tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post8331322230978544438..comments2024-03-15T05:45:01.402-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: ACLU lawsuit challenges strip searches, punitive isolation of girls at TYC Brownwood unitGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-77865232380880070622008-06-23T22:27:00.000-05:002008-06-23T22:27:00.000-05:00I would say it is those on the right who hide, wai...I would say it is those on the right who hide, waiting first to see if someone says something they agree with before putting their ideas out there. Afraid to stand alone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-23862595500599417632008-06-21T08:25:00.000-05:002008-06-21T08:25:00.000-05:00If the "right" had anything intelligent worth resp...If the "right" had anything intelligent worth responding to then maybe the "moderates( still left of the right)" or the "left" would respond. Responding to a narrow minded fool who holds to only one point of view is a "one-sided" conversation/argument not worth engaging in any form of debate! ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-26269239658264697272008-06-21T01:24:00.000-05:002008-06-21T01:24:00.000-05:00IMO, the powers that REALLY be are the lawmakers d...IMO, the powers that REALLY be are the lawmakers down in Austin. Nothing's changed because TYC is just biding time until the next legislative session in 2009. Brace yourself...there will be a lot more "thumb twiddling" until then. That's really all we can expect while the agency's hands are tied to SB103.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-26474502025068311002008-06-21T01:04:00.000-05:002008-06-21T01:04:00.000-05:00Not a damn thing. I guess the left doesn't like th...Not a damn thing. I guess the left doesn't like the right on this blog. I noticed they tend to shut up when the right dominates. Typical smelly feet liberals...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-18590772544901709602008-06-20T19:12:00.000-05:002008-06-20T19:12:00.000-05:00Other than banishing Pope and Humphrey what has TY...Other than banishing Pope and Humphrey what has TYC done over the past few months?<BR/><BR/>Does it appear were stuck in the mud, looking through the rear view mirror, hoping that something more will happen?<BR/><BR/>What about the new leadership that was suppose to shake things up, Gadeow and Smith, can anyone tell me what they have done recently?<BR/><BR/>Not trying to throw any mud but at some point something has to give, some direction. Were still trying to get CoNextions off the ground here at Al Price, did I mention "Trying".<BR/><BR/>All of us keep hearing about our new Superintendent coming on board soon from out of state. Does this mean their qualified to run a facility because their from another state, what state could this be? Was the job posted, never mind no one would put in for it over here.<BR/><BR/>I'm done just wanted to vent , not that it will help much, have to work this weekend and the children are restless.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-47857494391673841062008-06-18T19:43:00.000-05:002008-06-18T19:43:00.000-05:00Nope, Abbott is about as competent as Perry, Kimbr...Nope, Abbott is about as competent as Perry, Kimbrough, Owens, and Pope.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-27574058866140949242008-06-18T17:24:00.000-05:002008-06-18T17:24:00.000-05:00Houston Chronicle May 27, 2008, 10:08AMAbbott's la...Houston Chronicle <BR/>May 27, 2008, 10:08AM<BR/>Abbott's large war chest hints at higher ambitions.......<BR/><BR/>By R.G. RATCLIFFE<BR/>Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau <BR/><BR/>......Democrats also are critical of him for inaction in a sexual abuse case at the Texas Youth Commission.<BR/><BR/>Can we count on the AGs office to deal with these TYC cases?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-61065536772424860472008-06-17T17:40:00.000-05:002008-06-17T17:40:00.000-05:0010:35,The reason is that the medical neglect is ke...10:35,<BR/><BR/>The reason is that the medical neglect is kept quiet and most people who would report on it do not have access to the information. I am aware of two recent deaths, one of which sounds like negligent homocide to me.<BR/><BR/>Howard A. HickmanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-53697273494342467982008-06-17T10:35:00.000-05:002008-06-17T10:35:00.000-05:00We need to quit bickering over the past, we can no...We need to quit bickering over the past, we can not change it, we need to learn from it. Howard has a very valid and concerning point in the fact of medical neglect. We need to be looking at this more closely instead of arguing over past administrators. TYC is failing the youth if they are just letting them be released with serious medical issues, that, to me is almost criminal in itself. Howard, in your opinion,why has nothing been done or written about this? The media is concerned about physical and sexual abuse, look at the lawsuit from ACLU, what about the medical neglect? Why doesn't the ACLU look into that?Annonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13594835383346509910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-75527563328023865072008-06-17T10:07:00.000-05:002008-06-17T10:07:00.000-05:00I have it... and other than driving through or fly...I have it... and other than driving through or flying over I haven't really been in Oklahoma.