For more on this topic, get your own copy of "Surviving the TYC Meltdown" right now for just $12!
Let me know in the poll in the sidebar which if any of these you think justify sending a juvenile to TYC for a misdemeanor offense, or if you agree with the Legislature that all juvenile misdemeanants should be handled locally. Here are your choices, sending misdemeanant youth to TYC when:
- They have three or more prior misdemeanor adjudications
- They have a prior felony adjudication
- They had at least one prior placement in a secure facility
- They need chemical dependency treatment unavailable in the home county
- They need mental health treatment unavailable in the home county
- No, kids with misdemeanors should never be sent to TYC
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66 comments:
TYC is so short-handed the youth are not getting any special treatment, really. My facility has 2 specialized areas and nothing is being done for the kids because there is no one to do it. So, sending kids to TYC for treatment is a travesty to the youth.
I don't think the results of this poll will surprise many readers.
The top two are the biggest ones, trust me on that one.
We don't do a very good CD programs given they don't pay our CD treatment providers what they should.
Mental Health... not enough beds and quit frankly, they don't pay our psychologists what they really deserve, so TYC is no help here either.
The top two should take it hands down is my bet.
I agree,TYC does not have good CD programs. Case in point, McFadden Ranch.We can't even keep our staff off of drugs. One of our JCO's was arrested in a major drug sting.....as a dealer. Along with the abuse and neglect and exploiting youth....McFadden's CD program is pathetic at best. We have a JCO 6 who is an alcoholic for god's sake. Yeah...spend your tax dollars somewhere they will work.
"Bronco Billy, what's treatment?", asked Dementia. "Hell if I know." retorted the Humpmeister, "must be some of that psychobabble crap that TYC says may just keep the kids out of TDCJ, if it's allowed to continue." "Is that what we want, my little bundle of 'roid rage?", Dementia queried. "Naw", replied the boy blunder. Just spray 'em 'til I get tired...now where's my fresh supply of human growth hormone?"
8:11, I nearly fell out of my chair laughing my ass off!!! Please finish the story...I can't wait to see how it ends.
These characters are mesmerizing - oh wait, I forgot, this shit is for real!
Grits,
My experience supports that of the Probation and that misdemeanor offenders who get to TYC often have a slew of misdemeanor offenses i.e. a long history of troubled behavior.
General Offenders, often misdemeanor offenders, in my experience often displayed worse behavior than Violent Offenders.
Violent Offender is just a classification of the type offense a youth was committed for and not indicative of the behavior a youth might display.
Many so called Violent Offenders often have short offense histories but committed a offense that warranted incarceration in TYC.
Who is easier to work with...long term habitual offender or a kid who recently fell into a bad crowd or began acting out due to some recent traumatic life event but otherwise has pro-social value systems.
My experience is that many gang members or wannabes or "busters" are also general offenders/misdemeanor youth with reputations they are trying to live up to.
So, yes kids with multiple misdemeanor offenses who have failed at previous interventions or "progressive sanctions" should be sent to TYC.
In addition to my last post... there are many youth who have severe emotional or mental health issues and these should be weighed against the progressive sanctions when considering whether to commit a youth to TYC.
7:21 You speak for Mc Fadden Ranch,, Brownwood has an excellent CD Program, even with all of the problems with the agency the CD Program in Brownwood is Excellent.
You might ought to do more research on things like that before you comment on them...
With all ofthe Staff Shortages we Should only take Felons and let the Locals House the Minor Offences, TYC needs to be a last resort I have seen Kids in for Skipping School and thats quite stupid I think.. But who knows what will they think of next !
Please oh please let's not get another McFadden string going here. McFadden is Satan's armpit...got it months ago. Sorry, that the power that be aren't interested but I have to say that I've read enough and have also lost interest, also.
For those of us in the field for more than 10 years can tell you, General Offenders (misdemeanants) have always been the worse youth in the system. The only problems with this scenario is the judging will continue to send these youth but as felons.
What am I saying this entire agency sucks. No leadership, no morals, ethics, look at we have currently. A Director who violates the law (OC) and is still employed, an Executive Director who speaks in the third person because she read in Cosmo it makes you sound intelligent (she needs all the help she can get), and an ex-conservator who went fishing two months ago with a Bud in his hand and never came back.
