Texas Youth Commission - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Texas Youth Commission (TYC) is a Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

state agency which operates juvenile corrections

Youth incarceration in the United States

Through the juvenile courts and the adult criminal justice system, the United States incarcerates more of its youth than any other country in the world, a reflection of the larger trends in incarceration practices in the United States. In 2002, approximately 126,000 juveniles were incarcerated in...

facilities in the state. The commission is headquartered in the Brown-Heatly Building in Austin

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

. As of 2007 it was the second largest juvenile corrections agency in the United States, after the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice

Florida Department of Juvenile Justice

The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice is a state agency of Florida that operates juvenile detention centers. Its headquarters are in the Knight Building in Tallahassee.-Residential facilities:...

History

The Gilmer Aiken Act in 1949 established the Texas Youth Development Council. In 1957 the state reorganized the agencies, placing the juvenile corrections system and homes for dependent and neglected children into the Texas Youth Council. In 1983 the Texas Legislature

Texas Legislature

The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...

gave the agency its current name, the Texas Youth Commission.

In September 2008 the TYC had 2,200 inmates, half the number it had 18 months previously.

On June 3, 2011 the TYC announced that it was closing three facilities by August 31, 2011, affecting 700 employees and 400 prisoners, due to state budget cuts. The governing board selected the three facilities that would close. After the closings the TYC will have six secure facilities remaining.

If Rick Perry

Rick Perry

James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...

, Governor of Texas

Governor of Texas

The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...

, approves a piece of legislation, the TYC and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission

Texas Juvenile Probation Commission

The Texas Juvenile Probation Commission is a state agency of Texas, headquartered in the Brown-Heatley Building in Austin.The TJPC oversees county-operated youth detention facilities and partners with area juvenile boards and probation departments to serve youth probation services throughout...

will be merged into the Texas Juvenile Justice Department on December 1, 2011. As of August 2011 the merger is on schedule.

Child sexual abuse scandal

On 23 February 2007, The Texas Observer
The Texas Observer
The Texas Observer is an American political newsmagazine published bi-weekly and based in Downtown Austin, Texas. The non-profit magazine is nonpartisan, but the publication has historically been an advocate for liberal politics...

published a news story detailing allegations of child sexual abuse

Child sexual abuse

Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...

by staff members at the West Texas State School

West Texas State School

The West Texas State School was a juvenile detention facility operated by the Texas Youth Commission. It is located in unincorporated central Ward County, Texas, along the southwestern edge of Pyote. The facility, located on Interstate 20, was located between El Paso and Midland...

near Pyote

Pyote, Texas

Pyote is a town in Ward County, Texas, United States. The population was 131 at the 2000 census.-History:Pyote began as a small town. Its fortunes rose with oil, but its population decreased when the railroad was built away from the town. At one time Pyote had 3,500 residents...

. Following an investigation by the Texas Rangers

Texas Ranger Division

The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...

and the FBI

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...

in February and March 2005, two of the highest-ranking officials at the school, assistant superintendent Ray Brookins and principal John Paul Hernandez had been accused of having sexual relations with several students over an extended period. On February 28 Republican Governor

Governor of Texas

Rick Perry

dismissed chairman Pete C. Alfaro, who had been named to the commission in 1995 by then Republican Governor George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

, and called for the dismissal of acting executive director Neil Nichols.

On March 2, more allegations surfaced of sexual abuse

Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...

at the Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Facility in Brownwood

Brownwood, Texas

Brownwood is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, Texas, United States. The population was 18,813 at the 2000 census.-History:The original site of the Brown County seat of Brownwood was on the east of Pecan Bayou. A dispute arose over land and water rights, and the settlers were forced...

, leaving McAllen

McAllen, Texas

McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley and is part of the . Its southern boundary is located about five miles from the U.S.–Mexico border and the Mexican city of Reynosa, the Rio...

Democrat

Texas Democratic Party

The Texas Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in Texas and the local branch of the United States Democratic Party. It is headquartered in Downtown Austin within close proximity to the Texas State Capitol.-19th century:...

Juan Hinojosa

Juan Jesus “Chuy” Hinojosa is a Democratic member of the Texas Senate representing the 20th District .-Biographical Information:...

to state that the situation at Pyote "is not an isolated incident." The same day, the Austin American-Statesman
Austin American-Statesman
The Austin American-Statesman is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is an award-winning publication owned by Cox Enterprises. The Newspaper places focus on issues affecting Austin and the Central Texas region....

reported its possession of an internal report on the sexual abuse misconduct

Sexual misconduct

Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature. The term may be used to condemn an act, but in some jurisdictions it has also a legal meaning....

investigations, with four extra paragraphs that were redacted in the final public version detailing involvement of several top officials in 2005. Also on the same day, Gov. Rick Perry appointed Jay Kimbrough as "Special Master".

