Mar 8
Per the Statesman:
A convicted, registered sex offender was discovered working at a West Texas youth prison and promptly fired Wednesday. But state investigators said their biggest surprise was this: Texas Youth Commission officials in Austin had been alerted to the worker’s past and failed to act.
They took the same type of dismissive action in a 2005 case involving Ray Brookins, a former assistant superintendent of the West Texas State School in Pyote who has been accused of having sex with incarcerated teenage boys there, internal Youth Commission documents confirm. In that case, an investigator at the school substantiated a report of sexual abuse, authorities said, but the finding was changed to unconfirmed after it reached Austin.
I’m sure the TYC abuse scandal will be held up as another reason to support Jessica’s Law, which includes the possibility of the death penalty for a second-time sex offender. To prove that Texas is tough on crime. We’re pretty tough on crime after the fact. Where were we when all this sh*t was going down at TYC?
The trackback URL is here.
From the NYT 3/8/07
“The good news is we’re finding plenty to inquire about” Jay Kimbrough, special master appointed by Governor Hairdo
/WTF
The offender, in this case, was a former TYC student who had problems that obviously weren’t addressed. He was 15 when he exposed himself to a younger child. Then he’s released from the system and becomes one of the workers, then abuses kids. The problem is THE SYSTEM. Last year, 56% of all the kids who entered TYC had already been there before. TYC is supposed to be a rehabilitative program, but instead, it keeps recycling the youth. The difference between a victim and an offender is blurrier than you might hope.
The cycle won’t be stopped until the Legislature puts an end to indeterminate sentencing.
The TYC officials responsible for the cover-ups there have further damaged the reputation of us bureaucrats. Many people at TYC work long hard hours with inadequate pay and only negative recognition. The officials running that joint are unforgiven. I hope they have plenty of time to regret the damage they’ve done.
It’s widely recognized the threat of the death penalty doesn’t deter sex crimes. Life without parole is just as effective at removing a threat. By making a second sex crime equivalent to murder, there’s no reason to leave a victim alive. Dead kids tell no tales.
The village idiot from Tomball, Debbie Riddel, should be held accountable for any deaths this horrible legislation contributes to. If a relative fails to report a crime because they don’t want to risk causing Grandpa/Uncle/Daddy’s death - the grandstanding our legislators are doing now should be remembered. It is predictable. I pray it doesn’t happen often.
This just keeps getting worse, doesn’t it? PL will surely forgive me for plugging Burka’s coverage, won’t you PL? He has a couple of interesting takes on this — especially the letter from a staffer at the Capitol whose child was in a TYC facility.
http://www.texasmonthly.com/community/blog/paulburka/index.php
/ducking from Eileen’s shoe
Just like the movie Sleepers..
Four boys growing up in Hell’s Kitchen play a prank that leads to an old man getting hurt. Sentenced to no less than one year in the Wilkenson Center in upstate New York, the four friends are changed by the beating, humiliation and sexual abuse by the guards sworn to protect them. Thirteen years later and a chance meeting lead to a chance for revenge against the Wilkenson Center and the guards.
Those guards better watch their asses (literally).
http://www.dallasnews.com/legeblog
Re: 5. Pinkie Swear
THAT was a great movie.
http://www.myspace.com/1984hasarrived
TYC isn’t the only government run organization that needs scrutiny, the juvenile justice centers (especially the one in the west Texas town of Lubbock ) could use some serious accountability.. Unfortunately, that probably won’t happen until multiple rapes occur despite 2 suicides and an alleged rape report already. Not too mention the countless kids 10-16 who are degraded and mistreated daily by staff that knows they are under no scrutiny and and a Director that just doesn’t care about the kids welfare. Its disgraceful!
Dr. and Mrs. McNutt