I sure wish someone would write a version of "Survive the TYC Meltdown" for staff.
You know, the staff that haven't actually broken the law but whose lives are being destroyed, who are losing their jobs and their homes and their retirements, who are having nervous breakdowns, who go home everyday and cry, drink, take antidepressants, overeat, undereat, have insomnia, can't get out of bed. You know, the people that up until 9 months ago were just doing their jobs and doing them well and believed in their work.
Sure would be nice if someone could write a survival guide for them.
Eh, whatever. It'll be over eventualy, one way or another.
I agree that the misdemeanants tend to be the worst-behaved in TYC. However, mixing in youth whose primary problem is that they are rebellious, and high-strung, with youth who are serious criminals, creates more problems. The more criminal type kids sit back and set the others off. The "wild ones" create a distraction for staff which allows their attention to be drawn away from the more criminal kids. These wild kids are not leaders, they are follows who desparately want to believe they are accepted by their "peers". Those kids who have long strings of misdemeanors do not need to be mixed in with the felons. There should be separate programs for each.
It is obvious that these kids have exhausted the local resources, so I sympathize with those local juvenile justice officials who are pulling their hair out over the recent ban on sending misdemeanants to TYC. The solution, possibly, might be a legislative mandate that allows judges to send youth with strings of misdemeanors to TYC, but which also requires TYC to treat them in separate facilities from the felons. Those units might be the ones that are placed close to the cities of origin. To make it work, the law would also have to be changed to make gang activity within a TYC facility a felony. That would allow TYC to take a gang-banger back to court to be re-committed or sentenced and then sent to one of the units dealing with felons.
Unfortunately, we live in an age where people expect quick and simple solutions to complex problems. Imaginative and creative legislation is hard to come by for that reason. Old Salty
By the next session of the lege, the uproar over kids who have committed misdemeanors, especially in rural areas, is going to cause changes. I am in a county of under 16000. The Juvenile Justice Grant we have received for over 20 years to help support the mandated programs was taken away this year with the explanation that the larger counties need it more. We discovered this after the Commissioners Court had finished the budget process, so we can't go back there. The increased funding for misdemeanor placement is on a first come, first served basis, so those of us who try to work with the kids in our county will be "too late".
TYC needed help - no argument. The system needs to be reworked - no argument. However, as 6:54 commented, fast is not best. This is a problem that still needs time and care. The solution for habitutal misdemeanants is not the same as for the mentally ill or the violent criminal. In many ways, the solution for the rural kid is not the same as the one for the urban - they are almost from two different planets. It's time for a committed group - prosecutors, defense attorneys, social workers, mental health workers - from around the state to be willing to put the best interest of the child and community above their own tag line and find a way to recreate juvenile justice in this state.
Youth with misdemeanor adjudications can be some of the most destructive offenders. The major problem at this point in time is that TYC is not a place to send any youth. There is no rehab program and it is seriously understaffed which means the youth will most likely come out of TYC worse than when they went in. Also there is no worthwhile drug rehab or mental health services. Staph infections have been a major problem for years. I had to undergo 2 surgical procedures due to staph infections related to working at TYC. Many of the youth have untreated staph infections. The word is out at Mart that a PS died from a blood clot after surgery connected to a staph infection. I never thought you could die from a staph infection but this incident has me make up my mind to leave TYC. I am also not going to risk my spouse and children’s lives by working at TYC. There has been TYC staff who took the staph infection home to their family. TYC has become a sewer! I am going out on stress leave to use up my sick time and start my new job next month. Good luck to all of you and I hope the best for you all.
First, 9:15....you really need to learn proper pronunciation and some better grammar before attacking others....it might make more people take you seriously. So, You "Might ought to" get some education.
As far as those "complaining" about a Mcfadden thread...PLEASE!
There are threads upon threads about other facilities. You are not fooling anybody. The only people that truly complain about negative McFadden threads are those that have been trying to cover the mess up out there for months....so, no...I won't be quiet until something is done about that corrupt place and the youth there are safe from harm. THAT IS MY JOB.
Misdemeanants in TYC learn bad behavior only. They are the ones who are first sexually assaulted and they tend to sexually assault their "peers" more often.