As the scandal gained public attention, more allegations were uncovered. The TYC admitted that at least 10 teenage boys were victimized at the West Texas State School, and newspapers reported on some 750 complaints of sexual misconduct against correctional officers and other TYC employees since January 2000. TYC Inspector General Ray Worsham was later implicated in the alteration of the misconduct

Misconduct

A misconduct is a legal term meaning a wrongful, improper, or unlawful conduct motivated by premeditated or intentional purpose or by obstinate indifference to the consequences of one's acts....

investigations report. On 28 March, Gov. Perry appointed Kimbrough conservator of the TYC.

ACLU lawsuit

On 13 June 2008, the American Civil Liberties Union

American Civil Liberties Union

The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...

filed a class action

Class action

In law, a class action, a class suit, or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued...

lawsuit

Lawsuit

A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...

, K.C. v. Nedelkoff, against the TYC on behalf of five girls and "all girls and young women who are now or in the future will be confined in Brownwood State School". The ACLU charged that girls were "regularly placed in punitive solitary confinement," that "[u]pon entering or exiting solitary confinement and on other occasions when they have not left the facility - for example, when they finish a work assignment within the prison - girls are subject to invasive strip searches. When girls resist, guards regularly use physical force, pepper spray, handcuffs and leather straps to force them to comply," and that the "treatment the girls have suffered violates their constitutional rights under the Fourth

Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures, along with requiring any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause...

, Fifth

Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, protects against abuse of government authority in a legal procedure. Its guarantees stem from English common law which traces back to the Magna Carta in 1215...

, Eighth

Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights which prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines or cruel and unusual punishments. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that this amendment's Cruel and Unusual...

, and Fourteenth

Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments.Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Dred Scott v...

Amendments" as well as articles 3, 19, 23, 34, 37, and 39 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

Convention on the Rights of the Child

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is a human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children...

and articles 7 and 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from March 23, 1976...

.

In an official press release, Conservator Nedelkoff responded to the lawsuit saying he was "disappointed" and that he "look[s] forward to working with the ACLU, along with our Texas advocacy partners, to address all concerns mentioned in this lawsuit," and Ombudsman

Ombudsman

An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...

Will Harrell stated that he was also "disappointed" and that "most of the allegations mentioned are being addressed." Deputy Commissioner for Programs and Treatment Dianne Gadow, ultimately responsible for Youth Rights, made no comment on the matter.

Operations

In Texas a juvenile offender is a person who is at least 10 years of age but has not yet turned 17 while he or she has committed an act referred to as "delinquent conduct" (an act that, if committed by an adult, would result in confinement in a jail or imprisonment) or "conduct in need of supervision" or a "CINS violation" (an act that refers to conduct that, if committed by an adult, would result in a fine, or conduct that may only be committed by children such as truancy). If a juvenile received an "adjudication," it is a finding that the juvenile committed "delinquent conduct" or a "CINS violation," equivalent to a conviction in an adult court system. Among the possible outcomes for youth adjudicated for "delinquent conduct" is being sent to a TYC institution.

Juvenile court judges sentence youth offenders to the custody of the TYC. Most offenders receive indeterminate sentences, meaning there is no set end date to the sentences. The commission defines a minimum stay, between 9 and 24 months, for each offender with an indeterminate sentence, and the prisoner may be released from custody depending on his or her participation in the program. The child may stay in TYC custody until reaching 19 years of age. Some courts set specific sentences for TYC offenders; the sentences may be up to 40 years. If TYC officials determine that the offender satisfactorily completed the TYC program while in TYC custody, the offender may serve the rest of his or her court-defined sentence while on adult parole instead of serving time in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice

Texas Department of Criminal Justice

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...

(TDCJ) adult prison. A child who has been committed to the TYC system on or before June 7, 2007 may be held by the agency until he or she becomes 21 years old. Offenders with determinate sentences occupy about 20% of the slots at high restriction facilities.

