Not long ago, the New York Times urged the state of Texas to "raze" TYC and "start over." Now, declaring "TYC Adrift," the Houston Chronicle editorial board yesterday called on the governor to replace the agency's current management with juvenile justice experts:
From your mouth to God's ear, Houston Chronicle, that's exactly the right suggestion. I hope somebody in the Governor's office is paying attention. How much longer will Rick Perry allow this to continue?Instead of automatically drawing executives from within the state prison system, the governor should push a nationwide search for the best-qualified commissioner and permanent executive director. Every effort should be made to get an experienced and expert governing board in place as soon as possible.
State officials claimed to be caught by surprise by the TYC scandal last winter. If the delays in reforming the agency lead to more problems, they will have no one to blame but themselves.
RELATED: Here's an overview of lowlights from the litany of self-inflicted wounds bedeviling Texas' youth prison system that corroborate the Chronicle's assessment of the agency as "adrift":
- Violating Court Order on Pepper Spray
- Ignoring Expert Advice
- Importing Adult Prison Managers with No Juvie Experience
- Kids' Healthcare Worse at TYC than Before Scandal
- Alleged Cronyism, Possible Corruption in Vendor Choices
- Retaliation by Management Alleged Against Field Staff
- Management Blames Staff For Their Own Failures
- Understaffing Plagues TYC Facilities
- Education Sub-Par for TYC Kids
- TYC Expects New Policies to Increase Recidivism
- JCOs Still Receive 1/2 Amount of Training as Adult Prison Guards
- Overtime Pay Halted, Worsening Understaffing
- Agency Fired Dozens of Experienced Employees Uninvolved with Misconduct
- Management Consultants Called New TYC Chiefs Poor Leaders
- Agency Shifting to Private Prisons for 10-13 Year Olds Despite Bad Problems
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29 comments:
Well, duh! It's about time! cciiq
I think we were saying that from the begining...people we have to stop electing stupid people to public office...
KTF
Grits,
The AAS has a stunning article today on the TYC pepper spray hearing yesterday. Take a look at the monthly incident reports of pepper spray use, esp the jump from July to August and since.
BB
Mike Ward's article in today's Statesman discussed some aspects of the court hearing.
The expert witness was Steve Martin(That is very interesting; Steve was the legal advisor for TDC during TDC/TDCJ's long running court case with Judge Justice).
The lack of stats on the decrease of TYC injuries was not mentioned . Stats on the INCREASE of "pepper spray" was well documented. Fact: The use of spray is up; injuries are way down.
The Statesman article indicates some of the people that are in charge of the units refuse to accept change indicating more changes are required at the unit level.
They need to replace the current management including Lashbrook. She is still part of the residue of the last management team. As long as she remains, old mindsets of corruption, unethical behavior, mismanagement, abuse of power and mistreatment will still remain.
Gov Goodhair will do nothing until the polls actually show him trailing a yellow dog in upcoming elections.
This current batch of politicrats think they are immune to everything.
DFT
8:42, injuries classified how?? Steve Martin argues that every time a youth is sprayed, they are essentially injured.
As I'm sure you know, experts in corrections can and do work for either side in a court case -- depending on who contracts with them first.
More changes required on the unit level?? I honestly don't think TYC could handle any more "changes" (read: retaliation) at the unit level.
I strongly question your perspective on this issue.
pepper spray is a good thing if used right. when your 60 yuears old and weigh 150 pounds and a 6'2 225 18 year starts assaulting you which is happening at every facility in TYC every day.. It is bad that they are people who will abuse it, something needs to be inplace for that.
Lets keep in mind a supervisor can not train work ethic, or personality. Lets also keep in mind we are not going to get the best employess because Wal Mart pays almost as much as TYC. You get what you pay for. And for the people who do this for the kids such as I. We are wore out and looking for some help, we are hanging from a cliff and losing grip every day.
It appears that the governor will do nothing to change the current administration. I believe he is just laying low until the storm is over. Since Gulliani is looking at him for a running mate, it would be a more than stupid on his part to admit "errors in judgement", or whatever this mess he created is called.
As someone said previously "Follow the money". I did not want to believe that was true, but now I have no doubt that it is true.
