Texas judges are sending 100s of adolescent, 1st-time violent offenders to state prison

[sasha031]

Texas judges, particularly in Harris County, are sending hundreds of adolescent, first-time violent offenders to state prison, a punishment lawmakers intended for youths considered the worst of the worst, according to a report set for release today.

“Adult jails and adult prisons are simply the wrong place to hold these kids,” says Michele Deitch, a professor at the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs and author of the report "Juveniles in the Adult Criminal Justice System in Texas."
Texas law allows judges to certify as adults youths between the ages of 14 and 17 who have committed felony offenses. Once certified, they are housed in county jails while they await trial and, if convicted, they are sent the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

But young, violent offenders can also be given so-called determinate sentences of up to 40 years that begin in the Texas Youth Commission — and only continue on to adult prisons if the judge determines that is necessary.

http://www.texastribune.org/texas-state-agencies/texas-youth-commission/report-hundreds-of-youths-in-adult-prisons/

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Nothing in the story about the racial/economic breakdown of the youths sentenced.

I'd be real curious to know more about that.

[tsuki]

8. This is old (2002), but still interesting.

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2002/02/26/us-incarceration-rates-reveal-striking-racial-disparities

[NightWatcher]

2. the Texas prison business is Booming. Check for bribes going to the judges

http://www.texasprisonbidness.org/map

[LiberalFighter]

3. IMO every one of those judges should be sent to prison.

[fascisthunter]

4. sick... they are creating monsters.

[Igel]

7. I've run into some 16- and 17-year-old felons.

They're not creating monsters, by and large. The monsters' creation is attributable to others.

Put them in with other juveniles that *aren't* monsters and you'd be creating monsters. Instead of rehabilitation and correction you'd have advanced monster training and abuse. Juvenile detention facilities would have to become far more like adult prisons.

[Rage for Order]

9. Exactly. Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold come to mind immediately...

Had they not killed themselves, of course. There are also those punks who set that kid on fire in Florida for "snitching"; they should definitely go to prison:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/US/burned-boys-attackers-adults/story?id=8829393

Four Florida teens who allegedly doused a 15-year-old boy with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire could be charged as adults because of the "degree of cruelty" involved in the attack, officials said today.

The vicious assault has shocked the Deerfield Beach community nestled on the Florida coast just north of Fort Lauderdale, not only for the act of setting Brewer afire but for the teens' chilling reaction. "I'll be honest with you, a couple of them were laughing about it last night. Only one of them seemed genuinely sorry for what he did," said Sgt. Steve Feeley, according to ABC News affiliate WPBF.

Authorities are calling the crime a "torturous attack" and say it all may have started over a video game. Authorities said Brewer owed Bent $40 for a video game. When Brewer didn't pay up, Bent tried to steal a bicycle belonging to the Brewer family. The attempted theft was reported to the police.

The next day Brewer went to an apartment complex where the five suspects cornered him near a swimming pool, according to authorities. At that point, the sheriff's office alleges, Denver Jarvis splashed Brewer with rubbing alcohol and Jesus Mendez used a lighter to set him on fire. Brewer ran into the pool to try to douse the flames.

Charged in the attack are Steve Shelton, 15, of Deerfield Beach, Jeremy Jarvis, 13, Denver Jarvis, 15, Matthew Bent, 15, and Jesus Mendez, 15, all of Pompano Beach.


I'd have no problem with all of these kids being charged as adults and sent to adult prison. They're fucking sociopaths.

[fascisthunter]

13. sure... whatever you say

[bluestateguy]

5. I bet that's one part of the budget that never gets cut in Texas

Prison is big business.

[sasha031]

6. they build whole town and cities around the prison industry

[louslobbs]

10. Gotta keep the corporate prison system stocked full of new fish to feed the corporate

masters....just what this country needs, a bunch of young people abused and raped in corporate prisons, released angry and vengeful on an unsuspecting public.........what a plan, they can be released at some point, commit another crime and be incarcerated again in the revolving, money making, corporate prison system. Who knows, maybe the judges are getting kick backs per body sent up child or not.

[kalli007]

11. I worked in TDC for 10 years, 3 of those were in the only prison

that youthful offenders (14-17) can be assigned. Ask me anything.

[kalli007]

12. Also, the first line of this story is extremely misleading....

at any given time there are only about 100-150 youthful offenders in the State Prison serving a sentence - not hundreds being sent. I'd say we would get on average anywhere from 30-50 new youthful offenders in a year. The majority were not first timers, and the ones that were committed heinous crimes- think murder.