Upon admittance to the TYC system, offenders undergo orientation and are placed in assessment units before being sent to their final assignments. Boys are sent to the McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility in unincorporated

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

McLennan County

McLennan County, Texas

McLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. In 2000, its population was 213,517; in 2008 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to be 230,213. Its seat is Waco. The county is named for Neil McLennan, an early settler....

, near Mart

Mart, Texas

Mart is a city in Limestone and McLennan Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 2,273 at the 2000 census.The McLennan County portion of Mart is part of the Waco Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

. Girls are sent to the Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex in Brownwood

Brownwood, Texas

. The Marlin Orientation and Assessment Unit, located in Marlin

Marlin, Texas

Marlin is a city in Falls County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,628 at the 2000 census, but decreased to 5,967 by 2010. It is also the county seat of Falls County, and has been so since 1851...

, served as the place of orientation for children of both sexes being committed into TYC from the facility's opening in 1995 to its transfer out of TYC in 2007. In the 1960s TYC's reception center for boys was in Gatesville and its reception center for girls was in Brownwood.

TYC offenders may use the internet while working on certain projects for school; they are never allowed to access e-mail

E-mail

Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...

accounts and social networking sites like Facebook

Facebook

Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...

, MySpace

MySpace

Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

, and Twitter

Twitter

Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...

Demographics of offenders

In the fiscal year of 2009, of the children incarcerated at TYC facilities, 48% of new arrivals had committed violent offenses. Of the population, 91% were male and 9% were female. 45% were Hispanic, 35% were African-American, and 20% were White. According to the TYC, 43% of the inmates admitted to being members of gangs

Gangs in the United States

Street gangs in the United States date to the early 19th century. The most publicized street gangs in the U.S. are African-American; black gangs were not recognized as a social problem until after the great migration of the 1910s...

during intake. 16 was the median age of commitment.

Of the children with known citizenships who were in secure facilities, in halfway houses, in contract programs, and on parole, 3,925 (93.68%) were Citizens of the United States. 224 (5.35%) were citizens of Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. Other countries represented included Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

, Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

, Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

, El Salvador

El Salvador

El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...

, Guatemala

Guatemala

Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...

, Honduras

Honduras

Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

, Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

, Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

, South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

, Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

, and Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

Facilities

The TYC operates correctional institutions and halfway houses.

Institutions:

Corsicana Residential Treatment Center - Corsicana
Corsicana, Texas
Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45 some fifty-five miles south of downtown Dallas. The population was 24,485 at the 2000 census...
- The center is for youth with mental illnesses or severe emotional disturbances
Evins Regional Juvenile Center - unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

Hidalgo County
Hidalgo County, Texas
Hidalgo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Located in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, Hidalgo County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, and is the seventh most-populous county in Texas. Its population in 2010 was 774,769, a 35% increase from 2000...
Gainesville State School
Gainesville State School
The Gainesville State School is a juvenile correctional facility of the Texas Youth Commission in unincorporated Cooke County, Texas, near Gainesville. The fenced, maximum security state school is located on a tract east of Gatesville, north of Dallas, along Farm to Market Road 678 and near...

- unincorporated Cooke County
Cooke County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 36,363 people, 13,643 households, and 10,000 families residing in the county. The population density was 42 people per square mile . There were 15,061 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
Giddings State School
Giddings State School
Giddings State School is a juvenile correctional facility of the Texas Youth Commission located in unincorporated Lee County, Texas, near Giddings. As of 2004 the state school was Lee County's largest employer.-History:...

- unincorporated Lee County
Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex (Unit I) - Formerly Brownwood State School - Brownwood
Brownwood, Texas
Brownwood is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, Texas, United States. The population was 18,813 at the 2000 census.-History:The original site of the Brown County seat of Brownwood was on the east of Pecan Bayou. A dispute arose over land and water rights, and the settlers were forced...
- A public road separates Units I and the former II, which operated independently from Unit I. The facility is named after former TYC director Ron Jackson. The renaming ceremony was held in Unit II on on Tuesday, September 16, 2003. Ron Jackson II will close by August 31, 2011.
- Unit I houses the gateway program for females entering the TYC system. Most females in TYC remain at Ron Jackson SJCC I. Some girls may be placed in the WINGS mother-child and pregnant girl program and contract facilities. Unit I has been a female-only complex since it opened in September 1970.
- Unit II was for male offenders who violated the terms of their juvenile paroles. In May 1970 Unit II opened as a reception center for girls. In 2007 TYC announced that it planned to convert Unit II into a female unit to avoid complications between boys and girls.
McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility (Unit I and Unit II) - unincorporated McLennan County
McLennan County, Texas
McLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. In 2000, its population was 213,517; in 2008 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to be 230,213. Its seat is Waco. The county is named for Neil McLennan, an early settler....

