Texas teens embark on an idealistic quest to shut down the state’s last five youth prisons

Members of the Finish the 5 Coalition march to the Texas Capitol on Jan. 10, 2023. The youth-led group gathered to advocate for closing youth prisons in Texas. (Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune)

Brimming with adrenaline, determination and wide-eyed optimism, a group of teenagers gathered outside the state Capitol last week, ready to take their first steps into the underbelly of Texas politics.

Most had been under the iconic Pink Dome only for school field trips. But on the first day of the Texas legislative session, the dozen or so high schoolers and recent graduates were eager to take on a more active role: demanding their elected representatives address the ongoing crisis within the state’s youth prisons.