The State of Texas may soon close some of its state-run juvenile prisons, reports The Houston Chronicle.
The juvenile prisons have been the focus of controversy in recent months, and the newly installed executive director of the beleaguered Texas Juvenile Justice Department hopes to change that image.
Camille Cain said the ultimate goal is to create “smaller facilities, closer to home for as many kids” as possible.
The Texas juvenile system is still recovering from an ongoing sex abuse scandal that broke last year. Several Texas corrections officers have been accused of having sex with teenaged inmates.
Meanwhile, the juvenile prisons continue to be plagued by staffing shortages and oversight questions. The state's five mostly rural juvenile facilities currently contain roughly 1,000 kids. This new move could mean the end of prison-style lockups for adolescents in Texas.
