Opened in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Texas’s youth prisons were once known as “reform schools. 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.

One public system designed to intervene when children and families are in crisis – the child welfare system -- is causing more harm than help.