DOJ finds Ron Jackson Juvenile Facility violated children’s rights & caused serious harm

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following article contains graphic descriptions of child abuse. Reader discretion is advised.

BROWNWOOD, Texas ( KTAB/KRBC ) – Five Texas Juvenile Justice Department facilities, including one in the Big Country, were found to have violated children’s constitutional and federal statutory rights, causing serious harm.

• Evins Regional Juvenile Center in Edinburg
• Gainesville State School in Gainesville
• Giddings State School in Giddings
• McClennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility in Mart
• Ron Jackson State Juvenile Correctional Complex in Brownwood

Following an investigation by the Department of Justice a press release reveals that “DOJ has reasonable cause to believe that TJJD violates children’s constitutional and federal statutory rights by subjecting them to excessive physical and chemical force, harmful isolation, and sexual abuse; failing to provide adequate mental health care; failing to provide appropriate special education and related services; and discriminating against children with disabilities.”

The report states that in April 2022, a Ron Jackson staff member used pepper spray to end a fight without first attempting verbal intervention. The staff member allegedly gave no warning and seemingly waited for the fight to escalate before taking action. Multiple children in the room were exposed to the spray, and there is no evidence that the dayroom was decontaminated afterward.

In October 2023, a former Ron Jackson staff member was charged with assault after overhead surveillance and body-worn camera footage showed him lifting a child and slamming him to the floor, resulting in cuts and a concussion. In February 2024, he was indicted on the charge of official oppression.

In April 2022, a Ron Jackson staff member allegedly pepper-sprayed two girls who were fighting in a dayroom. The staff member is also accused of kneeling on one of the girls’ backs while her face was pushed into the ground.

Surveillance videos also showed children sitting or pacing in the unit dayrooms with minimal or no interaction from staff.

In July 2022, the Office of Inspector General concluded that a Ron Jackson staff member had abused a child by enticing her to “play with herself” in her cell. This came to light when a staff member found the child’s notebook with detailed notes of when the staff “ watched her masturbate .” Investigators found that the staff member had turned off his body camera more than a dozen times during his shift on that day.

A December 2019 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics revealed that 14% of the children at Ron Jackson reported being sexually victimized by staff or other children.

Another child, who had previously received all academic instruction in a class taught by a special educator for children with IEPs, was placed full-time in a general education classroom. Staff allegedly removed all services provided by the special educator, stating they were “not needed at this time” without offering an explanation. TJJD attributed the child’s poor academic performance to a “lack of effort and lack of completion of assignments.”

In response to these findings, the DOJ shared, “ We look forward to working cooperatively with Texas to reach an agreement on the remedies for these violations .”

If state officials fail to adequately resolve the concerns, the Attorney General may file a lawsuit under CRIPA to address the deficiencies identified in the letter .

In a statement, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) shared that they have made several significant improvements in staffing, mental health care, and educational programs in recent years.

“At TJJD, we are continually working to improve our operations and services to the youth in our care and the communities of Texas we protect. We have a zero-tolerance policy toward abuse and neglect and have always fully rejected any abusive behaviors at our campuses.”

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