Even I saw this coming --
Posted by JCOfficer on Sunday, July 24, 2011
Under: RANTS
From the excellent http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/ website, July, 2011, regarding the influx of new kids at Giddings --
"If youth are simply moved to remaining facilities, the agency, Legislature and public should expect conditions inside facilities to worsen. Youth lock-ups that house more youth are more likely to have staff-on-youth, youth-on-youth and youth-on-staff violence, like what the state saw prior to the TYC reforms initiated in 2007. Returning to those conditions would undo what progress has been made and create a shaky start for the new Texas Juvenile Justice Department, set to replace TYC and TJPC later this year under SB 653 by Whitmire."
Ain't THAT a fact??! And what plans, if any, were made to deal with these EXPECTABLE conditions? Nothing anyone told me, that's for sure. Staff shortages have been recognized for years by just about everyone as an obvious problem... yet conditions never seem to change. Take that back, actually ~ what HAS changed is that the average JCO still hangin' in there has lost their dedication to a system that apparently would rather have the paperwork look good than to keep us safe and within the dictates of laws enacted to help ensure that safety. SIGH.
When paperwork is altered to make things "look better" it's time to question what meaning does the paperwork have? None, I guess. Are referral 225's getting posted to the kid's records, even if they're only off the dorm a short time -- or do they simply get roundfiled to make it look better? I couldn't say, but now will NEVER KNOW due to the IT people in Austin blocking Gateway access to the SAS reports where we used to be able to look up basic information on the kids.
So now, I DON'T know:
"If youth are simply moved to remaining facilities, the agency, Legislature and public should expect conditions inside facilities to worsen. Youth lock-ups that house more youth are more likely to have staff-on-youth, youth-on-youth and youth-on-staff violence, like what the state saw prior to the TYC reforms initiated in 2007. Returning to those conditions would undo what progress has been made and create a shaky start for the new Texas Juvenile Justice Department, set to replace TYC and TJPC later this year under SB 653 by Whitmire."
Ain't THAT a fact??! And what plans, if any, were made to deal with these EXPECTABLE conditions? Nothing anyone told me, that's for sure. Staff shortages have been recognized for years by just about everyone as an obvious problem... yet conditions never seem to change. Take that back, actually ~ what HAS changed is that the average JCO still hangin' in there has lost their dedication to a system that apparently would rather have the paperwork look good than to keep us safe and within the dictates of laws enacted to help ensure that safety. SIGH.
When paperwork is altered to make things "look better" it's time to question what meaning does the paperwork have? None, I guess. Are referral 225's getting posted to the kid's records, even if they're only off the dorm a short time -- or do they simply get roundfiled to make it look better? I couldn't say, but now will NEVER KNOW due to the IT people in Austin blocking Gateway access to the SAS reports where we used to be able to look up basic information on the kids.
So now, I DON'T know:
- What the kid is in for.
- How long his sentence/MLOS is.
- What prior convictions he may have.
- What he LOOKS LIKE in a color photo.
- His age/birthdate/religion.
- Numbers and types of 225's.
- Sex offender registration status.
- Educational status and IQ
Now, I don't know about YOU, but it certainly helps ME to know things like what certain age is he and what his crime was that got him on my dorm. Is he a murderer with lots of prior felony convictions or a first-time sex offender? Lots of assault on staff 225's, maybe? I NEED TO KNOW!! But the current culture of informational lockdown clamps us off for some reason, no explanation. Go figure.
In : RANTS