As Will Harrell,Texas Youth Commission’s new Ombudsman, highlighted positive changes in the agency’s policies and procedures last week, lawmakers in Austin were working to drastically reduce TYC’s two year budget.
Lawmakers argue that since the agency has reduced the number of youth by half, the number of staff should also be reduced. Projected numbers for the next two years per year are 2,300 youths and 4,000 employees, which is a significant drop from 2007 when there were 4,100 youth and 4,600 employees. In the wake of recent abuse scandals, State legislation mandated that the agency have a ratio of 12 youth to 1 staff member. In order to meet this, the agency must have at least 200 employees. This is assuming these 200 employees are security staff who directly supervise the youth. That would leave 3,800 other employees of TYC who lawmakers are deeming unnecessary. These employees are the specialized staff such as case managers, teachers, medical staff, maintenance workers and administration.
The cost of incarcerating youth compared to an adult is much higher because of the rehabilitative and educational programs provided. These services require more staff than the basic 12 to 1 security ratio.
