Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins is looking for access to juvenile detention records to analyze suspected workforce shortages that can have led to problems with detention amenities. Dallas County Commissioner Andrew Sommerman has emphasised the will for the find out about of juvenile detention records to resolve and make sure studies of solitary confinement problems, the place minors had been held in isolation for as much as 22 hours. A subpoena used to be issued to acquire the records from the Dallas County Juvenile Probation Department. The division then served Dallas County Commissioners Court with a criminal reaction, claiming that all the record is secure through legislation, because it holds confidential information about juveniles. The court submitting is titled “Plaintiff’s Original Petition for Declaratory Judgment and Protection from Improper Subpoena for Protected Records of Juveniles.” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins identified that redacted records, with names got rid of, are all which might be vital to analyze if staffing shortages are responsible. The case awaits a pass judgement on’s choice at Dallas District Court.
“One thing became very clear that children were being held in isolation,” mentioned Dallas County Commissioner Andrew Sommerman, who mentioned a find out about of juvenile detention records are had to ascertain — and clear up — reported solitary confinement problems the place juveniles have reportedly been held for as much as 22 hours.
“I do not know the depth and breadth of this problem, and the only way I can know it is to obtain records,” Sommerman advised WFAA. Dallas County Commissioners Court, consequently, issued a subpoena to acquire the records from the Dallas County Juvenile Probation Department.
“The whole document is protected, you have to start with that premise, the entire thing,” mentioned lawyer Brian Hail, who’s representing the Juvenile Probation Department and its govt director Darryl Beatty.
“The documents are privileged,” Hail added, mentioning Texas legislation supposed to give protection to the id of juveniles. “Very limited amounts of people and for very limited purposes can access it.”Â
“And get us the information we need so that together we can fix the problems in our juvenile department,” Jenkins mentioned.
“You have to start out with the understanding that the entire document is privileged and merely redacting identifiable information is not sufficient,” added Hail. “And we believe providing even redacted information would be a violation of state law, which we believe is very clear.”
“Let me be clear,” mentioned Sommerman. “If any individual has a greater solution to clear up this downside I’m in. As lengthy as children are not in isolation, that is all I’m searching for. I do not care the process that we use to get there, as long as kids are not in isolation.
“Maybe they’re right, maybe they’re wrong, there’s a proper procedure to go through it,” mentioned Hail. “And really it pained me to have to respond to this legally. I didn’t like that but my clients have been told to produce these or you can be thrown in prison.”
A pass judgement on’s choice in Dallas District Court is pending.