I wish that the judge would impose something on TYC officials for the refusal to follow the order of the court, but it apears she is washing her hands of this, also. It seems that this administration can get by with anything, even contempt of court!!! How sad for the employees and students with the Texas Youth Commission. I believe that Joint Committee on TYC should call for Pope's resignation immediately. They certainly had no problem with doing it with Harris and the TYC Board of Directors!!! This does make one wonder WHO, WHAT, WHEN, AND WHERE!!!
Maybe we can get Gulliani to recommend Goodhair for Homeland Security, so both can be reminded of their great judgment. At election time, maybe we should add that judge to the incumbents who need to go seek unemployment insurance. On the other hand, maybe Appleseed etc should try to move this to federal court as a violation of civil rights. That is essentially the way TYC got to meet and greet Judge Justice. By the way, Justice would have really appreciated a contempt situation.
Hanging by a cliff and losing grip daily is exactly how most of us feel 10:21 a.m. Watching coworkers look beat and worn out is eating me up! We are all in the same sinking boat and no one is throwing us a life raft. The answer is so simple that our elected officials and guv don't want to hear it, but getting rid of the Dementia & her Dummies is the light at the end of the tunnel. It's much too uncomplicated for them and we can only hope one of them is listening. Take care and know you are not alone!!
The TYC stigma will follow guv goodhair around for years. I don't see how anyone could want him for a running mate! Guilliani would do great to steer clear of Perry, he'll for sure sink his NY ferry!
I feel the same way as 6:39. I see the JCO staff and I hear their stories of working such long hours. They are working like robots and under so much pressure due to the lack of direction from our top officials.
We all know how important the JCOs are for all of our TYC youth. For the most part, the JCOs truly care about these youth even when the general public are fed up with them. JCOs understand some of these youth have been misguided because the lack of parenting, left to raise themselves in some cases, and some have mental and emotional disabilities they have to contend with. I do not mean to downplay their criminal acts and the suffering of their victims, but there is hope for most of these young youth.
The JCOs need our support. They need to be paid their overtime – it’s only right. I do not care if you must rob Peter to pay Paul [rob GovGoodHair to pay JCO].
These JCOs need our support. To give them the proper support they deserve, we need dedicated leadership that does not have vested political interest.
Upper officials cannot seem to understand that there are times that use of force is necessary, whether it be the use of OC or initiating a manual restraint. When either is used correctly and as needed it can be an effective tool in minimizing a volatile situation. You are always going to have one or two staff that think every situation needs to be handled with use of force; you deal with those staff as needed, but for the most part, staff do their best to use verbal intervention. That is all part of training. I do not understand all the big fuss on whether OC is going to be used, or whether a manual restraint is going to be used – every situation is different because you’re dealing with youth – humans – no two are alike. You cannot set a mandate down and say you must do A. B. and then C. since every situation is so unique.
Honestly, we need to get to the basics. We have youth we need to care for in a safe environment and we have staff that need our support. TYC use to be a place I was proud to say I work for, now it is like working for a circus… you just never know. I have started seeing staff turn on one another that have been friends for years because of the politics that have been brought into the picture and the unnecessary stress. Instead of worrying about what color shirt we are wearing, lets worry about rehabilitating an educating the youth, lets worry about recruiting staff, lets worry about keeping our current staff happy… enough with the poor management, lets get on track and get it done.
Everyone that has outside computer access needs to e-mail your state rep on a dailey-weekly basis.
Tell them the truth of your installed administrators and the conditions of the overworked JCO staff.
POWER IN NUMBERS
Dont stop... do it every week until they step up to the plate and put democracy to work here....
One can write policy, give directives,and come up with a good or bad plan. But when it gets to the point that there is no one left to carry out your orders, your policies are not worth the paper they are written on.
Tyc is headed in that direction faster than I have ever seen it before. No one left to work. Gee, that is not really all that hard to understand or see that this is happening. Lege better get on the stick and make something stick!
Very well said, 7:42. Please hang in there. There are central office doing there best to support you.