, near Mart
Mart, Texas
Mart is a city in Limestone and McLennan Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 2,273 at the 2000 census.The McLennan County portion of Mart is part of the Waco Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
- As of 2011 units I and II were be combined into one facility. The TYC governing board's original agenda had plans to close both McLennan County units, but the board changed its plans. The units are about 20 miles (32.2 km) south of Waco
  Waco, Texas
  Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
  
  .

Halfway houses:

Ayres House
Beto House
Cottrell House
McFadden Ranch
Schaeffer House
Edna Tamayo House
Turman House
Willoughby House
York House

Former facilities

In 1974 federal judge William Wayne Justice

William Wayne Justice

William Wayne Justice was an American jurist. He served as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas and a Senior United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas....

ruled on Morales v. Turman. He ordered the Texas Youth Council to close the Gatesville State School

Gatesville State School

The Gatesville State School for Boys was a juvenile corrections facility in Gatesville, Texas. The facility was converted into two prisons for adults, the Christina Crain Unit , and the Hilltop Unit.-History:...

and the Mountain View State School

Mountain View State School

The Mountain View State School was a juvenile rehabilitation facility operated by the Texas Youth Council in Gatesville, Texas. The building and land that once housed the school now house the Mountain View Unit, a Texas Department of Criminal Justice women's prison.-History:The Mountain View School...

and to redesign the agency's juvenile corrections system. The Mountain View school closed in 1975, and the Gatesville school closed in 1979.

The Sheffield Boot Camp, which opened in 1995, closed on March 31, 2008. The West Texas State School

West Texas State School

in unincorporated Ward County closed in 2010. The West Texas State School and the Victory Field Correctional Academy in unincorporated Wilbarger County

Wilbarger County, Texas

*Harrold *Odell *Oklaunion *Vernon-Notable natives and residents:*Jack English Hightower, Memphis, Texas, native; former member of both houses of the Texas State Legislature, and former U.S...

will officially close by August 31, 2010.

The following former TYC facilities were transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice

Texas Department of Criminal Justice

(TDCJ):

J.W. Hamilton Jr. State School (Bryan
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...

) - Opened in 1997, transferred on June 15, 2003, now the Hamilton Unit.
- Hamilton was originally an adult prison facility. It was renovated for juveniles and reopened in mid-1997.
Marlin Orientation & Assessment Unit (Marlin
Marlin, Texas
Marlin is a city in Falls County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,628 at the 2000 census, but decreased to 5,967 by 2010. It is also the county seat of Falls County, and has been so since 1851...

) - Opened in 1995, transferred on August 31, 2007, now the Marlin Unit.
John Shero State Juvenile Correctional Facility, formerly San Saba State School (unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

San Saba County
San Saba County, Texas
San Saba County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Western Central Texas. In 2010, its population was 6,131. Its county seat is San Saba. It is named for the San Saba River, which flows through the county.-History:...

)) - Opened in 1996, transferred on August 31, 2007, now the San Saba Unit.

The Coke County Juvenile Justice Center, located in unincorporated Coke County, south of Bronte

Bronte, Texas

Bronte is a town in Coke County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,076 at the 2000 census.Texas State Senator Grady Hazlewood, who served from the Amarillo-based District 31 from 1941-1971, was born in 1902 in Coke County near Bronte.-Geography:...

, was a 200-bed secure facility operated by the GEO Group

GEO Group

The GEO Group, Inc. is a company headquartered in One Park Place, Boca Raton, Florida. GEO is a multi-national provider of governmental services specializing in the management of correctional, detention and mental health and residential treatment in North America, Australia, South Africa and the...

(formerly Wackenhut Corrections Corp.) and contracted by the TYC. Originally designed for girls, it was changed into an all boy facility in 1998. In 2006, 19-year old Robert Schulze, an inmate incarcerated at Coke who had earlier said that he felt unsafe at the facility, hanged himself in his cell. In 2007, after the TYC inspected the facility, the TYC moved the approximately 200 youth it contracted to the center out of the Coke County facility and caused it to close. During the life of the Coke County facility, Wackenhut received criticism from the media for how it operated the center.

The following closed in 2011:

Crockett State School
Crockett State School
The Crockett State School was a Texas Youth Commission juvenile correctional facility in Crockett, Texas. The students at the state school had committed various crimes, including property crimes and crimes against persons...

