Invited speakers and other concerned citizens from across the state voiced their concerns about the Texas criminal justice system Wednesday at a Texas House Committee on Corrections hearing. Issues raised included student and staff safety at juvenile detention centers, the overcrowding of jails across Texas and methods to reintegrate inmates into society upon release.
Ana Yanez-Correa, the executive director of the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, stressed the importance of changing methods for treating nonviolent offenders.
According to Yanez-Correa, one of every 20 adults in Texas is in prison, on probation or on parole. She said Texas spends 90 percent of tax money allocated to criminal justice on housing prisoners when, according to her testimony, prison overcrowding could be reduced by spending money on more effective programs for nonviolent offenders, such as drug treatment.
"The advantages of proven treatment programs for nonviolent, low-risk offenders, instead of expensive prison and jail beds, must be seriously considered by policymakers," she said.
A major issue at the hearing was problems within the Texas Youth Commission, the state's juvenile corrections agency. According to Dwight Harris, executive director of the commission, the agency suffers because of an insufficient and overworked staff. Employees work 12-hour shifts in a dangerous environment, with a ratio of only one staff member per 27 students, Harris said. Overcrowding leads to more problems with restraining unruly students, resulting in more child abuse allegations against the staff.
Mary Jane Martinez, mother of an inmate at the Texas Youth Commission, said she is extremely angry about the way her son has been treated by the agency.
"He's been abused. He's been choke-held by a member of the staff. He was dragged down the stairs and was beaten by two other youths in the shower," she said. "The whole dorm witnessed it."
Martinez also said that her son, whose name she would not release, was not sent to an infirmary after suffering these injuries.
According to Larry Imes, a juvenile correction officer, some of the youths are violent and are affiliated with gangs. Violent incidents vary, Imes said, but can sometimes happen several times in one day.
Students have been reported to attack staff, and Imes said he was told, "You cannot resist. You must stand there passively."
Rep. Harvey Hilderbran, R-Kerrville, attested to problems with finding and keeping commission employees. According to Hilderbran, a major problem with effectively controlling students at the facility is that the employees are fearful of using force for fear of legal ramifications.
"Staffers can be charged with child abuse, and youth in the system are going to be more aggressive," Hilderbran said. "There needs to be two definitions of child abuse - one for when you're in the system and another for those in a more normal setting."
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