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| Abuse cases rise among juveniles in detention |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 12/01/2003 |
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Confirmed cases of abuse and mistreatment have doubled at the state's 22 juvenile detention facilities and halfway houses over the past five years, according to figures from the Texas Youth Commission. Advocates for juvenile offenders say the rise indicates a detention system that is overwhelmed by emotionally disturbed youths. The percentage of mentally ill juvenile offenders has jumped from about one-quarter of detainees in 1995 to nearly half the system's 5,200 residents today. State officials say that mentally ill offenders pose additional difficulties, but that the increase in abuse statistics reflects changes in the way allegations are classified. The two facilities with the highest incidences of abuse and mistreatment per student have the highest concentrations of mentally ill residents: Corsicana Residential Treatment Center and Crockett State School. Last year, the Texas Youth Commission received 1,458 allegations of abuse and mistreatment and ruled that 535 cases were valid. In 1998, the commission said, 260 cases were confirmed out of 693 reports. Residents can lodge mistreatment complaints, but most are filed by medical personnel and other staff. Complaints are assigned to youth commission investigators, and TYC is required to report serious incidents to law enforcement officials. New classification procedures that took effect three years ago expanded the definition of neglect, a type of abuse, to include any sexual contact or assault between offenders. Since then, the number of confirmed cases has continued to rise even as the system's population fell. Texas Youth Commission Chairman Leonard Lawrence said he isn't convinced that the numbers indicate an increase in abuse and mistreatment. "Some of this has been going on all along; we're just now catching it with our reporting," he told the Austin American-Statesman in Sunday's editions. In 1998, the commission reported that there were five confirmed cases of abuse or mistreatment per 100 students at the facilities. Last year, that rate doubled to 10 per 100 students. Juvenile offenders are in custody for crimes ranging from car theft to capital murder. Nearly all are punished in the counties in which they are declared delinquent. Judges send the toughest cases to state detention centers and halfway houses. Commission officials say they have made changes based on abuse reports. When the review board noticed that many assaults were happening in showers, the board required more supervision. When reports of drugs and other contraband rose, the agency acquired more drug-sniffing dogs and initiated surprise sweeps. |
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