Federal Report Finds High Prevalence of Sex Abuse in Juvenile Detention Centers - Thursday, January 07, 2010
A report released Thursday by the U.S. Justice Department included findings about sexual abuse in youth detention centers, according to surveys of thousands of juvenile inmates. Two facilities in Texas were singled out for having especially high prevalences of sexual abuse. At the Texas Youth Commission's Corsicana facility reportedly 1 in 3 youth reported having been abused while in the facility, and at Victory Field 1 in 4 youth reported the same. The Texas Tribune's coverage of the report includes a graphic, showing reports of abuse at seven TYC facilities statewide. Most incidents of abuse were said to be at the hands of a staff member, not another youth, according to the Associated Press report. TYC's response to the report can be found at this link. You can also read an Austin American-Statesman op-ed on the report by Louisa Stannow, executive director of Just Detention International, a human rights organization that seeks to end sexual abuse in corrections facilities, who argues how future incidents of abuse can be prevented.
