EDINBURG, Texas (AP) – A state report reveals that staff and youth have reported an ongoing “gang war” at a South Texas juvenile prison.
It’s the second similar conflict to erupt at a youth lockup as the Texas Juvenile Justice Department grapples with inmate deaths , staffing shortages , officer arrests and an escape.
A report from the department’s oversight agency, the Office of the Independent Ombudsman, notes a string of January assaults at Evins Regional Juvenile Center in Edinburg, including a fight involving 33 boys.
The Houston Chronicle reports that department officials addressed the juvenile prison’s “gang issue,” but pushed back on being the site of a “gang war.”
The office’s oversight reports have drawn attention from lawmakers following problems dating back to 2017, when several employees were accused of sexual misconduct with youths in their care.
