Almost 600 Texas youths are trapped in a juvenile prison system on the brink of collapse

The Giddings State School, a Texas Juvenile Justice Department prison in Lee County, on July 20. Last month, the agency reported only 42% of needed security officers at the prison were available. (Credit: Jolie McCullough/The Texas Tribune)

For 24/7 mental health support in English or Spanish, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s free help line at 800-662-4357. You can also reach a trained crisis counselor through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or you can reach the Crisis Text Line by texting “HOME” to 741741.

Texas’ juvenile prison system is nearing total collapse.