Senate approves bill to overhaul troubled TYC

[Joanne98]

Source: AP

AUSTIN — The Texas Senate on Thursday unanimously approved an overhaul of the state's juvenile justice system, which was been wracked by a sexual abuse scandal and allegations of a possible cover-up.

Lawmakers have been grappling with how to change the system since reports surfaced in February of sex abuse at the West Texas State School in Pyote and a long-simmering investigation that seemed to be going nowhere.

Key points of the overhaul include adding more guards, creating strong new investigative powers to look into claims of abuse, and prohibiting courts from sending youths to state lockups for misdemeanors.

The Senate is trying to "completely rebuild, restructure TYC from the bottom up," said Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, the main sponsor of the bill. "It was pretty much a corrupt agency in the way it was managed."



Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/4730986.html

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The Prison Industrial Complex is ALL corrupt!

[Joanne98]

1. Former TYC employees arraigned in Ward County

MONAHANS, Texas (AP) — Two former Texas Youth Commission administrators pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that they sexually abused teenage inmates at the juvenile prison they managed.


Ray E. Brookins, 41, the former assistant superintendent at the West Texas State School in Pyote, has been indicted on two counts each of improper relationship with a student and improper sexual activity with a person in custody. He was released from the Travis County jail in Austin last week after posting $100,000 bond and appeared in court wearing a black suit.


Brookins, who smiled at times while consulting with his lawyer, spoke only when District Judge Bob Parks asked for his plea and if he wanted the charges against him read aloud. He declined to comment after the morning’s brief hearing.


John Paul Hernandez, 41, the former principal at the jail, waved to relatives as he entered the court room in a blue-and-gray stripped jail uniform and clutched a rosary during the hearing.
http://www.timesrecordnews.com/trn/local_news/article/0,1891,TRN_5784_5493612,00.html