Before I run out for the morning, I should mention: Texas Youth Commission Ombudsman Will Harrell testified to the House Corrections Committee that, although he'd seen problems at every facility, that the "closest thing to Coke County is Victory Field."
He also said the abuse "hotline" has significant problems for which he blamed the vendor. There are four numbers, Harrell said; three of them didn't work and the fourth one left him on hold for ten minutes before someone answered. The hotline operator told her "the lines were full" at 9:30 at night! If so, there must be more complaints out there than we've been informed.
The news flash of the morning: Lots of TYC kids in non-mental health specific facilities have unmet mental health needs. Shocking, huh?
UPDATE: Just back in time to hear Dimitria Pope dispute Harrell's assessment of Victory Field. Although Harrell had produced a damning report on the Coke County facility (that Pope claims she never read) that her own, later investigation corroborated, Pope said she "trusted" two new hires from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards more than she did Harrell. Ouch!
One wonders: Why have an Ombudsman if the Commissioner won't take his work seriously or follow up on what he says?
MORE: From the Austin Statesman on Harrell and Victory Field, and more from the McAllen Monitor. In the Houston Chronicle Harrell said, "If I were king, I'd shut it down today."
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53 comments:
so if you close that place down where are all the kids going.Each unit now is running around 120 of the population.And still under staff,some staff in Mart leaving going to T.D.C.J.Because of all the overtime we HAVE to to or we will be fired.What are we to do.
Harrell is full of $hit.
I worked at VFCA for the last 6 years. The grounds and buildings have always been kept very clean and the dorm staff wash the youths clothes daily.
The different departments (Daily living, Psychology, Admin, Education)work pretty well together and prior to this CO "GROUP OF STUPIDS" Victory Field had one of the most successful education departments. Of course there have been issues, but that is to be expected when working with such a diverse population.
The big negative at VFCA is and always has been the old buildings.
HOWEVER, the local community came together and offered to help renovate the facility into the single story, single room dorm style that is desired.
When this all started, the legislature stated that they intended to close VFCA and 2 other facilities. A lot of people, including grits, said I was wrong and should stop looking at the comments on the LBB site.
Well, well, I guess I was right.
Harrell is just setting up the hammer to drive the last nail in VFCA's coffin. He's giving DaPope the opportunity she wants to close VFCA without taking any of the responsibility for her actions. This will allow her to close the place and to state that she had no choice but to contract out the little kiddos because they had no where else to house them.
Her and her cronies get what they wanted even if it hurts the youth, the Vernon community, and the Texas taxpayer, AND they can claim they had no choice.
Follow the lies and the money mongers will appear.
If what Harrell says is true, why was VFCA the next to last on the list of facilities with confirmed hot line abuse calls?
Pretty interesting to me. She may not be his boss but he still WORKS FOR HER BOSS!!
I think I stepped in something because it sure smells like a Madden around here.
They are all a bunch of lying SCUMBAGS!
You have to like Olivera for poking around and putting Pope on the ropes. I'm upset that Madden is cutting his fellow members off because he thinks something is under investigation. I call that hiding the facts. Come on with it. Let's see the knock out.
Everything said about TYC these days is met with comments regarding the "hidden agenda" that prompted the comment.
If nothing else about TYC is disturbing, the fact that every announcement is questioned for ulterior motives is.
TYC Administration has lost all credibility and should resign! They have lost the ability to lead the Agency in the changes required by SB103.
Victory Field--who to believe--Harrell or Pope. Way to go Hochberg. Keep grilling her.
Owens had planned to testify but had a family emergency. Puleeeezzz!
Victory Field has always been one of the filthiest facilities in TYC. Can you believe the Asst. was promoted to Sheffield? Good luck, Donald... Hope Walley doesn't stab you in the back.
For those of you viewing the hearing: Billie Humphrey is sitting behind the female in the pink.
nice of tyc executive adminstration to move the assistant from mart into a position that will be subject to RIF in February 08. no retaliation there.
Q: Grits, Did Pope dispute Harrell's documented(?) Victory Fields allegations ? Do you think Harrell had his ducks in a row during his presentation ? Not being there, it would be hard to see who is nearer to the truth ! Who do you believe at this point ?
Me thinks Harrell needs a job description. The unintended consequences of his position as undefined now, is that yelling fire in a theater is the common practice.
"Sit down and quit yelling about fire!", says the guy who's been living quite comfortably in the burning theater until now, thank you.
Yeah, I'm talkin' about you, 4:02.
Grits, it's Victory FIELD Correctional Academy. Just one field. It's a boot camp style facility, and we've all seen how successful that model has been in Florida.
