Long-Overdue Change Starts In Texas

Youth Commission Begins Releasing Kids From Detention Centers Amid Claims Of Abuse And Neglect

(CBS)  Genger Galloway's oldest boy is finally coming home to his favorite dessert, new clothes — and, his mother prays, a new life after years in juvenile detention, CBS News national correspondent Byron Pitts reports.

Joseph Galloway's story is a familiar one in Texas: Confined to a detention center at age 15 for sexual misconduct, he was abused repeatedly by the time he turned 19.

"It started with a broken nose. He was molested by a female staff, he was raped by an older inmate," she says.

He's one of hundreds of children and teenagers soon to be released from state-run juvenile detention centers after allegations of widespread physical and sexual abuse, neglect, mismanagement and a coverup.

There have been public hearings. A state investigation is under way, and a new management team is in place.

"We're at least looking at the iceberg now. We weren't even looking at the iceberg when we first got started," says Jim Hurley of the Texas Youth Commission.

Hurley says top administrators were forced out. Some former employees face criminal charges.

"You can't build something up until you tear it down. So we are opening this agency to the media. We want parents to know if they have kids in TYC, that their kids are safe," Hurley says.

For many parents, those assurances come too late.

"It breaks my heart to think that I couldn't protect him, and it angers me that if I, as a parent, took my child and locked him in a closet and fed him three meals a day and I cursed at him and I stripped him buck naked and I pushed another inmate in with him and let him rape him, they would put me in jail," Genger says.

She's become a child advocate and is pushing to rebuild a system that nearly destroyed her son.

"I can't wait to start our new path," she says.

[atpay1]

Abuse in Texas shouldn't surprise anyone, when their Governors like Bush put people to death without giving them the benefit of DNA testing, abusing chidren is no shock! The shock is that they are trying to fix their broken penal system !!

[knyghtwolf]

My son had been charged with a crime he did not commit but he sat in the system of texass for almost FIVE years before it was proven he was innocent. He had been accused of molesting an 8 yr. girl, it was discovered that her step brother had been doing it since she was 3 and was STILL continuing, the prosecuting attorney wanted us to reimburse the state for "fees" before my son could be released since the woman couldn't pay. He told us we were from the north and not native to texass, that was his reasoning. My son was held until he was 21 then released, no charges filed, no nothing, on his 21st birthday, all charges were dropped & he was released. He was a "guest" of the texass justice system from when he was 15 until he was 21. He was shuffled around the entire state from just two miles away to ten hours away for five years. After it was all done, we were told that there was nothing we could do because the charges were dropped & his juvenile records were sealed, simply put...it never happened. Am I bitter? You bet your friggin b u t t I am VERY VERY angry. My son suffers today from nightmares at the age of 26, and it will never end for him. If I were the Spirit for ONE day, ONE hour, ONE minute....the entire state of texass would be HISTORY about mile under water. Residents there would have 8 hours to vacate the premises.

[doc18d]

Can anything be printed that you will not blame on the President. Do you think that Texas is the only state that has a problem with abuse in the prison system, both adult and juvinile. Open your eyes, and Vote if you want to change things, but stop this insesent babble blaming Pres. Bush for all your troubles. YOu will be the first to say the Govt. has no right to interfere in your personal life or your states business, then bash the same government for anyting negative you read here. Republican, Democrate Liberal Conservative. Each group is made up of individuals. Each group has members that to bad things. Each group tries to keep these bad things quiet. United we stand Divided we fall, and we are falling fast with all this partisan political B.S.

[monopoly07]

I think that this comes a little too late.Some of these young kids already have been abused mentally,physically,and emotionally.I'm sorry to say but the damage has already been done as far as I can see it.I f we could somehow get a plan together to help these kids instead of hurting them,and start building more schools instead of more jails and prisons,maybe just maybe these kids will have something to look forward to in life.Some of these kids have alot of problems and they sometimes need for someone to listen thier problems instead of becoming another one of their problems,be the solution.

[inventagod]

Texas
Bu$h
Gonzales
Abuse
Neglect
Coverup

[adian1-2009]

Texas claims it is a country apart! And, certainly, it is. Bush comes from Texas, and so does Gonzales. The killing-machine-state. The problem is that there is no constitutional process to get rid of such a state. What a pity!

[truthword]

The decision of the Gonzales Justice Department to decline prosecution of pedophiles within the Texas Youth Commission juvenile detention system mirrors its failure to take prompt action last year in the case of former Representative Mark Foley (R-FL), whose e-mails with underage male congressional pages were turned over to the Justice Department for investigation. On October 3, 2006, WMR reported the following:

"WMR has learned from informed sources in the Justice Department that the salacious e-mails from Rep. Mark Foley were leaked to ABC News by career Justice Department prosecutors and FBI agents who are incensed that Attorneys General John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales covered up the House page scandal for political reasons. The back story of Pagegate is that there was a criminal conspiracy by the top political leadership of the Justice Department to cover up the predatory activities of Foley and other GOP members of Congress since at least 2003 and, likely, as early as 2001."

[toldyouso21]

The problem is...abuse breeds abuse. And now these tragedies which were inflicted by others in that hellhole will be visited upon the free population. Look for anger, depression and sexual abuse of other kids as these abuse victims try to gain their personal power back.

It is a sad fact that the many of people who are physically and sexually abused in the system will reenact their tragedies on others. those who rape and assault should be imprisoned and should have no opportunity for parole. God help these kids, and the rest of ours too.

[sasi1-2009]

To easttxrose:

The crime he committed has no bearing on the treatment he has received from those in charge of the juvenile detention center where he was incarcerated. Those people are even more guilty of sexual misconduct than he was. They are supposedly adults who are in charge of a bunch of juveniles. When they commit crimes against those same juveniles, they need to be charged, tried, and convicted.