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Cover-up Conspiracy by the Elite Texas Government?
It appears many Texas leaders are hiding now, as the public demands to know who knew what and when about the Texas Youth Commission sex and physical abuse scandal. The scandal reached both shores of the nation and some foreign newspapers covered the horrors that were exposed. The Texas Monthly Magazine is demanding that the truth comes out.....who knew what and when? The Texas governor's office, the chief of staff of the TYC and top TYC officials all knew about the abuses back in 2004. The attorney general's office and key lawmakers were also aware of the brewing scandal in 2004. Records exposed communications between all these people. Why was no action taken back then, to stop the abuses and prevent further torture of these youth?
I advised the governor's office about the abuses and after they told TYC leaders about the emails, they decided to 'not respond' to the information. When I advised the attorney general's office about my book - "Raped by The State", which exposed the statewide abuses in TYC and that I was threatened for writing the book; they advised me to "'contact an attorney". (What are they for?) The lawmakers that I contacted stated "keep us posted". I did. I sent many emails to them about TYC and rampant abuses of youth and employees. I sent many emails about the issues to the Austin Statesman. They never responded. Showed no interest what so ever. Do folks in TYC have stock in the newspaper? Someone has a heavy influence in what the paper does. That's OK; the Dallas Morning News more than made up for the lacking response by the Austin paper.
Little interest was shown for my book, until the Texas Ranger investigation was released. WOW. Then I received calls from news media from all over the country. After the Dallas Morning News released their scorching report on the youth abuses in TYC, even the New York Times called me; followed by FOX News who wanted to know why the state of Texas was allowing incarcerated youth to be raped? Geraldo of 'Geraldo at Large' was upset by the 'rape by the state'. The Associated Press was alarmed about the massive abuses of the confined youth.
TYC employees advised me that the rogue TYC management put out the word that the book was false and staff should not buy the book, read the book or talk about the book! Talk about control and intimidation. It has gone on for years in TYC. I received many good comments from TYC employees who were glad that the truth was finally brought out about the dark insides of the TYC. There were a few who stated I should have never caused attention, and the youth deserved what they got! These kids were not their children. Employees at TYC with this attitude don't need to supervise our troubled youth....they are part of the problem.
One senator called me during the live video senate meeting and asked if I had sent copies of the book to the TYC board, who seemed lost during the hearings. I advised him "no, but the book is well known through-out TYC". Immediately after that, the senator held the book up on live coverage and asked the TYC board if they were aware of the book. Some of them answered "yes". He was then abruply cut-off without reason. Another senator had a copy of the book on his desk and used many quotes from the book. That was great I thought. The ACLU advised me that the book was the foundation used to reform the wild commission. There were many actual cases of abuse, mistreatment and mismanagement in the book. The senator told me he would get back with me, but he never did follow up.
TYC officials suppressed my book and I understand that, because they did not want the public to know about vast wastes of public funds, massive abuses of youth and misuse of state employees and other resources. Sure they wanted the book suppressed. But what about the government? The government used the book, which was great; but they never acknowledged that the book helped expose the statewide corruption. Why? Were they afraid that by doing so, their failure to take action sooner would also be exposed? Did they and their other agency cohorts decide to cover for one another to insure their own survival?
TYC has become darker and darker over the past twelve years. It has slipped deeper and deeper into deception, as it engaged in youth abuse and torment. Youth were in TYC who should not have been there. Youth were illegally detained with make shift hearings to extend their time for minor infractions and as retribution. Unknown thousands of youth were victimized by TYC management. Youth were released from TYC as enhansed criminals, rather than receiving badly needed treatment. The TYC Austin MAFIA that ran the agency for many years brought total shame to the commission. Families of confined youth, employees and the general public have all been deceived by TYC and it will take years to restore credibility to the fractured commission.
The black circle of influence within TYC management has been severly damaged. Good. Now the shutters can be opened allowing the public light to restore employee confidence in the fractured agency. Many good employees left TYC because of the unmanaged managers, that allowed TYC to collapse. Their are still good ole' boys left in the system that can cause the agency to slide again into the abyss, in a few years. It happened before.
Much of the public only knows about the sex scandal. That's only the tip of the iceberg. Sex and drugs are readily availble in TYC. Many staff engage in sex with youth and when caught, simply resign and move to another institution. They are easily rehired, since TYC does poor background checks and these staff have 'prior experience with youth'. Gang activity is serious and statewide. There are abuses in the parole program, the contract placement program, halfway houses and needless to say, most institutions are a disaster area. Caseworkers work to get youth released, while some parole officers work to get youth committed to institutions. Supervision in these programs are controlled out of Austin TYC....the enlightened who caused the downfall of this once proud youth commission.
Is there a conspiracy by Texas government officials to suppress the whole truth about this terrible scandal and my book? More cover-up amounts to more 'rape by the state'. There has been enough, let's clean up the entire mess including who knew what and when; and why they didn't react as responsible leaders of the great state of Texas. Many youth lay in their beds at night, far from home, wondering who would knock them in the head and rape them. These young people lived a nightmare, day after day; because people in power didn't take time to listen or take them seriously. Shame on Texas leaders. There were lots of clues that went ignored.