12:02, the fact that VFCA is last on the list of confirmed hotline abuse calls (next to Coke County?) doesn't prove much except that youth have placed very few calls to the hotline from VFCA.
Hmmm ...
OK, Harrell is just on a "Which Hunt" to justify his job. In the last six months or better we at Victory Field have had State Rep. and State Senator's , Pope and her gang, Wild Billie, and many other Central Office personel came and visited Victory Field. These people know we passed inspection with high marks. Harrell, compairing Victory Field to Coke County is a bunch of "Hog Wash" and is landing blows below the belt. OUR RECORD speaks for itself. We have a very clean facility. Our recommit's are low. Our Education Department is one of the leading schools in the TYC system that reaches nearly all its goals annually. Check the quarterly reports for reading and math. Yes we have our problems as well as others do BUT to compare Victory Field to Coke County???? HARRELL !!!!!!!!! THAT IS BULLSHIT AND you know it. Your just looking for anything to justify your high paying job. Our facility is supported by the community and many other people that do not even work at Victory Field. Everyone , or should I say some and not everyone, in CO has drug nearly every TYC facility through the mud and now I guess its Victory Fields turn to catch some undo Bashing. I would like to invite any and all of the LEG. committee to visit Victory Field THEN go to all the other facilities and do the same and grade us against the others . You will be surprized at the out come. And there are many good facilities in TYC. Again we have our problems and we have room for improvement and we are not LILLY White , BUT TO COMPARE US TO COKE COUNTY???? Harrell what have you been smoking. We build structured life in our Cadets which they never had in the free and we take pride in our , one of a few in America, Military Correctioanl Academy. Question, if we have such a bad facility WHY do TYC central office personel bring Leg. and "Big Dogs" to visit
Victory Field for a show and tell mission? One does not take "Big Dogs" to show off "Chicken Shit" I always thought that one would take people to a facility to show off one of the best. Again in closing we are not perfect and we are not the worst facility in TYC but I think we are one of the best. Check out the quartly reports the pruf is in the pudding. Harrell go and pick on an easy one and not Victory Field Because you will have a fight on your hands from the employees , the community and all the way up to the LEG. Your playing with Fire "Cowboy". Back off before you get more than you can handle. The people in Wilbarger County and surrounding areas have been waiting for this day and we as a TEAM are ready to fight and we have the people to do it in high places. So if you like your chicken shit job, back off and go pick on another facility. The "Dog Bites" in Vernon Texas.
Whatever, you folks in Wilbarger County don't know squat, except how to hog hunt. These politicians will rip ya'll a new one, and close your crappy bootcamp. Just be glad Pope may not drive that far to see just how terrible Victory Field really is.
I'm not taking the bate Antoino.
Hell send them to BROWNWOOD !!! Thats where they send all of them ... Wonder if the Legislature cares about a co-ed Campus ,,,We thought Brownwood would be only Females ??? What happened D.Pope?? Damn I see more law suits someone needs to either contact thier represenitive and if that doesnt work as it has not worked with our local one in Brown County lets go one step further VOTE EM OUT.. hell our guy could care less about Brownwood ...All they see is Money ,,,
VFCA, SBC, and WTSS, ya'll better hope Pope leaves soon after Mr. Ed, if ya'll have any hope for staying open past 2008.
I believe what I heard yesterday was move SBC and Coke County youth to WTSS and close VFCA. Someone correct me if I am wrong.
Duh Pope has characterized the conditions at Coke Co. as abuse. If conditions at VFCC are similar, why are those not characterized as abuse also? Despite the fact that Will stated that his reports were to get a picture of TYC facilities and were not for the public (transparency???), if he finds bad conditions, does he not have the obligation to report them? Failure to report abuse is a crime. And, what's with Pope not reading the reports? If any subordinate had failed to read the reports, they'd be fired if the press found out about them. Why is it that she picked on Coke Co. and not on VFCC? As someone suggested in another thread, could the Coke Co. closure be a publicity maneuver to counter the pepper spray issue?
10/17 @12:02 p.m. who is watching the kids when staff is washing their clothes??
