When allegations {that a} treatment center for victims of sex trafficking in rural Texas was the positioning of sexual exploitation of these victims, it made nationwide news.
The Refuge Ranch outdoors Bastrop, Texas, was the main focus of particular legislative hearings and a number of regulation enforcement investigations. Eleven women have been eliminated in March, and the group’s license was suspended.
In the tip, regardless of two women telling regulation enforcement they’d allowed employees member Iesha Greene to take pictures of them nude together with her telephone so the ladies might promote them for cash to buy medication, Greene was by no means indicted. And the facily was scheduled to reopen on Friday.
An electronic mail from The Refuge Ranch invited supporters to espresso, a query and reply session, and a tour.
“It’s very concerning to me to hear that’s happening,” mentioned Austin State Rep. Gina Hinojosa. “There have been so many oversight issues that have been uncovered through the investigation that befell after I was on the [House Human Services] committee.”
The two ladies, who have been allegedly exploited by Greene, mentioned final yr they hoped the group by no means reopened.
“I believe in God, and it will work out how it’s supposed to work out, and they’re lying. I hope that they never get to open their facility again,” mentioned one.
Hinojosa was shocked, particularly since Jamie Masters, the now former Department of Family and Protective Services chief, mentioned this could by no means occur.
“We were given assurances at the time under the prior commissioner that kids would not be placed there,” Hinojosa mentioned.
According to the Health and Human Services Commission, The Refuge had its license suspension lifted.
“The Refuge reached a settlement agreement with HHSC in January and is subject to the terms of the agreement and probation for a one-year period,” mentioned Tiffany Young, an HHSC press officer.
The probation contains elevated screenings for candidates, which was the first downside resulting in the scandal. Greene mustn’t have been in a position to achieve employment on the nonprofit.
She had beforehand been fired from the Texas Juvenile Justice Department for misconduct with youngsters and was not eligible to work at a state facility once more. TJJD didn’t disclose the actual fact to background checkers, exposing a niche within the system.
Questions loomed about why a corporation entrusted with defending some of essentially the most susceptible youth didn’t name earlier employers.
TPR detailed in its Justice Ignored sequence some of the allegations in opposition to the group made by former residents of the ability, together with that they’d reported Greene for earlier behaviors, akin to theft of property.
Greene couldn’t be reached for this story.
Greene was fired the identical day because the report of sexual misconduct was launched, in keeping with The Refuge.
“[We] fully cooperated with two special legislative committees and investigations by nine local, state, and federal agencies, from the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) to the FBI, none of which found evidence of criminal wrongdoing by The Refuge Ranch,” mentioned a refuge spokesman in a launch.
From the group’s perspective, they’ve been unfairly handled up to now and are wanting to work with DFPS to deal with youth once more.
DFPS had fired two investigators over the preliminary experiences. At least one of these investigators would inform TPR they’d adopted protocol and had been scapegoated as a consequence of unfavorable media consideration.
A report from the Special Senate Committee On Child Protective Services mentioned that “the department’s own testimony revealed systemic breakdown in communications and coordination related to the investigations into abuse, neglect and exploitation at The Refuge.”
Texas had cleared The Refuge.
Additional investigations performed by federal courtroom displays discovered the group had a number of extra issues — particularly with youth working away from the ability. The nonprofit defended itself, noting that working away is a typical coping mechanism for trafficked youth.
One such woman named Shawna Rogers fled The Refuge’s care whereas on an in a single day keep together with her grandmother in close by Bastrop.
A state investigation decided that Rogers had manipulated a employees member to permit her entry to a telephone to log in to her social media accounts. She would later use these social media platforms to coordinate her escape. The state didn’t discover Rogers used a employees telephone to flee, nevertheless.
The investigation did present lapses within the group’s processes round Rogers’ time there. Rogers, who was courtroom ordered to be at The Refuge, was to not depart the campus with out her probation officer being notified. The nonprofit didn’t implement this thrice.
It additionally discovered one unnamed woman had run away 5 instances with out the state being notified.
“Rather than look backward at false allegations and other issues that led to a year of lost care for traumatized girls and near bankruptcy for our organization, we intend to emphasize the lessons learned from the process, work cooperatively with our state agency partners,” mentioned Refuge CEO Brooke Crowder in an announcement.
Not all state companions are able to work with The Refuge once more although.
“We have reviewed the settlement agreement between HHSC and The Refuge. At this time, we have no plans to place children or youth in state conservatorship at this facility,” mentioned DFPS Spokesperson Marrisa Gonzales in an electronic mail to TPR.
The Refuge has to rehire employees, and develop many crucial plans to efficiently take youth once more. And whereas DFPS could not instantly place youth there, many within the courts have bemoaned the crucial lack of companies for sex-trafficked youth.
“We have a huge gap in having this kind of facility or providers who know how to work with children in a very trauma-informed way,” mentioned Aurora Martinez Jones, choose of the 126th State District Court in Travis County. “Knowing that these children have such substantial needs though, my hope is that anybody — The Refuge included — who would be providing service to our children have to be held to a higher standard of diligence assuring any caregivers in their facility are going to be absolutely healthy responsible and safe people. ”
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