Texas youth lockups are beset by abuse and mistreatment of children, Justice Department report says
A Justice Department report stated that youth lockups in Texas remain beset by sexual abuse and mistreatment of children — about 80% who are Black or Hispanic.
Youth lockups in Texas remain beset by sexual abuse, excessive use of pepper spray and other mistreatment including the prolonged isolation of children in their cells, the Justice Department said Thursday in a scathing report that accused the state of violating the constitutional rights of hundreds in custody.
The report comes three years after the department launched a federal investigation into alleged widespread abuse and harsh practices within the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, which takes in hundreds of young people every year.
Staff in the detention centers have engaged in sexual acts with children, kept some for stretches of 17 to 22 hours of isolation in their cells and pepper sprayed children in their faces, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in releasing the report.
Clarke also noted that about 80% of Texas children in the lockups are Black or Hispanic.
“This is a racial justice issue,’’ she said. “Our children deserve to be protected from harm and access to essential services.”
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