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-41235641146885468282008-06-16T23:18:00.000-05:002008-06-16T23:18:00.000-05:00Okay 8:27, that is legal's job to give advice, and...Okay 8:27, that is legal's job to give advice, and the Administration took it. As far as confirmed investigations, Central Office legal and HR approved those, too. If an investigation was confirmed, staff were held accountable. I would be willing to bet you don't have a darn thing from Emily Helm, and you are full of Oklahoma BS.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-83816193847608485372008-06-16T20:27:00.000-05:002008-06-16T20:27:00.000-05:005:56 p.m.There were plenty of confirmed investigat...5:56 p.m.<BR/><BR/>There were plenty of confirmed investigations and a letter from Emily Helm to the former administration (still got a copy of it.) <BR/><BR/>They went to the Karl Rove school of character assignation and truth obfuscation, too...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-37800369391811989132008-06-16T17:56:00.000-05:002008-06-16T17:56:00.000-05:002:38, you are an idiot. It is amazing how much ve...2:38, you are an idiot. It is amazing how much venom you all can spew when there is not one single solitary piece of evidence to substantiate the lies being written about Crockett. GFB, I suppose you believe that W was behind the JFK assassination and the melting of the polar ice caps? Just for the record, nobody denied the abuse issues at Brownwood and some of the other schools. I only know of the facts and wrote about Crockett. Seems to me the only one jerking off is you, Scott, and you must be thinking about Allison. Niether of you have any facts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-90365907913912236382008-06-16T17:40:00.000-05:002008-06-16T17:40:00.000-05:00Father's Day has come and gone. It got me to thin...Father's Day has come and gone. It got me to thinking. What kind of fathers are many of the men who work for TYC? What kind of role model are they for the young men in their charge?<BR/><BR/>Not many are married, have you noticed? How many remain unattached so as to benefit from the favors of the females they supervise? Actually, they hook up with the women that their buddies supervise and visa versa. <BR/><BR/>Don't we expect the TYC females to provide that service? This doesn't apply to all, but to a lot. These young men (students) see that females don't expect any committment so why should any of them bother to be responsible fathers?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-57971128699405744242008-06-16T14:38:00.000-05:002008-06-16T14:38:00.000-05:00"Guards had used excessive force on inmates, and s..."Guards had used excessive force on inmates, and staffers had misplaced records of inmates' abuse claims."<BR/><BR/>This was true and did happen at Crockett in 2002. Don't give the Crockett Admin too much credit for following up, though (unless you are referring to Linda Smith.) They only addressed issues because they had their arm twisted by legal to do so. I.E. Emily Helm's warning that if the continued to fail to take appropriate disciplinary action against several (favored) employees then the adminstrators would not be backed by the legal department if it did go to a lawsuit.<BR/><BR/>Grits, please don't too upset about all the "masturbatory" behavior and I certainly wouldn't class you as a mainstream media type. It sounds as if some of those writting may be trying to cover themselves.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-17829813629342548142008-06-16T10:50:00.000-05:002008-06-16T10:50:00.000-05:00Hay Bill we need the Gatesville State School for B...Hay Bill we need the Gatesville State School for Boys system back in play with its Mountain View alternative for those really bad staff and kids. Mountain View was a monument to Turmans TYC and the beginning of really learning how to cover-up improprieties. 35 years and some 60k kids later and these tyc folks got cover-up down. What can decent Texans do about it?<BR/>Sheldon tyc#47333Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-64896914156008431582008-06-16T05:55:00.000-05:002008-06-16T05:55:00.000-05:00Oh, I get it, there was no coverup because when ab...Oh, I get it, there was no coverup because when abuse was reported, nothing was done. Gotcha. Makes perfect sense. (If it weren't defensive and ridiculously circular.) Personally, I value my credibility too much to pretend there was no physical or sexual abuse at TYC under Dwight Harris. That's a lie - his own stats admitted it <A HREF="http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2007/01/understaffing-at-texas-youth-lockups.html" REL="nofollow">tripled under his watch</A>. Only you guys think nothing was wrong.