Opened in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Texas’s youth prisons were once known as “reform schools.” These large facilities were in rural areas far from the urban communities that most of the youth within their walls were arriving from and operated with little funding or oversight. It was believed at that time that incarcerating delinquent youths in rural areas removed them from bad influences and ensured public safety. However, these isolated facilities quickly became notorious for abuse and brutality.

What we all want for children and youth is safety, health, and to thrive. Yet too often those basic needs are not being met due to systemic issues in the United States around poverty, racism, and sexism, among other things. And one public system designed to intervene when children and families are in crisis – the child welfare system -- is causing more harm than help. 2023 Grantee National Center for Youth Law discusses the nuances of the child welfare system in the United States and strategies to address its failures.