Youths across Texas have suffered mistreatment in the TJJD (Texas Juvenile Justice
Department) for the past fifteen years. A place that is a correctional and rehabilitative facility for
the young juvenile offenders is more like an adult prison in the way it confines and handles the
young juveniles. The TJJD has varying cases of sexual, mental, and physical abuse due to the
scarcity of resources in the centers. Due to the severity of the problem, there has been a push
for reformation within the juvenile centers by the citizens of Texas.
The TJJD should reform its staffing, mental healthcare, and overcrowding problems in the
juvenile centers.
A shortage of staff in the centers has contributed to the ongoing cases of physical abuse of
youths. Juveniles are imprisoned in their cells for up to 23 hours a day and the youths use water
bottles as restrooms in order to relieve themselves due to the fact that juveniles are not allowed
to be outside their cells without the proper supervision that is lacking in these facilities. This past
year alone, the overturn rate of detention officers reached over 70%, with most leaving within six
months of employment. The shortage of staff alongside the overcrowding of youths in the
facilities has contributed to the ongoing problem.
The overcrowding of youths in the facilities have led to an increase in sexual abuse. On
average, one in ten juveniles housed in facilities with less than 25 youths, report being sexually
abused. According to the school resource officer, juveniles housed with the general population
are more likely to get assaulted or beaten. But with the high rate of youths being sent to juvenile
detention centers by judges that deem this option to be the easiest when it comes to dealing
with troubled youths, having a staggering 600 juveniles per facility, it has increased the
sexual abuse rate to three times the amount.
The low quality of mental health services offered at the juvenile facilities are having a
detrimental impact on the quality of youths getting rehabilitated. Studies show that 69% of
detained juveniles in 2021 were in need of mental health services that couldn't be provided by
the facilities. With the lack of care, juvenile centers have experienced more than 2,000 reported
incidents of self-harm and more than 6,500 suicide alerts in TJJD facilities in 2021.
Others argue that there shouldn’t be a reform to the system because it currently costs $588
per juvenile, a day. Money that comes from taxpayer’s dollars. Considering that the young
juveniles have the potential to be future contributing members of society, the TJJD should fight
the Texas government for more funding. Instead of the Texas government using the taxpayer’s
dollars to have more gun storage campaigns that cost around one million dollars, the money
would be better spent in the rehabilitation of the young Texan youth.
Allocating money from the gun storage campaigns to the TJJD is the solution towards the ongoing problems
faced in the detention centers.
The TJJD centers staffing, overcrowding, and mental health care needs should be reformed
in order to improve the lives of the youths in order for them to become better members of
society once they are released.
