Important questions still unanswered by TYC State of the Agency tour

by Scott Henson of Grits For Breakfast

A commenter in this Grits post about the Texas Youth Commission's "State of the Agency" tour says "someone needs to ask the important questions that the dog and pony show doesn't address."

A commenter in this Grits post about the Texas Youth Commission's "State of the Agency" tour says "someone needs to ask the important questions that the dog and pony show doesn't address." I thought they're good questions, so I'll post them and see how many we can get asked at stop in Austin tomorrow. Or if you happen to know the answers to any of them, by all means use the comments to chime in.

Also, maybe somebody at TYC can forward these inquiries to Ed Owens and Dimitria Pope so they'll know they need to be prepared to answer on the topics:

Where are the written policies to implement the "reforms"?

What did happen to all those suspended employees and what did that boondoggle cost? [Ed. note: Also how many were terminated over felonies they'd previously disclosed?]

Why are personnel being hired without job postings, interviews, and in some cases no juvenile justice experience or other job related experience?

Why are many contracts being issued without competitive bidding?

Why was an outside law firm hired to handle open records request when there were TYC attorneys available to handle the requests?

Why are there still 19 and 20 year olds incarcerated more than a month after SB 103 took effect?

Where are the review panels that SB 103 mandated?

How is TYC providing sex offender treatment without licensed sex offender treatment providers?

They're good questions I wouldn't mind knowing the answers to myself. I'd add to that:

Where is the reorganization plan for what happens when the Marlin Orientation and Assessment unit closes in August and who is in charge of the process?

Do you anticipate additional facility closures before the 2009 legislative session and if so what is the process for making those decisions?

For units that won't close do you plan architectural changes to eliminate open bay dorms and adult correctional design features, and if so were those projects funded in the state budget?

What other questions haven't been answered so far to your satisfaction from the TYC "State of the Agency" tour? Let me know in the comments. The agency's top brass will be in Austin tomorrow, so maybe we can get some answers.