Agreement reached on safety at Texas juvenile prison
AUSTIN, Texas—A federal judge has approved a settlement between the Justice Department and the agency that oversees Texas juvenile prisons regarding the safety of inmates at one state facility.
The Texas Youth Commission announced the settlement Wednesday, two days after U.S. District Judge Ricardo Hinojosa signed it.
A Justice Department review released in 2007 described a "chaotic and dangerous" environment at the Evins Regional Juvenile Center in Edinburg that violated inmates' constitutional rights with high levels of violence and too few guards to keep control.
The settlement establishes parameters for staffing levels, safe conditions to protect inmates from violence, restricts the use of youth restraints, and guards against retaliation for reporting abuse and misconduct.
The Justice Department will also review the lockup every six months.
Revelations of inmate abuse and possible cover-ups shook Texas' juvenile corrections system last year and led state leaders to order an overhaul. Several top administrators were fired or resigned.
The judge had previously rejected a settlement over Evins because it lacked a specific timeline for suggested reforms.
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