The number of juveniles sent to youth prisons from Texas' largest counties dramatically declined after 2007 - when the Legislature implemented reforms at the Texas Youth Commission in the wake of a sex abuse scandal - demonstrating the remarkable extent to which state and local decisionmaking drives incarceration policy as much or more than crime rates. This chart (compiled from data
published here) depicts those declines, which by far were steepest in Houston and Austin:
Bottom line, if Texas decides to incarcerate fewer people, the experiment with juvenile prisons shows the state can do so. Those declines mainly represent local judges and prosecutors deciding to utilize prisons less and focusing more on probation, with the net result of roughly halving TYC's inmate population. IMO not only could the state
do the same thing with adult prisons, the coming budget crisis may force us to do so.
Thanks for proving this informtion Grits. Its difficult to obtain such details from the agency at times. Following your proposals, abuse can be drastically cut even more in the adult and youth lockups and save the state sorely needed funds.
ReplyDeleteTexas ranks near the bottom in high school graduates and only 27% of adults have a college degree. At the same time, we have the largest prison system in the world. Those are not biased view-points, they are facts!
ReplyDeleteSo they want to cut Juvenile Probation Commission fuding by $30million after Texas counties have drastically cut commitments to TYC?
ReplyDeleteThese commitment cuts have been accomplished by TJPC providing counties funding to develop community based programs and placement alternatives. Cost to state per TYC commitments yearly = $100K. Payments to counties = $50K per diversion up to a certain number.
We've already saved 'um $50K per year per kid. How much more blood do they want from this little ol' turnip?
Plato
Everyone knows turnips are full of excess throughtout the plant. Far past time for some accountability from the turnips. TYC was a turnip until it was squeezed to rid the excess overgead and internal waste. Follow by example...step up and help the state.
ReplyDeleteTrue, TYC is now only housing the most violent and agressive felons. Now, is anyone still wondering why the violence in TYC is increasing?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteTrue, TYC is now only housing the most violent and agressive felons. Now, is anyone still wondering why the violence in TYC is increasing?
8/01/2010 09:37:00 PM
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Had not really thought much about the violence you talk about. Almost all of the news coverage has been about the child molesters who work(ed) there.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteTrue, TYC is now only housing the most violent and agressive felons. Now, is anyone still wondering why the violence in TYC is increasing?
8/01/2010 09:37:00 PM
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Had not really thought much about the violence you talk about. Almost all of the news coverage has been about the child molesters who work(ed) there.
A little off topic, but you and your readers may be interested to know that here in Hidalgo County, a local JP has been indicted for official oppression. She has been jailing 17 year old truants who haven't paid their fines. Aside from the indictment, the ACLU has filed suit. As per the public's feed back noted in the "Monitor", many support the JP's actions; many don't. Are JP s throughout the state jailing teens for failing to pay their truancy related fines?
ReplyDeleteHow can you expect the public to feel sorry for those supervising dangerous youth when the biggest news, all the time, is employee abuses of these youth? Who are the worst 'bads'; youth or employees?
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting post Grits but I think it is incomplete without an analysis of how many youth have been "diverted" through probation to the adult system. It is my experience across the state that judges are lamenting the legislatures decision to scrap the determinate sentencing system by lowering the age of TYC to 19. Now 16 and 17 year old youth are simply being probated until they are old enough to go to the adult system.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the data abot
Violence in TYC,if it is actually increasing which is debatable, is likely attributed to several factors. These clearly include the lasting instability in changing treatment programs and administrations over the past several years. Additionally, many youth are being committed to TYC with determinate sentences and won't have time to complete their minimum periods of confinement. Many youth are now required to return to the committing county court after a year or two in TYC and feel that they don't have a chance to be released to parole by the court. So they lose hope and act like they will need to when they are transferred to prison.
ReplyDeleteYes, the violence is increasing. At Al Price, even the local emergency rooms are starting to question what the heck is going on over there. And -surprise - the powers that be in Austin have finally figured out there is a gang problem at Al Price. Of course, this has been no secret to those who actually work at the unit, and don't spend all day within the safe confines of the admin building.
ReplyDeleteSuck it up - 14. TYC administration is always the last to know what is going on and last to offer real help to the field units. Its TYC culture.....like it or leave it. Employees are fodder to admin and simply there for their misuse. Since they are also about to change your benefits and retirement, might as well hit the road before the rush.
ReplyDeleteActually, if I can stick it out a few more years, I can retire being fully vested. The last time they changed my benefits, the multiplier went up. If you have some info on this, please share.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, there are some subtle changes being made in Austin for the better. Nothing earth-shattering, but it will definitely make my job easier.
Just wondering if you could send out stats on juveniles that were certified vs sent to tyc, that would be interesting to see.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
mom
whose son was certified
I really doubt it is true we could do the same with the adult prisons as it would appear that more of the youth that were coming to TYC are being diverted and given just a few more chances until they can be sent to TDCJ.
ReplyDeleteEven with this being done, it appears the executive level is taking advantage of a lessening oversight in the past year or so. It appears they are set on insuring the agency will be dismantled and absorbed/merged/stripped to nothing for not remembering the lessons clearly layed out not so very long ago.
Grits posting on 1/28/09 references a report by the TYC ombudsman that certification rates increased 30 percent in the year after passage of SB103. I don't know of anything since then. Some at UT Austin were trying to carry this torch for awhile. If i recall Jerry whats his name legislator did not care much for the ombudsman's report.
ReplyDeleteI caution those who reference TYC posts from this time. They were ugly and Grits was in the habit of having to shut them down. In other words stick to the posting and avoid the comments.
The reality is that since the implementation of the DSO law in 96 approximately 30 percent have been transferred from TYC to the adult prison system.
ReplyDelete1009: Go back to your den. Others have thoughts also.
ReplyDeleteANY parent who allows teir child to be committed to TYC should should be sentenced to two years in in TDCJ, more if the child is a repeat frequent flyer. That said, TYC is the absolute worst example of juvenile corrections in the United States. From state schools to halfway houses to the joke of TYC parole, the whole mess is a dangerous infection waiting to pop and spread.
ReplyDeleteAnon at 8/08/2010 03:04:00 PM: Have you heard about Mississippi's juvies?
ReplyDelete