- Crockett
Crockett, Texas
Crockett is a city in Houston County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 7,141. It is the county seat of Houston County.- History :...
- Will be closed by August 31, 2011
Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex Unit II - Formerly Brownwood State School Unit II - Brownwood
Brownwood, Texas
Brownwood is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, Texas, United States. The population was 18,813 at the 2000 census.-History:The original site of the Brown County seat of Brownwood was on the east of Pecan Bayou. A dispute arose over land and water rights, and the settlers were forced...
Al Price State Juvenile Correctional Facility - unincorporated Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Texas
Jefferson County is a county located in the state of Texas, United States. As of 2000, the population was 252,051. Its county seat is Beaumont, and it is named for the former U.S...
- Originally the Jefferson County State School (JCSS), Al Price opened in August 1995, with the first 14 delinquents arriving on the 14th of that month. The second phase was completed in March 1997. The state school received its current name on October 5, 2001. Joe Deshotel, a State Representative from Beaumont, proposed renaming the facility after former Texas politician Al Price. Price will close by August 31, 2011. When it closed, it had 130 prisoners and 270 employees.
- Al Price was the closest juvenile correctional facility to the City of Houston.

Contract placements

As of 2010 the Texas Youth Commission contracts with 12 third party facilities for contract placement:

Abraxas Youth and Family Services (San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...

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Alliance Children's Services E.A. Intermediate (Houston)
Alliance Children's Services S.O. Intermediate (Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

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Associated Marine Institutes (unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

Cameron County
Cameron County, Texas
Cameron County is the southernmost county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 406,220. Its county seat is Brownsville. Cameron was founded in 1848...

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Brookhaven Youth Ranch (unincorporated McLennan County
McLennan County, Texas
McLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. In 2000, its population was 213,517; in 2008 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated its population to be 230,213. Its seat is Waco. The county is named for Neil McLennan, an early settler....

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Byrds Therapeutic Youth Home (Houston)
Garza County of Juvenile Center (Post
Post, Texas
Post is a city in and the county seat of Garza County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,708 at the 2000 census.There are many ranchers and civic boosters in Garza County, among them Giles McCrary, a former mayor who operates the OS Museum, a hybrid of exhibits from both the American West...

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Gulf Coast Trades Center (unincorporated Walker County
Walker County, Texas
Walker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 67,861. Its county seat is Huntsville.Initially, Walker County was named for Robert J. Walker, a legislator from Mississippi who introduced into the United States Congress the resolution to annex Texas...

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Mel Matthews Vocational Center (Cisco
Cisco, Texas
Cisco is a city in Eastland County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,851 at the 2000 census.-History:Conrad Hilton started the Hilton Hotel chain with a single hotel bought in Cisco. Hilton came to Cisco to buy a bank, but the bank cost too much; so he purchased the Mobley Hotel in 1919...

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Southwest Key West(Houston)
Specialized Alternatives for Youth (SAFY) (Arlington
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...

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Women In Need of Greater Strengths (WINGS) for Life (unincorporated Guadalupe County
Guadalupe County, Texas
Guadalupe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 89,023. It is named for the Guadalupe River. The seat of the county is Seguin. It was founded in 1846....

, near Marion
Marion, Texas
Marion is a city in Guadalupe County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,099 at the 2000 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:The city is named in for Marion Dove, whose grandfather, Joshua W...

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Special programs

The TYC includes the Mother-Baby Program, which cares for teenage mothers and their children. The 76th Texas Legislature passed the Senate Bill 1607, a bill written by state senator John Whitmire

John Whitmire

John Harris Whitmire is the longest-serving of current members of the Texas State Senate representing District 15, which includes much of northern Houston, since 1983. Previously he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1973 through 1982...

and co-sponsored by state representative Ray Allen, in 1999, establishing the Mother-Baby Program. The Women In Need of Greater Strengths (WINGS) program is located near Marion

Marion, Texas

Marion is a city in Guadalupe County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,099 at the 2000 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:The city is named in for Marion Dove, whose grandfather, Joshua W...

, north of San Antonio. The facilities can house 14 mothers and their children.

Girls at the Ron Jackson youth facility may participate in the Pairing Achievement With Service (PAWS) program; in the program girls take care of dogs from local animal shelters. The girls research the dog breeds and write autobiographies and community success plans for their dogs.

Headquarters

The Texas Youth Commission is headquartered in the Brown-Heatly Building in Austin