Behind the Concrete Walls

Uncovering Conditions in Texas’ Five Youth Prisons

Stock photo of hands reaching in air with a range of colors, with barbed wire overhead. Title of report is on the page - Behind the Concrete Walls: Uncovering Conditions in Texas’ Five Youth Prisons
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The Texas Juvenile Justice Department’s (TJJD) five state secure facilities are plagued by persistent understaffing and consistently high staff turnover, which contribute to unsafe conditions and hamper rehabilitative efforts. In 2024, a report from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) documented unconstitutional conditions within all five state secure facilities, including excessive force, isolation, abuse, and inadequate mental health care.

Texas Appleseed’s 2026 report, Behind the Concrete Walls, documents that many of the problems the DOJ identified persist and continue to cultivate an unsafe environment for youth and staff.

The best way for Texas to address these problems is to continue to divert youth from commitment to TJJD and stop the continued investment in a failed system.

Report Authors

  • Brett M. Merfish, J.D., M.P.P. | Director, Youth Justice Project
    Texas Appleseed
  • Martin A. Martinez, M.P.Aff. | Senior Policy Analyst, Youth Justice Project
    Texas Appleseed
  • Jessi Stafford, M.G.P.S. | Senior Research Analyst
    Texas Appleseed

Select Top Findings For This Report

  • In fiscal year (FY) 2017, there were 802 commitments to TJJD’s secure facilities, and in FY 2024, there were 578.
  • The staffing crisis at the TJJD facilities impacts being able to properly deliver rehabilitative services or ensure the safety of youth and staff.
  • From FY 2019 to 2025, turnover rates for juvenile correctional officers (JCOs) have increased for each facility, and vacancy rates have increased for all facilities except Evins.
  • These are the JCO turnover rates for each facility in FY 2025: Evins (62%), Gainesville (106%), Giddings (88%), Mart (62%), and Ron Jackson (87%).
  • The number of juvenile correctional officers with more than three years of experience has declined significantly. The lack of veteran staff impacts the quality and delivery of services, as well as the safety of staff and youth.
  • In FY 2019, there were 535 juvenile correctional officers with three or more years of experience, and in 2026, it dropped to 204 JCOs, with FY 2025 being the lowest number at 172.
  • In FY 2025, TJJD reported a turnover rate of 69% for JCOs, 30% for case managers, 14% for mental health providers, and 18% for education staff.
  • Mental health needs of youth in TJJD remain high and unmet, and TJJD has failed to deliver basic mental health care needed to rehabilitate youth.
  • The total number of suicide risk assessments conducted for youth in TJJD facilities dropped from 9,556 in calendar year (CY) 2022 to 8,082 in CY 2023, but then increased to 10,346 in CY 2024 and 14,081 in CY 2025.
  • Compared with CY 2024, all facilities reported an increase in CY 2025 in the percentage of youth prescribed psychotropic medications.
  • The state secure facilities have seen increases in the rate of the use of force and staff-on-youth assaults.
  • Data shows that although the number of individual youth subjected to use of force appears to have decreased in CY 2024 and 2025, the total number of use of force incidents has risen sharply.
  • There were 56 staff-on-youth assaults from January 1 - August 31, 2025, which is greater than the number of assaults for all of CY 2022, nearly equal to the total number of assaults for CY 2023, and approaching the total number of assaults for the whole of CY 2024.
  • Educational programming is frequently restricted, partly due to inadequate staffing levels. As of May 2026, TJJD acknowledged that youth in its facilities are seven grade levels behind in their reading and math skills.