Hey 8:26 try e-mailing our Great Leader Mr. Troy Frasier??? First of all He is not Man eneough to contact any people who voted for Him in Brown County what does that tell you??? Come on the only way to get this settled is to let them have thier way and run TYC into the ground then they will say they accomplished something........Troy Frasier is a walking Joke and I hope the residents in Brown County wake up and realize that when election time comes around! ,I think for the most part of the people I have spoken with as well as myself have started to look for workelsewhere and thats a hard thing to do as I have been a Team Player in TYC for 16 years and damn proud of it but its getting close and without any help from our local leaders its time to exit and seek work somewhere else where the Legislators do not have a hand in anything.
I think the hardest part of leaving TYC is the fact during this Administration I have seen some damn good Staff resign due to all of the stress that these fools have given us and you know the kicker is that no one cares except just a few Employees who are left due to the fact that they have to stay to keep Families alive.
So I thank you Mr Frasier and your other friends in the Legislature for destroying my dreams of someday retiring with TYC.
8:57, You speak the truth! If Lashbrook goes maybe the halfway houses can start healing. I know she has allowed her "favorites" to remain in their positions even under VERY strong evidence of abuse and neglect, the ones she didn't like....she threw under the bus. She has allowed so many awful things to continue with no resolution.
This is to all the chaplains out there - get out of your offices and into the trenches! One of the best ways of serving the kids is to serve the JCOs and Caseworkers who have the daily close contact with them. When staff are stressed out, and it is obvious they are, they need support from every available source, but they especially need spiritual support. I know that TYC does not pay much for chaplains, any more than they pay much for any staff outside of Central Office, but that is no excuse for you not to do your job. Jesus lived in poverty.
When I was in the Corps, I don't ever remember meeting a mediocre chaplain. They were either superb or worthless. I'm sorry to say, I haven't seen too many superb chaplains in TYC. Prove me wrong. Old Salty
sorry 7:52, no one on my campus can stand the chaplain. He has been involved in scandal, has been caught in so many lies that the volunteers and staff don't like to deal with him and the youth don't trust him because he has lied to them so many times. He won't listen to anyone and thinks he is above everyone.
No one wants him in their building and turn and walk the other way or hide when they see him. He has turned most of the campus staff against him and the religious volunteers.
Anyone need a new chaplain out there? You can have ours!
Which campus are you referring to?
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A563809
TYC Shows Little Evidence of 'Reform' at State Schools
If you are 60 years old, you are too old to be a JCO. Quit.
Allegations Involving Axes, Bombs Follow Rumbo to TYC
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A563810
The TYC fiasco is not going to blow over! The major media outlets in Texas are going to keep going because there are so many people willing to tell them what is really happening inside of TYC. The internet has made sharing the truth about TYC easy and open to many TYC employees. My understanding is there will be a major media blitz against the current TYC administration. Watch the big news papers and their web sites. Not only will there be print articles you will be able to view video stories on the internet till your eyes cross from more than one major media source.
I hope Ms. Pope and her TDCJ buds get to experience the mental anguish so many of the past and current TYC employees have. It might actually make them better people. It will most likely take a major life event to cause the smallest change in people who are so evil. Ms. Pope it might be a good time to fall on your knees and beg for forgiveness and turn from your evil ways. Ask yourself what would Jesus do. I know this may be a foreign concept to you but you might want to give it a try.
Even if you have whored your way to the top and have destroyed countless people’s lives God will forgive you if you are truly sorry and turn from your life of sin Ms. Pope. Jesus is your only hope!
FTM
If Gulliani gets the nomination and he selects Goodhair as his running mate, Billary will get my vote - and I did not think there was any way I could ever vote for Billary!
I was talking to a friend from Navasota, and he told me he could not believe that Rumbo got hired by TYC. Oh, well... I guess he is supremely more qualified than Ms Williams - not!
Yes grits you forgot Rumbo on your list.
The legislature will have to force him to replace the management. He has to appoint someone soon I would imagine as their is no acting conservator. We are supposed to be in conservatorship but there really has been no conservator since Kimbrough left. How long can the legislature allow this to go on. How long can the legislature stand by and not see the real issues of reform not being addressed.
Nice post. I really liked it.. Don't forget to update it regularly. I am looking for new updates dying to read more stuff from you.
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