US: For more than a century, Texas youth prisons have fostered abuse: The institutions have proven immune to reform because abuse is imbedded in their very structures (Opinion) (Requires subscription)
Washington Post – October 25, 2021
The Department of Justice recently announced a civil rights investigation into widespread reports of “physical and sexual abuse by staff and other residents, excessive use of chemical restraints and excessive use of isolation” in five youth prisons operated by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Citing reports that 11 staff members had been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing youths, spokeswoman Kristen Clarke described “reports of youths being choked, body-slammed, pepper-sprayed and kicked,” as well as two “apparent suicides” of youths in custody. This investigation comes on the heels of a similar scandal 15 years ago. Despite the sweeping changes that followed, children in Texas youth prisons remain at risk of abuse. In fact, abuse has been the hallmark of these institutions for more than 130 years, despite many efforts at reform. That’s because the prison itself, and the dynamics it fosters, forms the basis for abuse, and unless we rethink the use of youth prisons entirely, it will continue.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/10/25/more-than-century-texas-youth-prisons-have-fostered-abuse/