DALLAS COUNTY, Texas — Darryl Beatty, the executive director of the Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center, has resigned from his position following investigative reports from WFAA regarding allegations of mistreatment at the facility, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins confirmed Friday.
A discussion of Beatty's replacement will be held at noon Monday during a special called meeting of the Dallas County Juvenile Board at the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center at 2600 Lone Star Drive.
Beatty and his staff held a news conference earlier this month addressing reports about the treatment of juvenile suspects at the facility, as well as their living conditions, where Beatty called the allegations "categorically false."
However, multiple sources have told WFAA that the Texas Juvenile Justice Department performed a surprise inspection at the facility this week and continued to find problems.
Whistleblowers, former and current employees of the facility, provided WFAA with pictures last month showing filthy living conditions, which sources said was the norm.
The pictures depicted a facility in recent months that is unsanitary.
“There was trash piled up and they had gnats flying around,” one former employee said. “There were toilets clogged up... the mattresses were ripped, and blankets ripped. You know, it was pretty bad.”
At the news conference earlier this month, the assistant director of the facility, DeAndra Jones, said cleanliness in the facility was a major part of the schedule.
"Youth are responsible for maintaining cleanliness and officers assist in individual areas,” Jones said.
Beatty also said during the conference that youth in the detention center were receiving out of cell structured and unstructured activities to comply with state law after allegations that some juveniles were kept in their cells nearly all day. State law requires they be out of their cell 10 hours a day.
WFAA was provided documents that show that on a particular day, the juvenile inmates, who range in age from 11 to 18 years old, were out of their cells for only an hour or two, and they didn’t go to school. The reason given is not enough staff.
“They don’t make it an issue,” the former employee said. “They think it’s okay to have these kids living in these poor conditions.”
Email: investigates@wfaa.com