Treatment in TYC is a major joke. Bronco Billy and Dementia not equipped to deal with children and have no clue what treatment is. The previous administration did not either. Research has shown that addiction rarely occurs in adolesence, it also shows that sexual deviance rarely occurs in adolesence, but when these things do occur in adolesence they are far more severe than in adult onset.
The fact that our Lege has already destroyed CPS and is in the process of destroying TYC, and that they have destroyed MHMR as well as the funding for these programs, don't look to them for a solution.
CORRUPTION, CORRUPTION, CORRUPTION...I CAN'T BELIEVE DA POPE RELEASED TO THE PRESS THAT TYC WAS SUSPENDING OVERTIME PAY TO THEIR STAFF THAT ARE OVERWORKED BEFORE EVEN TELLING THE STAFF. WHILE IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE THAT OT SHOULD NOT BE DEPENDED ON, MANY A STAFF WERE BENEFITING SINCE THE PAY IS SO LOW ALREADY...ANYWAYS...JUST VENTING...LET ME GO SOMEWHERE ELSE
Those of you sick and tired of McFadden threads, please feel free to pass over them. It would seem if somebody was truly sick of hearing about something, they wouldn't waste their time to blog about it at all.Until the ongoing criminal investigation and the several lawsuits against McFadden are settled. It is news. Pope having affairs with numerous lege...thats not news.Maybe if our priorities were about bringing TYC to justice, we wouldn't be in such a state of disrepair.
Was Pope servicing several members of the Texas Legislature? Is that how she got her job? What did Jay Kimbrough and Ed Owens have to do for their jobs? I thought Kimbrough looked a little light in the loafers but what did Ed O have going for him. Was he dateing an ex Aggie Cheer Leader? So many questions and so few answers. Always something to take the focus off the real problem; which is TYC needing to be closed because it is far past saving! Reminds me of the old song "Here comes the sun(set commission)."
Misdemeanor commitments are mostly plea bargains from felonies so the number of youth who are truely misdemeanor offenders is very small.
As to serial misdemeanors, that is the only way that misdemeanor commitments occurred during the years I worked at TYC.
Committing youth to secure treatment that is unavailable locally speaks volumes as to the failure of the local juvenile justice system and the local schools to recognize problem youth early and provide MHMR services, Special Education services, etc. Such early services are cheaper than those provided later at TYC.
Howard A. Hickman
Awww come on Da Pope sleeping around ,, Damn Man have you ever seen Da Pope,, Hell it would take more than just Booze to make Her look good,, and most of the Legislators are safe,hell without Viagra they are worthless,,,Oh maybe if they spent more time out of the bars there decesions would be worth a damn.
Whew ewwwwwwwwwwww thats so sick ... Have a good night !!!
9:47 gets it right.
Where is Ed Owens?
Sure send all the kids. They will feel like they are going to Taco Bell.........our uniforms match.
To the person that has lost interest in McFadden.....
I sure hope you do not work with kids at all. If abuse, exploitation and neglect, not to mention corruption and manipulation don't bother you and make you want to do something about it, and it offends you that its brought to this blog...you need to find a new line of work.
I think I know how the employees at West Texas felt now...they complained for years and nobody did anything...history repeats itself.
4:05 you are one Self-Righteous SOB.
If the allegations at Mcfadden are true then I hope those who are dedicated and truly concerned about the welfare of the youth are vindicated!
My preference would to keep the blog comments on topic and not have the blog hijacked to a topic that anyone who has been reading Grits has been well informed about.
Not to mention, many of those commenting about McFadden attack and critize anyone who is tired of their rhetoric (just as you have done).
But since you are so obviously without sin just keep casting them stones brother!
But your words/behavior/actions make me want to tune you out...maybe, just maybe, that's why you continue to sit in your own stew of righteous indignation and self pity!
Calling somebody an SOB because you don't agree with them is both immature and idiotic, but I am not suprised a bit by your views because you are from McFadden and I wouldn't expect you to know right from wrong.
Again, if you are so "sick" of hearing about this...feel free to just skip over the post and not waste your precious time you could be spending doing something that means something to you...like surfing the net for porn or drinking mountain dew by the case.
4:24. Obviously you are not tuning out if you are responding to the blog posting. If you were not interested, you wouldn't respond, right?
Actions don't match your words....dude.
