By Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department found on Thursday that Texas has routinely violated the civil rights of juveniles at five of its detention facilities by using excessive force, failing to protect them from sexual abuse and discriminating against children with disabilities.
The investigation, which started in October 2021, looked at the treatment of children in the custody of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.
The probe found that staffers at the facilities often use physical force against child detainees, including the frequent use of pepper spray as a “first response” to address misbehavior.
The report also said the facilities often lock children up in isolated solitary cells. One child named Abigail was locked up in solitary confinement for eight days in October 2022 before being transferred to a halfway house, the report found.
In addition, the Justice Department’s report uncovered a “pervasive atmosphere of sexual abuse, grooming, and lack of staff accountability and training.”
“Our findings today reflect the department’s commitment to safeguarding children’s’ rights in the juvenile justice system,” said Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, during a virtual press conference.
The five youth facilities reviewed by the Justice Department as part of its investigation included Evins Regional Juvenile Center, Gainesville State School, Giddings State School, McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility, and Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex.
A spokeswoman for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department could not be immediately reached for comment, and the Justice Department did not announce any plans to enter into a consent decree with Texas to help resolve the problems.
Clarke told reporters that Justice Department officials met with state officials earlier on Thursday to discus the findings.
“We look forward to immediately turning to the reforms necessary” to address the problems, she said.
According to the new report, problems at Texas juvenile facilities have persisted for years, leading the state to place the Texas Juvenile Justice Department under conservatorship in 2007.
The Justice Department also previously investigated the Evins facility and found the agency failed to protect children from violence there.
(This story has been corrected to say ‘McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility’, not ‘McClennan,’ in paragraph 7, after an official revision by the Justice Department)
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Frances Kerry)
