AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence met on Tuesday to discuss conditions inside the state’s juvenile detention facilities.
According to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD), there are 164 juvenile jail facilities to serve all 254 counties in Texas. Last year, more than 50,000 juvenile offenders were referred to detention centers, but only around 600 were actually committed.
The TJJD said staffing issues are one of its biggest struggles. According to the TJJD, in 2023, it experienced the worst staffing crisis in its history.
Multiple department leaders say the young people in these facilities are becoming more violent – something staff members have to deal with every day.
“One of the major concerns of the OIO [Office of the Independent Ombudsman] is the safety and security in the secured facilities. The OIO has noticed an increasing level of violence that is being perpetrated on the staff, by the youth,” said Sean McCluskey, the independent ombudsman for the TJJD. “A number of these assaults are unprovoked, and the acuity of the violence is often disturbing. The potential for violence is an issue that TJJD staff, as well as OIO staff, face on a weekly basis and is something I experienced firsthand in a recent visit.”
TJJD leaders say they hope lawmakers can help them address these staffing issues and provide more funding to make the facilities safer.