Fights Abound at the Overpopulated Harris County Juvenile Detention Center
According to an email obtained by the Houston Press through an open records request, fights were breaking out all over the detention center, and it appears that various programs had to be suspended due to the overcrowding — which juvenile justice advocates say is creating an unsafe environment for the kids as well as an unproductive one.
The email, sent to various staff members, reads: "As of today 9-22-16 we are in emergency staffing. The [Multiple-Occupancy Housing Units] will program and the 4th floor [sic]. There will not be a mini block schedule. It is simply unsafe with the current count of 295 and the current violent climate in detention. We have had group fights this entire week. We are in triple MOHU on nearly every floor."