<BR/><BR/>This string was originally about Brownwood, btw - I notice nobody wants to claim the Segura case never occurred (nobody's touched that one), the Coke County example was granted, and now the fact that the Bush Administration didn't do a civil rights investigation in Texas is used as "evidence" the allegations were spurious. Surely there were no political reasons for their inaction, huh? (They filed suit at Evins after their unresponsiveness was reported). Your stance that nobody did anything wrong is simply delusional, self serving, and not credible enough to respond to further until you dispute the other examples.<BR/><BR/>As for my defending TYC employees, I spent most of last year arguing against punishing employees who'd not been accused of wrongdoing. Your memory appears selective if you don't recall that. It's why most TYC employees are here.<BR/><BR/>The last commenter had good advice about troll feeding, so I'm done with this string - you whiners enjoy the masturbation session. Once you've all exonerated one another and the agency and convinced each other nobody has a clue about anything but you, maybe you can launch your own blog to spread such views and let me know how much traffic it attracts or how seriously you're taken.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-310850734644960072008-06-16T01:31:00.000-05:002008-06-16T01:31:00.000-05:00Don't feed the trolls, or they bite you over and o...Don't feed the trolls, or they bite you over and over again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-27491173946539616382008-06-15T23:27:00.000-05:002008-06-15T23:27:00.000-05:00Here is what the link to the DMN says about Ms. Br...Here is what the link to the DMN says about Ms. Brock and her complaints about Crockett:<BR/><BR/>Alison Brock, a former chief of staff for state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, said she referred 25 abuse complaints about the TYC's Crockett State School to the Civil Rights Division beginning in January 2003. She did so, she said, because the state agency was taking insufficient action. <BR/><BR/>Among the complaints confirmed by TYC investigators: Guards had used excessive force on inmates, and staffers had misplaced records of inmates' abuse claims. <BR/><BR/>Ms. Brock called an attorney in the Justice Department's Special Litigation Section, which enforces civil laws barring unconstitutional conditions in state custodial facilities. That section has a lower evidentiary threshold for bringing cases than the division's criminal section and can, if necessary, file suit to enforce recommendations. <BR/><BR/>The section looks for "pattern or practice" violations. Because its attorneys do not have subpoena power, they typically rely on citizen complaints or other public sources to build a case to open a formal investigation. <BR/><BR/>"One of the things I continued to hear [from federal attorneys] was that we need more complaints so we can show that it's systemic," Ms. Brock said. "And at some point I just thought, well, what do you need? A tsunami?" <BR/><BR/>No civil rights investigation of the Crockett facility ever occurred. <BR/><BR/>Just like what has been said, there was no evidence to support her frivolous claims because if there was the feds would have jumped all over it. TYC, specifically, Crokett Administration and the investigators at Crockett followed TYC policy on each and every allegation of mistreatment at Crockett. Ms. Brock came to the Campus and listened to a bunch of juvenile delinquents blow smoke up her skirt, and then ran to the feds with NOTHING to support her claims. She was played like a fool. Please Grits, stop defending her, you are looking like a fool too!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-55365468294308031352008-06-15T22:31:00.000-05:002008-06-15T22:31:00.000-05:00Well tell me, Mr. Scott Henson, what action has th...Well tell me, Mr. Scott Henson, what action has the DOJ taken as a result of the DMN selling newspapers and on-line subscriptions to the DMN website with regard to what Allison Brock reported to them?<BR/><BR/>The fact is, the DOJ did nothing with those allegations, and you keep avoiding the question. What was the result of their involvement? What happened in the end? Not a damn thing. You media types run a bunch of sensational bullshit to prove your points, but that's all it is... sensational bullshit, and I don't even work for that agency and can see through the bullshit.