VFCA is a BOOT CAMP???? Well, that let's me know you don't know what you are talking about. I worked there for 7 years and the only thing that would make one think it's a boot camp is the students are called "Cadets" and they wear camoflauge and boots and so do the staff. Otherwise, it's no different than any other facility.....except that they have very, very caring staff who work with the youth there and help them every way they can. Yes, they have open bay dorms and they are old, but the offer has been made to correct that. They don't want it corrected, the goal is to close the place, plain and simple. And it's remote??? Maybe remote for all the little hommies from Houston and such, but there are plenty of kids trying like heck to get locked up well within a couple hours of VFCA. The idiots would rather move these facilities near the big cities so the staff could live close by too and be threatened by the youth and all their "close living" relatives. Oh, and we sure want their hommies and uncles, etc to work with them as staff. Hold on, weren't those the same people who didn't teach them the correct way to act/behave before they got locked up? You people need your heads examined. Caseworkers work their butts off for the kids at VFCA and they are probably getting the best education in the entire agency there. I'm not doubting that someone is after that facility and that a lot of people on here believe what they hear and cannot speak from being there and knowing what's going on. Harrell is as full of crap as a Thanksgiving Turkey. That facility is clean, and does at least as good a job with those kids as any facility in Texas. It looks like a set up to me, but I've been expecting it. They take the worst from the other facilities and ship them to VFCA and hold that facility accountable for their terrible behavior and their lack of education. Many times, they get shipped there for just a few weeks before they are to be released just so VFCA has to take the hit on the kid not making his educational growth and not obtaining his GED. It is quite evident that they are dealing with a stacked deck and doing a damn good job of it with what they have. Hardcastle, in my opinion, doesn't give a rip about the place but he and his little (pun intended) helper sure want people to think so and sure don't like it when they get caught in their lies. They talk in circles and won't answer a straight question with a straight answer. They always give that political answer that they can worm out of later. Come think of it, they might be a good adminstrator at Central Office now. They'd fit right in. My friends are still hanging in there at VFCA and I'm proud of them and what they do. The rest of you who think otherwise can kiss the north end of a south bound donkey as far as I'm concerned. Oh and by the way, I believe someone must have thought that I had posted on here before, but this is my first post. I'm sure those friends will recognize the writing style. The real Antonio...
and it's "bait" not bate. Too much math will mess up your English. I know.
They actually have "automatic" warshers and dryers all the way in Vernon now a days. So while they are on the dorms with the young uns, they do the laundry too. Another genius here with us, no doubt.
My point is that dorm staff should not be doing the kids laundry genius. It's a task they need to learn in order to survive out in the real world. I'm sorry, I forgot you are fully staffed and have enough staff to watch the children while mommy or daddy does the laundry for them. My bad!!!
Just curious as to why Harrell and Pope can see all of the abuse and obvious neglect of the buildings at Victory Field and Coke County but wasn't it just a few months ago that Kimbrough, Owens, and Pope ordered Texas Rangers into all of TYC facilities and Contract Programs. If these programs are so bad now did they deteriorate in the few months since the Texas Rangers were there or should Pope look at filing criminal charges against the Texas Rangers as she is looking at filing against those folks at Coke County. Just wondering.
Texas Rangers don't stay at the facility. Never did. They investigated allegations at first, but haven't seen one in months
I don't think the Rangers ever went to Coke County, since it's a private facility. I'm pretty sure the TX Ranger blitz only happened at state-run facilities, and only lasted for a short while.
The problems at Victory Field are much less obvious than those at Coke County. As many commenters have noted, the facility is very clean ...
The Texas Rangers were at Coke County. In and out for several months. Much more than Mr. Harrell and Ms. Pope.
Then it's obvious that the decline happened on Pope's watch and she should be held accountable.
All West Texas staff should leave or walk out soon on their own accord before the Pope sends you a surprise message at the last minute and you are left scrambling for a job. Just listen to the House Committee Hearing, she all but stumbled all over her self when it was pointed out that WTSS was slated for closure.
But, she would not want you to leave on your terms it would make her feel so much better to take your job away at the last minute and your in the unemployment line collecting your check.
Same goes for Sheffield and Victory Field, both will be closed within the next year, if Pope stays in power.
Wats up my Vernon Dawg who bites? Gang related? Certainly sounds like it. You sure do dish out the threats. Do you treat all the children that you have been entrusted with in the same fashion? Gee are you going to lose a phase? a job? Awwww... What are your thinking errors here? ...blaming, avoiding, downplaying, making excuses. It is funny that you sure like to bear down on the cadets during phase assessment; but when the ball is in your court and you are losing your battle, you start to feel sorry for yourself. You are pathetic!!
VFCA should be closed down! It is a nasty pigsty and is run by pigs! The only way to get a promotion at VF is to fornicate with the pigs! I will leave the poor old gangs out of this or I would really let you have it! I am better than that though. I have been taught that retaliation is a BITCH! Is it?
Are you getting yours now? How many staff have you burned in the past because they did not take your orders to hurt other people by being a TEAM player? Kiss My Grits Vernon Victory Field!! Too little too late!!!!!