Many of the bad administrators in TYC are now gone. More should follow. The house cleaning may have over-reacted to public outrage. Many tormented youth are being released without proper support. These youth are being set up to fail without good community support. Many will be pointed toward the adult prison system. For the past twelve years TYC has failed to provide real treatment for most youth. Most were simply warehoused and learned more criminal ways. Let's hope the new reconstruction efforts don't fail these youth also.
It appears that this scandal will grow even more in the next few years. Top federal officials with the US Dept. of Justice and US Attorney General's office appear to have played a part in the scandal. This is unfolding now and will be exposed more in the near future. Even connections in high places get frayed. Several major lawsuits have been filed about this scandal. Some administrators involved in the cover-up may get to visit the inside of a prison and stay for an extended period.
Conspiracy? The public will make the final decision.
Crowd Power
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RChance
Monahans, Texas, United States
Recommendations (52)

Anonymous users (33)



Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (10)
at 03:26 on June 1st, 2007
Quality original reporting, RChance -- thanks for this.
at 07:59 on June 1st, 2007
RChance, thanks for posting this...great work! Very detailed analysis. I'm curious about your book. What is it called? When did you write it? What kind of access did you have to the people involved? I think this is a very interesting story. Please keep us updated on what happens next.
at 10:36 on June 1st, 2007
RChance, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 09:32 on June 2nd, 2007
Excellent work, and thanks for posting with us.
at 14:32 on July 15th, 2007
MY son is commited to one of these facilites and what they do to our children is criminal without a doubt. If they were to do these things to adults we would not stand for it. It is time to fight for our children.
at 12:14 on June 8th, 2008
The Texas Governor's office recently advised me that the investigations about the cover-up of the sexual abuse in TYC by top management is pending with the Texas Attorney General's office. Will these top folks that covered for the abuses of confined youth be prosecuted, or will their cases quietly go away? Call your representatives, or it will quietly just go away!
at 14:28 on June 8th, 2008
What sex scandal? this is not 'understood'.
at 11:02 on June 9th, 2008
Two TYC administrators who were at the West Texas State School in Pyote, are now pending their trials for sexual abuse of youth who were under their supervision at WTSS. The administrators/managers who supervised the accused administrators were also blamed for covering up when the sexual abuse was first reported. At one point the Texas Governor stated that all those who covered for the sexual abuse of youth would be prosecuted, even if now retired. When I recently inquired about all this from the governor, in April 2008, I was advised that these cases were being developed by the attorney general's office, for further prosecution. I have yet to hear from the attorney general about any of this. Management at the top of TYC stated they were unaware of sexual abuses, but the Dallas News revealed copies of my letters that I sent to them about the sexual abuses, and I revealed the sexual abuses in my book "Raped by the State", at wwwrapedbythestate.com. The top leadership in Texas government hopes the public has forgotten about this and it will just go away. Some of those leaders also knew about the youth sexual abuses far before the Texas sex scandal of 2007.
at 20:52 on March 6th, 2009
Mr Chance,
I was one of those students in TYC and served in West Texas and Gainsville. From 1992-1996 my early time in West Texas as a 12 year old boy was horrific, staff were constantly trying to get me to do things of a sexual nature, male and female staff. However, after staff learned that I wasn't "getting with the program" as they called these sexual advances they beat the living crap out of me. No one would listen to my complaints and they continued to seek me out for sexual favors. Eventually they got tired of me saying no and they got older and bigger kids to sexually assualt me. After that night they continued to try to get me to "get with the program" . But I chose to literally become a monster and physically assualt every staff member who attempted to get me to do sexual things. I also brutally assualted the kids who were told to attack me. Every single assualt I committed to fight off sexual advances were not recorded even though I sent many staff and students to the hospital. They all said I as lying on staff.. Eventually they sent me to Gainesville and I immedialty learned that things there were worse and even more brutal. They lined kids up in the hall and forced us to play a game called the "booty game". I refused and was sent to security my first day there and was beaten very bad. The first month I was there was horrible, students beat the crap out of me as intructed by staff because I always said no to the booty games or sexual advances. I worked my way from dorm to dorm and began my monster stage as a means of survival and brutally assualted staff and students. No hyperbole either... I complained and complained and felt I had no other choice. Dozens of staff who tried to get me involved in the sex acts were assualted by me, a few sent to the emergency room and one almost died. No one listened to my complaints nor was I charged officially for assualting staff for minus 1. As I should have in that case because in retrospect I was wrong and sought his forgiveness as I was being released. But because so many staff were bad I didn't trust any of them. They kept me on the violent offender unit for the remainder of my stay and because of my response to sexual advances was finally left alone and darn near given my way in the facility. To this day I have nightmares about that place. On a positive note, I now own a small business, travel the world, and I'm college educated. NOTE: There were also some very good staff members in TYC who cared and others who wanted to but were overwhelmed.
at 12:32 on March 18th, 2009
I HATE tyc, The tyc staff were brutal dumb ass red necks that deserve to rot in hell. And the new team playa, these people are creepy, no moral values, and are worst than the children they watch. The team playas are raised by animals, their folks are dogs. I pray tyc gets sodomize by the leg
CuriousJim you did the right thing. I did what you did, and I enjoyed every bit of pain I inflected, every bit of humiliation I inflected on tyc emps especially those real punks that called themselves security. Man I loved going round and round with them. They thought they were so bad, yet it always took 3 of them to hang me on the wall. And of course the security men were the biggest punks of them all they would beat me good when I was hanging on the wall. FUCK tyc may they all rot in hell.