Dallas County judge's proposal for "neutral third party" review of Juvenile Justice Center rejected as divisive
DALLAS COUNTY — So who's telling the truth about conditions inside Dallas County's Juvenile Justice Center?
It is the question of the moment following new accusations from community activists who claim that the children being held there are subjected to "inhumane" conditions.
Now, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins is suggesting a new path to transparency, saying "all the information that comes out is negative. And then the juvenile director will have a press conference and say it's all untrue. Get the data to a neutral party so that everybody knows what is actually happening."
Jenkins suggests allowing a neutral third party, such as representatives of a university, access to data compiled from observation sheets, logs of each juvenile's activity throughout the day.
"Then we'll know what is true, right? So if you're saying that the news media is treating you unfairly and it's not true, then turn over your data to a neutral person," Jenkins said. "Let's see what is true."
The issue of conditions inside the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center surfaced anew in recent weeks. Earlier this month a group called Dallas Black Clergy and other supporters began calling for substantive change to the system.
"It's time to protect our kids," said activist Rev. Dr. George Mason. "We aren't asking for the Henry Wade to be turned over to the Ritz Carlton hotels. We are simply asking for an end to the neglect, squalor and callousness that the current conditions reflect."
A young woman who spoke at that weekend gathering but was afraid to share her name claimed that she was denied feminine products. She says she was a first-time offender and is still traumatized by the time spent in the county's juvenile facility.
"Being locked down like an animal, worse than an animal, animals they get to go outside, the time I was here, I didn't get to go outside ... I was here for three and a half months."
The accusations caught the community's attention, and the Henry Wade Executive Team responded with a press conference of their own, reading from prepared statements and taking no questions.
"Youth are afforded the opportunity to participate in indoor and outdoor recreation seven days a week," insisted DeAndra Jones, Deputy Director of Detention Services.
Meanwhile, Darryl Beatty, Executive Director and Chief Juvenile Probation Officer for the Dallas County Juvenile Department had this to say to the community: "The statements and allegations being leveled against our detention center that youth are being subjected to any mean treatment and humane treatment is categorically false."
Again, who's telling the truth?
"It's time for adults to quit saying they are being victimized by the media. That is ridiculous," said Jenkins, who also serves on the Juvenile Board. "What we are seeing is that kids are being victimized by poor performance."
The friction between Dallas County Commissioners and its Juvenile Justice arm has been building for months, with Jenkins' proposal apparently viewed as another attempt to access data that Henry Wade's leaders have repeatedly refused to provide.
In response to CBS News Texas' request for a response to the Jenkins' proposal, Executive Director Darryl Beatty responded via email, stating, "they are aware that as a result of the prior ruling of Judge Eric Moye, the Commissioners Court does not have the right to thousands of statutorily confidential observation sheets. They repeatedly make variations of this request in an effort to indirectly receive the same information through a third party like a university study group, that they may not receive directly. Their requests seemingly benign to the general public, promotes division rather than unity."
Beatty's statement went on to say that "the facility is not perfect. I contacted TJJD [Texas Juvenile Justice Department] and requested early audits of the facility when concerns were raised. I have attempted to address matters that have come to my attention and put plans in place to move the Department forward. Moreover, I provided proper state oversight authorities with these very documents a year ago to assist in the effort to investigate and support our detention center.
I think that what would be more helpful is for the Commissioners Court to stop withholding funding for programs and systems that are critical to the success of the department."
More is surely to come.