D. Pope didn't read the report because she doesn't want them emailed to her. She probably would have been contacted by phone but she doesn't have an open door policy and is known for not answering her phone after hours or on the weekends.
11:31pm - Ms. Pope will be held accountable for her actions one way or another - it is obvious to me since viewing the hearings that Mr. Darby nailed her ass on the Coke County closing and he was absolutely correct. She did nothing right in that deal - she should have advised GEO the contract would cancel at the end of October and put people in place to "hold down the fort" until that time, giving the Coke Cty. employees and school district at least 30 days to prepare. She assured Darby that she heard his admonishments regarding her "knee jerk" reaction. However, we at WTSS don't trust her, don't really trust anyone anymore outside of our "immediate family", so we are preparing ourselves accordingly. However, I pray that someone, somehow can see through her lies and schemes and her reign of terror will come to an end.
It amazes me that Humphrey is not in jail yet as we speak. How is that possible? This is incredibly frustrating for all of us, and I hate that we have to name-call and disrespect each other on this blog, when our only real hope is to pull together, pray for one another and try to help out in any way we can. It may be wishful thinking on my part, but I truly hope that the House Committee didn't buy Ms. Pope's lies and false affirmations. She is a master manipulator, that's for sure. "I'm only concerned for the children"...right.
12:02 p.m. on 10-17. Perhaps your community is courting the wrong person to keep your facility open. It could be possible d'Pope didn't like what they fed her!!
I currently work at West Texas and after the House Committee hearing I can see the writing on the wall. I will be placing applications this week. It has been hard enough to find JCO's without Ms. Pope disclosing our impending doom this past week, now it will be impossible. I would hate to see all current employees getting doctors notes and burning their sick leave before they loose it.
11:46 am/10-20, I think you yelling fire when there is none. We should all be pulling for WTSS not quitting!!
If you cant see the fire open your eyes or at least your ears when you go to the archive of the House Committee on Corrections, Wednesday. I believe all of us heard that WTSS was slated for closure. The only reason it stays open is based upon urgency and lack of bed space. As soon as the Pope can figure out how to get TYC's bed population down WTSS will be a memory. My issue would be why wait for the inevitable, look out for yourself NOW.
I agree, Pope certainly is not looking out for us. I have reliable information from a source in Central Office that WTSS, Sheffield, and VFCA will all be closed before the end of 2008. If you are at one of these facilities, you have two choices, 1. call your Senator and Rep. and scream to the rooftops to leave your facility open, 2. Get out and find another job. Based on Pope being able to blow smoke up the Lege's butts at will, and the fact that most of them think she is doing a good job, I know which one I would pick. When she walks in and closes your program down over night, don't say you didn't know, because you heard it on grits first.
The mention of WTSS for closure is mentioned in the Conservator's report. It states that WTSS will be evaluated for closure not that it will be closed. All facilities are being assessed and evaluated. It was also mentioned that consideration should be given to merging Sheffield & WTSS. A facility is needed in the western part of the state. If d'Pope remains true to her statements about keeping the children close to their mommies and daddies; VFC, Gainesville, Giddings and Ron Jackson are NOT close to home for those committed from the western part of the state, such as EL Paso and its suburbs.
Enough is enough, stop the negative talk about WTSS and its closure. Keep in mind that it was 3 administrators that focused the negative attention on our facility, Brookins, Hernandez and Harrison with the help of his protege, the current regional superintendent.
Ward County needs to get behind WTSS and blitz the lege with their support of the facility. Where are our reps and what are they doing for WTSS?
The one thing that VFC has in their favor is the fact that the coummunity firmly stands behind them and their rep is fighting the closure like mad.
You can look out for yourself, that's your perogative. I chose to look-out for all my coworkers, like them or not, and will fight to keep WTSS open. I do it for all the employees who have made careers out of TYC in spite of the storms we have weathered recently.
Do you know for a fact that d'Pope will even be around long enough to close any of the facilities? Politics is like the weather in West Texas, if you'll wait a minute, it will change!
If we have learned anything over the past 7 months is not to trust the ones whose address is 4900 North Lamar, Austin Texas. Pack your bags and find a job before your collecting food stamps.
Hasta la vista baby and let's hope you won't be the one on food stamps.
8:44, it's like I said, you folks at WTSS, VFCA, and SBC have two choices. I admire you wanting to put up the good fight. Maybe Pope will be removed and spare these units, but if not, they will end up closed. Good luck fighting the good fight.
If all of us at West Texas get together and hold a rally on the steps of the Capitol, maybe that would make a difference and somebody would hear our pleas.
If someone will organize it,I will be there with a group of former and current pissed off employees ready to expose what is going on at TYC.
