Texas youth lockups are beset by abuse and mistreatment of children, Justice Department report says

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Youth lockups in Texas remain beset by sexual abuse, excessive use of pepper spray and other mistreatment including the prolonged isolation of children in their cells, the Justice Department said Thursday in a scathing report that accused the state of violating the constitutional rights of hundreds of juveniles in custody.

The report comes three years after the department launched a federal investigation into alleged widespread abuse and harsh practices within the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, which takes in hundreds of young people every year.

Staff in the detention centers have engaged in sexual acts with children, kept some for stretches of 17 to 22 hours of isolation in their cells and pepper sprayed children in their faces, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kristin Clarke said in releasing the report.

Clarke also noted that about 80% of Texas children in the lockups are Black or Hispanic.

“This is a racial justice issue,’' she said. “Our children deserve to be protected from harm and access to essential services.”

Spokespeople for Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s office and the state juvenile justice department did not immediately return emails seeking comment Thursday. The governor’s office said it would cooperate with the federal investigation when it launched.

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