The investigation into the abuse at McFadden is a criminal one.Its out of TYC's hands now. Not over yet.
I was informed the "Pope" (not from the Vatican) will be visiting Sheffield on 11/8/07 to close it down.
Moving allot of youth from this Institution based upon low staffing numbers and the oil field boom, but then again how can you recruit staff to work for this agency?????? Hell look at the leadership (I cant believe I said leadership).
Hey. here's an idea....close McFadden! They don't have very many kids anyway, from what I have read its just a mess there. That way problems solved and we can move on!
Why don't you give it up and get a life? Let the investigators do their job!! If criminal investigations are going on, they will be found out. However, remember, everything that is investigated is not necessarily true. How do you know the criminal investigations are not already complete? Did you get fired - is that why you are so bitter about McFadden? I think you were fired; otherwise you would not want McFadden closed if you were still there. If you are still there and want it closed, why don't you just leave?
I guess the rumor I heard about sheffield is correct. I heard about 21 plus/minus staff walked out from there the other day. Oil field jobs looking good at this time. Sorry for the lone survivors trying to make a living their if thats all they planned to do. Good Luck staff at Sheffield.
SOB, Son of Bob...what did you think I mean??? And you think I'm the nasty one. Find it interesting that you didn't argue with the "self righteous" bit. LOL
And 6:15 the operative word in my statement is "want" to tune him/her out. Unfortunately, I am compelled to confront such rigid black and white thinking.
In addition, I wonder about such a person's ability to maintain professional boundaries and concerned about his/her over identification with the students. My guess is this person is working out their own issues under the misguided belief they are helping the students when they are probably damaging the student's ability reform/change/grow.
But, obviously I got a bit of the Old Limit Setter in me and picking on the emotionally blunted/stunted Casework Control/Chronic Chaos kid to get my kicks because I'm bored!
LOL
Forgot to note this... Ain't never been and at this point would ever want to work at McFadden, tis a silly place!
But, I predict you won't believe that either! Bwah, ha, ha, ha!!!!
The facilities have started imploding now. Everyone is scared to go to work now with very low/overworked tired staffing.
The new leadership has lost any control over this they thought they had.
And I am talking about all facilities. Anyone care to differ?
Nope, sounds about right. So if a facility out in the boonies implodes...does any one hear the mass hysteria?
Yes, but it takes about two years.
So much bitterness...Why so defensive of McFadden? Afraid you won't be able to continue to get paid to do absolutely nothing but be an abusive bully to the youth in your care?
I feel sorry for you, I really do...this is the only power and control you will ever experience in your life.
Last time I checked, the people who had the guts to speak up were gone, the rest that are left in that sick environment are the ones that can't make it in any other place.
so I will save my pity for you.
oh and by the way, I was not "fired" I left on my own because I won't work for people like that who feel rules and laws don't apply to them.
I won't be a sell out for a crappy job ever. They did wrong and YOU know it! That sort of makes you an accomplice now...doesn't it?
I hear you will be having some company soon...hopefully they will be wearing badges.
Grits this is off the topic but I have to make this comment.
Senator Carlos Uresti sent an email to all state employees today asking for support of Texas A&M San Antonio. Please understand we have nothing against the college or San Antonio.
Senator Uresti,
West Texas State School has been in dire need of your support since the sex scandal broke and created the crisis that sent our agency into oblivion. You've yet to visit our facility or respond to our emails. You have shown no interest, support or empathy for the West Texas State School employees or youth. The smallest donation to this A&M scholarship fund is $50.00. We don't know any TYC employees, except for the current leadership and her cronies, that can afford to give that much at our state pay.
Just to keep you abreast of our situation, here are a few tidbits of the happenings at TYC/Pyote. We can't send money for your cause this month because we have been mandated to wear color coded polo shirts, to purchase black slacks and black shoes and be in uniform by next week. So there went our November donation! Our current leadership has some squirrely priorities but we must comply or be peppered sprayed or perhaps lose our jobs, it all depends on Dementia feels that day!
Next month it be will be Christmas and our families and kids come first. I will need to use those $50.00 & attempt to have a nice Christmas, so there went that donation. By the way, all we want for Christmas is the current leadership ousted and gone! Have you got clout with Santa?? We have been good, but Dementia didn't think so, so she halted our overtime pay!