12:44 a.m. I welcome the good luck, thanks. I have no idea where you work but nothing is ever won by giving up. We should all be fighting to keep us all open. It's no longer about any one specific facility because the current leadership is so helter-skelter- grasping at straws and dependent on the advice from the unqualfied cronies they brought with them that it's downright Halloween Scary!
I agree with you 5:50, but we have not organized any effort to fight the powers that be. We continue to play circle jerk and not do a darn thing about what is going on. We all need to get together and as a group we would be heard (one mighty blow), than a couple of folks here and there speaking out (a couple of jabs). The problem is that the Agency has everyone so scared to speak out in fear they might lose their jobs. I was always taught that if you are afraid you are going to lose your job, you already have. Let's face it, the Union is crap, we have no lobbyists, so if we are going to fight, we have to organize!!!
In all the overhaul of the agency this Spring, the employees' interests were noticeably disregarded.
Employees were mostly ignored while other constituent interest groups spoke at the hearings.
Though SB103 helped us in one regard (improved staffing ratios), it hurt us in another (at-will employment). We all have seen that the improved staff ratios have not come about, yet the at-will provisions were swiftly capitalized upon.
We all understand why our voices have been silenced. D'ope would likely retaliate with termination. She sure doesn't welcome criticism. Heck, she even cancels her subscription to the Austin Statesman when it points out her missteps.
But we as employees, or better yet, as Texans, should be quite concerned when an entire group is marginalized. And we are a group whose first-hand knowledge and expertise should be consulted, not dismissed.
We as Texans should not allow our political participation to be stymied. Being an employee and being politically active should not be mutually inconsistent activities.
Remember, political participation is not only demonstrated on election day, but throughout the entire tenure of our elected leaders. In fact, it's bigger than those leaders. It's bigger than the cantakerous Whitmires and the dog-and-pony shows of late.
Lately it is common to extol the "welfare of the youth." But let's not forget our obligation to the welfare of our State!
This unfolding drama, over these many months, implicates more than the implementation of JCO uniforms. It should cause us all to examine issues of integrity, public trust in our agencies & officials, being active in one's own community.
We should indeed organize and march on the Capitol. Those guys on Congress avenue supposedly work for us, right?
So how do we start this thing?
Signed,
ReVAmp
We begin by getting the mayors, the school superintendents,judges, council members, any politically connected indviduals or elected ones, etc, to blitz our representatives and senators with their backing of TYC in all our communities. The buisness owners in our communities need to write them. Without jobs, we cannot contribute to the ecomony. As employees we need to blitz them with our concerns or whatever via letters or emails. You can get their emails on the house or senate website.
The next best thing, would be to invite the lege to townhall meetings and not the local or Austin leadership. I bet many would voice their concerns then. We all know who is pro the leadership and who is not. We will have the fence riders and the ones who are critical but never willing to stand up for what they believe, but heck, its a body we can count.
It's a major undertaking, but we have to start somewhere. We can let it evolve from this and see where it leads. We have to quit being afraid of d'Pope and her ruthless regime!
The march is a major task, we would need to include and ensure that employees from all departments were represented. With the facilities so short staffed this would indeed be an enormous undertaking. We'd need to do it on a day when the joint committee meets or holds a hearing. Maybe we can do it by regions, we can all hit a hearing maybe two or three facilities at a time.
This is my five cents FWIW.
I fired off an email early this morning to Pete Gallego and his staff just so they know I haven't gone away. I'll start calling around tomorrow and ask all of my 'contacts' to start blitzing our state representatives and senators (Uresti has proven to be more than useless, but we'll keep trying) with calls and emails again. I know a few important people myself (Pope would be surprised how connected us 'hicks' out in West Texas are) and maybe its time for another grass roots meeting on the courthouse lawn with the Mayor, County Judge, Commissioners, City Council, School Superintendent, School Board Members, Citizens in force and lets not forget our new administrator's favorite people - THE MEDIA! Don't you just love it!
Its like I always say, let them do what they think they need to do and we'll do what we need to do and we'll just see how it turns out. There's power in numbers guys, and grass roots is where the power is - believe it!
A start is a start. If we all do it, it will have an impact!
Rep. Rick Hardcastle made a statement in the Vernon paper that a facility in a state owned agency cannot be closed with legislative action and since the lege it out right now until 2009 it would take a special session being called.
I use to be locked up in this facility and man out of all the places ive been before never have i seen such a dirty chow hall and crooked jco bit i can name a couple of good staff. i want to just say i was in bravo co. say 4 yrs. ago and we made so much trouble they send us out. Lt.Johnson i just want to say thanks for trying to work with me while i was there. you sure are a good person.
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