<BR/><BR/>I can sit here and say you promote communism. Is that true? I'd hope not. But because I allege it, does it make it true? See the McCarthy trials man... better yet, go to Salem, and get your answers. This is nothing short of a liberal witch trial of an agency attempting to reform it’s self and outsiders attempting to run interference to justify their own radical agenda – and that being the weed burning liberals of the ACLU.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-58709197439768556992008-06-15T21:55:00.000-05:002008-06-15T21:55:00.000-05:00Grits, you say: "I've been the first to defend TYC...Grits, you say: "I've been the first to defend TYC employees when those who were blameless paid the price for others' misconduct. But it's just silly at this point to contend that the agency has no problems and it's all the media or ACLU's fault." Just how many of the blameless have you publicly stood up for? I know there are more than three.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, just curious. The toilet still needs to be flushed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-3086050459337994482008-06-15T20:34:00.000-05:002008-06-15T20:34:00.000-05:00"I still haven't heard why Turner's girl, Allison ..."I still haven't heard why Turner's girl, Allison Brock's allegations vented to the USDOJ failed to turn up anything meaningful "<BR/><BR/>Read the links already provided, it's explained quite thoroughly.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-84579159371083339782008-06-15T20:27:00.000-05:002008-06-15T20:27:00.000-05:00I think Howard Hickman, whoever he may be, makes a...I think Howard Hickman, whoever he may be, makes a valid point. If I'm not mistaken, things have gotten much worse at the TYC since Rick Perry placed this agency under consevatorship after he bent over to John Whitmire's demands. <BR/><BR/>I still haven't heard why Turner's girl, Allison Brock's allegations vented to the USDOJ failed to turn up anything meaningful at the Crockett State School, and why the USDOJ did nothing with it. Why was that? Anyone care to fess up?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-89988457214325267122008-06-15T11:14:00.000-05:002008-06-15T11:14:00.000-05:00Anon 6:12,Your point about the youth taking contro...Anon 6:12,<BR/><BR/>Your point about the youth taking control is, it seems to me, key.<BR/><BR/>Control is the central issue in any correctional environment. It has preoccupied corrections planners in adult prisons and youth facilities since at least the late 19th century.<BR/><BR/>The question is, how to maintain control while also making rehabilitation possible? Often the two end up being mutually exclusive, by all appearances.<BR/><BR/>This is why many reformers believe that making piecemeal policy changes in existing facilities isn't enough. It only makes for a more dangerous environment, as you've pointed out, and does little to further rehabilitation, which is supposed to be one of the major reasons for the existence of a separate juvenile system in the first place.<BR/><BR/>Richard Nedelkoff has, in his public statements, seemed to acknowledge that best practices would dictate very different types of facilities than the ones that currently exist. But getting there is probably very challenging in the current political environment.<BR/><BR/>And meanwhile, staff and youth are caught in what I can only imagine is a very muddled and dangerous kind of limbo.<BR/><BR/>My view is that the agency should not be scrapped, b/c it might lead to a further merging of the juvenile and adult systems, which would be bad for the youth, bad for the staff, and most importantly bad for society overall. It would be a historic reversal of the core values of a separate juvenile system. <BR/><BR/>I strongly support those values: that youth are more often than not less mature and thus less responsible for their actions than are adults, that they are more amenable to rehabilitation and to becoming good citizens, and that they are everybody's problem not just that of a small underpaid staff of JCOs, specialists, and administrators.<BR/><BR/>Bill BushAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-78384030879007172232008-06-15T10:09:00.000-05:002008-06-15T10:09:00.000-05:00I find it rather interesting that we are talking a...I find it rather interesting that we are talking about old "coverups" instead of the current ones. The biggest current coverup going on in TYC is the medical negligence by UTMB resulting in several deaths and the medical dumping of ill or injured youth through immediate medical discharge when their medical treatment appears to be too costly to UTMB. The lack of a treatment program is also another current coverup. The release of untreated youth to reduce populations is another coverup. The hiring of unqualified overpaid administrators with connections is yet more coverup.There are many coverups now going on that make whatever happened at West Texas even under the worse case scenario seem very minor.<BR/><BR/>Howard A. HickmanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com