That many of our coworkers are single parents does not seem to matter to the current leadership. They are expected to figure out how to purchase those slacks & shoes and be in uniform by the mandated deadline of next week. Give our thanks to Dementia and her Dummies!
We have colleges out in West Texas too and the University of Texas/Permain Basin and our communities could use your support as well. Remember us?? We know we're not as big as San Antonio but we have plenty of voters. We find it insulting that you would solicit support from the state employess at West Texas State School after not responding for calls for help! We wanted to let you know that we just can't find it in our hearts to support you or any of your causes. Our luck to you next election and Happy Holidays from our homes to yours!
11/06/2007 07:38:00 PM
Hey 7:51, where were you with all your concern while the kids were being molested by a certain staff member and a couple volunteers a few months back? Yeah...thats about the time you took some "time off".
If you want people to think you are all about reform and rehabilitation of the youth because you know influential people read this blog, at least put some truth into this. YOU stood by and did nothing while this abuse occured, YOU got involved in covering it up and when this all explodes wide open..YOU will face the consequences.
7:51 responds to 9:08
As I said in my following comment...I have never worked at McFadden.
And YOU are one angry, angry, angry little man or woman. Now take a deep breath, hold it, hold it, now exhale slowly... count backwards from 10... goosefraba, goosefraba.
McFadden, you are all going to the funny farm.
McFadden children, please get a hold of yourselves. You are shooting each other in the foot and helping Dementia shut your facility down. The truth cannot be determined from all the ughly comments and back stabbing going on. If things are as bad a couple of you suggest, run, don't walk to the nearest Texas Ranger Office and tell them so. That way you can be assured that you have reported the abuse and they will handle it.!
Stop the hating and stand together!
Divided you'll fall and you'll have no one to blame but yourselves!
7:00, I have a life, thank you. I don't like to see people get away with crimes, so I will not "give it up" In fact, I plan to do everything in my power to see that those responsible for abusing, exploiting and neglecting those students at McFadden are brought to justice. They are incompetent and they need to be removed at the very least.
So, I am not going to back off just because you want the heat off. Too bad!
9:36 Sounds more like a self-righteous power trip...dude! Thinks everyone else is incompetent, so why the Jesus complex?
Something might be happening. Our Sup has been summoned to Austin yet again. Last time she went there during an investigation, she didn't come back for a month ( after she lied to investigators) she was reinstated, now here we are 5 months later, and she did it again. When will the state learn that she is a liability to TYC, and remove her and her corrupt administration so that we can get back to healing McFadden?
I am just stating the truth. I mean, come on...how smart is it to take a kid to an employee of TYC's house, let him work his ass off all day, he gets a rash and since you can't explain it to the doctor where it came from....pour bleach on it to mask the symptoms? Sounds like we hit the idiot lottery!!! She got our daily 3 out of 3...Exploitation, abuse and neglect in one shot!
Yep...lets leave her in power, maybe next time she can kill one of them!
Our sup was removed for postage!! And They leave this one in power???? Where is the justice?
I applaud those of you that feel so strongly about these issues. It lets me know that there are still some good TYC staff out there that haven't given up.
To 9:36, Good for you!! Don't give up until you get some results.
We need more like you to build a new TYC.
I have not seen or heard anything about the "Humpster" AKA Bronco Billy in regards to violating the pepper spray settlement (lawsuit)?
I guess demoting Stan because he could not control the little man cleared the air and all is better in TYC land.
As a staff just ponder what would happen to you if you sent out e-mails to the field and blatantly told them to violate a court order, would you still be employed? Does he have pictures of someone in a compromising position/positions?
Do we not have the "Office of Inspector General" are they too turning a blind eye?
OIG? Give me a break, Pope has them in her back pocket, hell they all came over from TDCJ, too.
Off topic
TITLE 37. PUBLIC SAFETY AND CORRECTIONS
Part 3. TEXAS YOUTH COMMISSION
Chapter 97 SECURITY AND CONTROL
Dimitria D. Pope
Acting Executive Director
Texas Youth Commission
Earliest possible date of adoption: December 2, 2007
Formal training has begun and it is Nov. 8 2007
Shackle & Spray them
This is called a knee jerk reaction to the second lawsuit TYC is facing in regards to OC and the Humpster.
