This came after an investigative report by WFAA and public outcry after our report.
The director and his staff read prepared statements with their attorney by their side.
“The statements and allegations being leveled against our detention center that youth are being subjected to inhumane treatment is categorically false,” Beatty said.
The media wasn’t allowed to ask any questions.
Whistleblowers provided WFAA with pictures showing filthy living conditions which sources say is the norm.
“Cleanliness in our facility is a major part of our daily schedule. Youth are responsible for maintaining cleanliness and officers assist in individual areas,” said DeAndra Jones, Asst. Director.
They also addressed allegations that juveniles are kept in their cells all day and only come out for about an hour a day. State law requires they be out of their cells 10 hours a day.
“Now we are not perfect, but we strive for perfection. I can assure Dallas County citizens, that as of today, Detention Center Youth are receiving out-of-cell structured and unstructured activities with all our efforts being directed toward compliance with state law,” said Beatty.
But, the juvenile Department refuses to release records that document when kids are out of their cells and doing activities. In fact, the Dallas County Commissioners Court and the Department are in litigation over the release of the records.
“You tell us that things are near perfect that you are striving for perfection that there is nothing to see here but what we are asking for is evidence that is true because all the evidence we are getting is from parents and children who say their civil rights have been violated,” said Clay Jenkins, Dallas County Judge.
Beatty says the department is dedicated to doing the best it can despite a severe staffing shortage.
But County Judge Clay Jenkins says he’s not confident about the information that is being released.
“The first thing I heard today was parents and others are calling to say what a great job the juvenile department is doing and how they are being mistreated by the media. Let's hear from those parents because all I’m hearing are from parents that are not happy and kids that are not happy,” said Jenkins.
The Juvenile Detention Department and the County Commissioners are also in litigation over pay raises. The commissioners did not give the top staff pay raises saying they didn’t deserve a raise so the department sued the commissioners.
Here is Darryl Beatty’s full statement.
I am Darryl Beatty, Executive Director of the Dallas County Juvenile Department. I have 35 years of service in the mental health and Juvenile Justice Field. I have dedicated my life to working with and helping youth and families.
First and foremost, I would like to start off by acknowledging all the support and phone calls we have received from the Dallas County community. The parents who have expressed their gratitude and shared their stories of successful experiences while working with their youth.
We appreciate those words of encouragement from our Dallas County partners, and the many juvenile departments across the state and even across the nation.
It is with the utmost importance that I acknowledge our staff – your unwavering commitment, regardless of the challenges and what’s written about us; your strength and courage should be commended for this challenging work we do. United in creating opportunities and improving the lives of the youth and families we serve. It’s a calling to do this work, it’s not easy, yet you continue to stay the course. We truly appreciate you.
We are here today to speak about the Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center. As a brief orientation to the Detention Center, it is a pre-adjudication facility, meaning its purpose is to provide supervision to juveniles arrested for extremely serious offenses that endanger public safety.
The primary focus of Juvenile Detention Centers is the protection of the community and supervision of juveniles awaiting their court date. By state mandate, Juvenile Detention Centers are not designed for rehabilitation or ongoing therapeutic treatment. We provide medical and psychological assessment and emergency care, when necessary. We also provide continuing education to youth while they are detained.
Further, detention is designed to be only a holding center for juveniles awaiting trial. Here is a snapshot of our current detention population: Twenty-two (22) youths are accused and alleged to have committed murder, with four of them brought to detention within the last 48 hours.
Separate from the twenty-two (22) youth accused of murder, there are twenty-nine (29) youth accused and alleged to have committed aggravated felonies. These allegations and charges are serious and violent offenses that occurred against members of our Dallas County community.
Let me repeat that, we currently have 22 youth housed in our detention center facing murder charges and 29 detained and facing charges of aggravated felony offenses. With youth charged with such serious and violent offenses, the secure supervision provided in the Detention facility is a public safety imperative.
The juvenile department, like many other organizations, experienced historic worker shortages during the global pandemic. Facilities across the state had to drastically adapt their supervision practices in response to staffing challenges. We were no different in Dallas County. At present, our Detention center has a 20% juvenile supervision officer vacancy rate. Despite staffing shortages, we ensure youth receive out of cell time in creative ways consistent with ensuring youth and staff safety and security.
Let me be clear, we take seriously the concerns our community voiced regarding the care juveniles receive in our Detention center. The statements and allegations being leveled against our detention center that youth are being subjected to inhumane treatment are categorically false!
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) investigates and monitors all detention centers within the State of Texas. TJJD are the true and neutral experts in conducting investigations. These investigations and audits are open to the public. Review of these findings are available over a period of years. During my tenure as the Chief Probation Officer, no findings have ever been made of inhumane treatment.
Lastly, let me address the allegations that youth remain in their cells for up to twenty-three (23) hours. As soon as I heard this allegation through media reports, the Juvenile Board Chair and I ensured that these reports were forwarded to TJJD for investigation. At the following Juvenile Board meeting, the majority of the Juvenile Board agreed that TJJD should be responsible for investigating any and all allegations, which I firmly supported.
As a result of this investigation, in July 2023, TJJD cited the Juvenile Department for compliance issues primarily centering around what appeared to be a utilization of Disciplinary Seclusion when the Department did not have a written policy in place regarding Disciplinary Seclusion.
Thereafter, the Department immediately remedied all non-compliance issues and ultimately received a clean audit from TJJD around September 2023. Again, in April of this year, the Department received findings that youth in our facility are being safely and appropriately cared for based on Texas State law.
We are not perfect, but we strive for perfection. I can assure Dallas County citizens, that as of today, Detention Center Youth are receiving out of cell structured and unstructured activities with all our efforts being directed toward compliance with State law.