Parameters, I might say, that have not really changed. Whether or not, Mr. Omoniyi is qualified for this position remains to be seen, but he doesn't deserved to be crucified for allegations that cannot be proven. Personally, I'm glad to see that they didn't hire another person from TDCJ.
So what you are saying is that if you believe that a co-worker or supervisor is abusing youth you would do nothing?
What parameters are you talking about? As a human being with a conscious you should act and many did not. I personally do not know who knew what or did what but would like to have this looked at more closely so we do not make the same errors that this agency has done in the past.
6:37, Your words actually gave me goosebumps because it rang so true to me. So many situations like this exist at TYC, I would venture to say in probably all of the facilities. So many people ignore the abuse and neglect for fear of their jobs.I did not, and reported it. The state did not protect me and I was terminated.Retaliation is very real at TYC and as long as you have that kind of atmosphere still existing, it is just a matter of time until you hear another story similar to West Texas. The state is NOT protecting its youth or its employees, and they will pay dearly for this. My hope is that the feds come in and take over this mess and hold all of these people responsible, accountable for their actions or inactions.
Dr. Tracy is no expert.
Like many other "experts" who have been called in on the blue ribbon commission, he has no experience with juvenile justice and no background for any of his claims to expertise.
Whitmire is a jackass. He just targets agency in off election years to cut the budget and actually increase the "fee" burden on the population than can least afford those "fees".
Madden is a fool and a jerk. He is in the same mold as Whitmire and needs to get a real job and stop leeching the public.
By the way, what happened to the good old days of the lege making $3,000.00 per year?
You're a real ray of sunshine, aren't you 7:59? Anybody out there who you don't think is a "jackass," "fool," or "jerk"?
Name calling really doesn't contribute much to this discussion. Please try to avoid it.
I agree w/ grits...namecalling isn't productive.
However, Whitmire IS a jackass.
We've all seen the proof. ;P
6:47 has stated the effect of SB 103 correctly.
Howard A. Hickman
In fairness to Mr. Omoniyi (and, you have no idea how difficult that is to write), even those staff who raised concerns about Brookins, including if I understand correctly, Mr. Hollis at the beginning, did NOT know of sexual misconduct. Brookins abused power with both students and staff, and concerns about exploitation and intimidation were being raised (e.g. cleaning the adminstration building at 4 AM). However, removing sexual conduct/misconduct from the initial reports, complaints, raised concerns etc does nothing to diminish the ignoring of exploitation.
In all honestly nothing will come of this like everything else in this agency that smells and tastes bad just get use to it.
They made a mistake by promoting this man and they will not admit to this.
I would suggest that everyone just quit and say to hell with all of this but most of us have responsibilities and unemployment does not look that enticing.
Close your eyes, cover your ears, and shut your mouth, now theres
a plan. What was that quote that knocked Clayton Williams out of the Governors race against Ann Richards, "if your getting raped, just lay back and enjoy it".
In TYC, apparently you can get that rape reduced to following too close....
Howard and 6:47,
What would happen in a case where a 19yr old determinate sentenced youth has NOT completed their minimum length of confinement (which is 3 years for 1st degree felony)? Would TYC still be required to release them on parole due to SB103 or would this mean an automatic transfer to TDC incarceration since they have not completed the minimum?
There is no such thing as an automatic transfer to TDJC ID (ie. prison). That was an old law. At this point if TYC has not requested a court hearing for transfer and the hearing was not held prior to the youth's 19th birthday, SB 103 and the Human Resources Code says the youth will be discharged/transferred to TDCJ parole. Even prior to SB 103 there were youth who turned 21 who had not completed their minimum period of confinement and had not had a hearing to be transferred, at age 21 those youth were transferred to TDCJ parole. The only thing the law changed was the age at which this could occur.
Pope testified that if a youth had not completed his mlos that tyc was required by law to return to the court for a decision on what do with him.
As usual Ms. Pope does not have her facts right and still doesn't understand the laws regarding TYC. She has a way of stating things to make herself look good. All one has to do is to listen to her in the last public hearing. During that hearing she didn't even though for sure how many halfway houses TYC had, she didn't understand the different between determinate and indeterminate sentences, she told the committee the agency was meeting the 1:12 staff to youth ratio, etc. etc. etc. Don't believe everything that comes out of her mouth!
daPope needs to excommunicated, enough is enough.
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