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Texas’ youth prison system urgently needs money to crawl out of its growing crisis, in which children are at times locked in cells 23 hours a day and nearly half of detained youth have been on suicide watch, the agency’s director told lawmakers Tuesday.
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department — currently under federal investigation for an alleged pattern of abuse and mistreatment — is severely understaffed, with agency officials saying last month it is nearing systemic collapse. After The Texas Tribune reported last week on dire conditions inside the state’s five youth prisons, the Texas House Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee looked for possible solutions at a legislative hearing.
