Letters to the Editor
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Prisons are Big Business in Texas
I am living in Texas and am aware of this story.
Children of detained people should not be in such a facility. Unfortunately the foster care system is appallingly underfunded here, so options do not abound. More worrisome is that prisons in Texas have expanded to rural areas where local communities have become quite dependant upon prison systems for local employment.
If you want to check out another horror, look into the Texas Youth Commission scandal that originated in Pyote, Texas, where the Ward County district attorney delayed prosecuting a principal and assistant superintendent at the school (prison) for sexually abusing the students (inmates) in their care for almost two years while they continued in their positions.
Pyote is a tiny town with little remaining industry. I suspect District Attorney Randall Reynolds' motive may have had something to do with the fact that his office is an elected position in an area that desperately needs the jobs that the youth prison provided.
So if this sort of thing can happen in prisons designed to hold youthful lawbreakers, imagine what can happen if we start imprisoning the children of illegal immigrants. Perhaps worse things than being told to stop crying.
This is a problem that needs funds and energy directed toward it immediately. If the idea of housing these children in prisons spreads these sorts of facilities will become economically entrenched in small towns that need the money.