2008 Woodie Awards
Officials at Texas juvenile prison accused of molesting inmates
Accosiated Press
Issue date: 2/21/07 Section: Local, State & World
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DALLAS- An internal investigation by the Texas Youth Commission accused high-ranking officials at an isolated state juvenile prison of molesting young male inmates, according to a copy of the report released to The Dallas Morning News.
The West Texas State School, located between Midland and Pecos in rural Pyote, houses 250 male
inmates. Reports say many prison staffers there complained about the abuse to their immediate bosses and to officials in Austin, but for more than a year, no one in charge did anything to stop it. No one has been prosecuted in the case.
Some say similar problems afflict many prisons run by the Texas Youth Commission.
``The TYC has established a dynasty of corruption that condones the mistreatment of youth in its care,'' Randal Chance, a retired inspector general for the agency, said in a story in Sunday's edition of The News. ``Staff are being paid your tax money to rape your children.''
Agency officials were stunned when they learned the Texas Rangers had substantiated charges of abuse at the Pyote facility in 2005, according to TYC Executive Director Dwight Harris.
``Quite frankly, it was a shock and a surprise to us that this could ever happen,'' Harris said.
However an internal investigation, ``Summary Report for Administrative Review,'' released last week to the newspaper, said that a West Texas caseworker raised the issue in a letter to Harris five months before the Rangers' investigation.
``There are definitely places where we had opportunities we missed,'' said Tim Savoy, TYC spokesman. ``We regret doing that.''
The report released to the newspaper said the abuse stemmed from a culture in which prison officials could abuse their power, punish children who tried to complain about them and reward those who gave them sexual favors.
The investigation alleged the former principal of the school lured inmates into sexual acts with offers of birthday cake and promises of help getting into college. The former assistant superintendent was accused of sexual contact with several youths.
The West Texas State School, located between Midland and Pecos in rural Pyote, houses 250 male
inmates. Reports say many prison staffers there complained about the abuse to their immediate bosses and to officials in Austin, but for more than a year, no one in charge did anything to stop it. No one has been prosecuted in the case.
Some say similar problems afflict many prisons run by the Texas Youth Commission.
``The TYC has established a dynasty of corruption that condones the mistreatment of youth in its care,'' Randal Chance, a retired inspector general for the agency, said in a story in Sunday's edition of The News. ``Staff are being paid your tax money to rape your children.''
Agency officials were stunned when they learned the Texas Rangers had substantiated charges of abuse at the Pyote facility in 2005, according to TYC Executive Director Dwight Harris.
``Quite frankly, it was a shock and a surprise to us that this could ever happen,'' Harris said.
However an internal investigation, ``Summary Report for Administrative Review,'' released last week to the newspaper, said that a West Texas caseworker raised the issue in a letter to Harris five months before the Rangers' investigation.
``There are definitely places where we had opportunities we missed,'' said Tim Savoy, TYC spokesman. ``We regret doing that.''
The report released to the newspaper said the abuse stemmed from a culture in which prison officials could abuse their power, punish children who tried to complain about them and reward those who gave them sexual favors.
The investigation alleged the former principal of the school lured inmates into sexual acts with offers of birthday cake and promises of help getting into college. The former assistant superintendent was accused of sexual contact with several youths.
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