North Texas advocacy group calls for changes in Dallas juvenile department
DALLAS COUNTY – A North Texas advocacy group is calling on Dallas County to address issues within the juvenile department.
The Dallas Black Clergy said the long-cited claims of inhumane and harsh conditions regarding juveniles at Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center were confirmed after the Office of the Inspector General at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department released a new report.
According to the Dallas Black Clergy, the latest findings include the unjust use of a "special needs unit" where children were secluded in cells for up to five days, frequent confinement of juvenile residents inside of their cells and staff falsifying records and observation reports.
"An adult must be held accountable when they harm children," said Michael Waters, with Dallas Black Clergy.
In the past, Dallas County leaders have denied these allegations. County Judge Clay Jenkins has even suggested allowing a neutral third party, such as representatives of a university, access to data compiled from observation sheets and logs of each juvenile's activity throughout the day.
Waters also demanded a third-party review of the juvenile department that will offer recommendations for best practices, that the community help choose the next director and for swift accountability of adults who have harmed children in the system.
In July, Executive Director of the Dallas County Juvenile Department Darryl Beatty resigned, amid "growing public awareness of problems within the department," Jenkins said. Another deputy director resigned shortly after.
Beatty has been criticized for how juveniles were being handled while in detention.
Now, the department is being led by Interim Director Michael Griffiths, who was appointed by the Juvenile Board in August. Griffiths is well aware of the challenges and responsibilities involved – he led the department for 15 years in the late 1990s. Now, he aims to replace the combativeness of his predecessor's tenure with cooperation.
"I believe that the board did not have the information they needed," said Griffiths. "They had allegations but then had other persons saying they weren't true. I think now the board understands that that information was accurate and they… they're very concerned."
Griffiths said many problems identified by the state have already been corrected.
"It was a troubling report," said Griffiths. "We know that. But we've known that since July 2023. And so as of July of this year, things have changed dramatically."