Youth Incarceration

We continue to fight to expose the long-standing abuse, neglect, and systemic failures within the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) and local juvenile detention centers. From federal investigations to firsthand reports of appalling conditions, the coverage reveals a crisis that has persisted for decades. Experts and advocates highlight how race, gender identity, and poverty shape who is most likely to be criminalized and harmed in these systems. 

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division 2024 TJJD Findings Report

The Justice Department announcement of investigation into conditions at the five state juvenile facilities run by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.  

Texas juvenile detention center inmates experience ‘appalling’ living conditions, advocates say

Professor says allegations of abuse are nothing new in Texas juvenile detention system.

Who Gets a Childhood? Race and Juvenile Justice in Twentieth-Century Texas by William S. Bush.

Youth Justice By The Numbers, The Sentencing Project, August 2024

Effective Alternatives to Youth Incarceration, The Sentencing Project, June 2023