As we all know the 1st lawsuit regulated TYC to go back to the original GAP.97.23 with limited usage of OC. But in the infinite wisdom of the Humpster he decided to send e-mails to our trainers and directives to administrators in the field not to go back to the old TYC ways (referring to GAP.97.23 and it's original meaning).
The ironic thing to all of this is Stan was demoted because he had no control over the Humpster, but the Humpster only answers to the Pope. And nothing has happened to the Humpster, at the minimum he should be demoted but in reality fired. But, in Texas you can get away with violating a court order, I just wish the parents of these youth decide to stand up and sue this man and this agency for this travesty.
Tamayo in the house. Your Supt. did more than spend postages. Who turned her in, the business manager? or did she help cover up, like when they would go Christmas shopping instead of training in the state vans?
Sorry Grits bloggers for the off-topic here but i see where someone tried to defend the postal borrower.
Don't worry 7:08PM that sup is doing awesome and has a great job. All stats will show Tamayo was the best TYC half way house........no OT NO turnover.......NO drama......another big loss to TYC along with all the great staff that have moved on.........I am embarassed to say I once worked at TYC..you should be to. Has anyone callled CO lately? no one knows NOTHING especially in HR and the old JC......they are a JOKE!
Why did HR move? no agency (that knows what the hell is going on) has their HR away from their headquarters..........no wonder everyone left.
They should have put their gun-toting IG's in the annex.
In the paper this morning there is a story about the boot camp where Jerry Madden states that TYC has "begun doing 12 hour shifts." We've been doing 12 hour shifts since March. We're doing 16 hour shifts on a regular basis now. Is Madden naive or dishonest?
Hurley said the understaffing reached a critical point in recent days.
So he arrive back from space recently..or just decided to let the truth come out so he can explain the implosion/explosion that is coming.
Bye Bye want to be Leaders.
YOU HAVE FAILED EVERY TAX PAYING TEXAN BIG TIME
Unfortunately, there are alot of good and experienced people that have left are have been forced to leave TYC. This will be their ultimate downfall, and TYC will continue to self destruct unless the Lege acts soon and gets an etical person with Juvenile Justice experience in the ED position.
It's Perry who needs to get his finger out of his butt and appoint a new conservator, and make sure it's someone who will fire Pope and all of her worthless cronies. Is he really that afraid of Whitmire?
POPE must be better than MONICA
She makes the rounds and keeps them all HAPPY!!
Grits,
Whether many youth are misdemeanants or felons is somewhat arbitrary. Whether or not an offense is a misdemeanor or felony depends on the circumstances of the offense, the county, the prosecutor, the judge, the lawyer, the family having money or no money.
Most "general offenders" have committed several felony offenses. They have been on probation for many months, committed several probation violations, and have finally exhausted the resources so the county gives them the third misdemeanor, sparing the tag of felon, and ships them to TYC.
SO, the answer is yes because many misdemeanants are actually felons who were dealt with gently by the committing courts. Now there are counties who abused the misdemeanor system (primarily Harris COunty)
There are certainly a bunch of misdemeanants who don't belong in TYC and honestly there are many felons who likely could have been dealt with just as effectively in their communities with supervisory and outpatient treatment programs.
Well, that settles it, let's shut TYC down for good and funnel all the TYC money to the local counties so they can take care of their own. I think it just might work, if the State tags the money to the counties as being required for at-risk and juvenile offenders.
to 11/08, 7:08 pm, if you are going to tell something, at least get your facts right. The sup from Tamayo House never drove the vans, except to TA kids. You are pathetic, you must be the one that left and none of us, the staff, liked you or your girlfriend. Postage borrower, hmm, that is serious, thank god they suspend people like that and keep people who abuse the rules. Listen, you have a mental issue, move on, go cut someone's hair, that is what you do now isn't it? You were not liked by any of the other staff, except maybe the excuse for a JCO VI.
The state definitely needs to turn Evins over to Hildalgo county. The local officials have the ideal situation down there - they can interfere with the running of the place to their hearts content, and then point the finger at TYC when things go wrong. I say- let them have the place, lock, stock and barrel - and then let them take responsibility for the consequences. But, if they did that, what platform would Chuy have to run on? Oh, well...
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