Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) broke ground Thursday on a new facility in Brazoria County near the Memorial Unit state prison. The project is part of a broader push to expand the agency’s footprint, but it comes as the department faces sharp criticism over its handling of youth prisons.
The Brazoria County facility is anticipated to open in 2029 and will house up to 100 youth in the agency’s violence intervention continuum. TJJD is also building another facility in Ellis County, which will house juveniles with the most behavioral and mental health needs. Together, the two projects will cost $304 million.
Shandra Carter on the Groundbreaking
TJJD Executive Director Shandra Carter said the new facilities have been years in the making. She expressed relief that the project has finally reached this stage.
“To finally get to this point is very exciting and rewarding,” Carter said during the groundbreaking ceremony Thursday.
Carter defended the agency’s approach to safety during the event. When asked if similar lockdowns would become more common, she responded that her job was “to ensure safety and security.”
“That is the primary goal and I will use every tool available to me to ensure that that’s occurring so that rehabilitation and treatment can occur,” she said.
The Agency’s Current Operations
The TJJD currently operates five youth prisons. The agency faces criticism from some juvenile justice advocates following a statewide lockdown in its facilities, as first reported by KERA and the Texas Newsroom.
The Texas Civil Rights Project, a legal advocacy nonprofit, called for the juvenile justice department to halt the groundbreakings for its new facilities.
Many of the TJJD’s facilities are located in rural areas, according to Carter. The agency chose the locations for its two new facilities based on their proximity to more densely populated areas where the agency could recruit new staff members.
The Cost of Expansion
The $304 million price tag covers both the Brazoria County and Ellis County facilities. The Brazoria site will hold up to 100 youth in the agency’s violence intervention continuum. The Ellis County facility will serve juveniles with the most behavioral and mental health needs.
The timing of the groundbreakings raises a practical question: why now? The TJJD is moving forward with a costly expansion even as critics question its handling of youth prisons, raising questions about whose interests the agency serves.
The agency’s case is that safety comes first. The scale of the investment — $304 million for two facilities — demands scrutiny, especially when the agency is already facing questions about its operations.
Advocacy Groups Push Back
The Texas Civil Rights Project’s call to halt the groundbreakings is notable. The group’s demand stands on its own: stop construction until the agency addresses the concerns that prompted it.
The TJJD’s expansion moves in the opposite direction of the group’s position. The Brazoria County facility is described as part of the agency’s violence intervention continuum, while the Ellis County facility serves juveniles with the most behavioral and mental health needs.
The TJJD has not publicly addressed the group’s concerns beyond Carter’s remarks about safety. Her emphasis on rehabilitation suggests the agency sees the new facilities as part of a treatment-focused strategy, but critics remain skeptical.
What Comes Next
The Brazoria County facility is scheduled to open in 2029. The source does not specify a completion date for the Ellis County facility.
The TJJD’s current operations involve five youth prisons. The new facilities will add to that total.
The agency’s stated goals are straightforward: ensure safety, secure staff recruitment, and provide treatment. Whether those goals will be achieved remains an open question.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs smaller government and is against TJJD expanding its footprint with new facilities built without clear public oversight. The agency is spending $304 million on two new facilities while facing sharp criticism over its handling of youth prisons, and it has not publicly addressed the concerns raised by the Texas Civil Rights Project beyond general statements about safety.
The expansion moves in the opposite direction of the group’s position, and the scale of the investment demands scrutiny. The TJJD’s stated goals — ensuring safety, securing staff recruitment, and providing treatment — are worth considering, but the agency has yet to demonstrate that it can meet them.
The TJJD has broken ground. Now the agency needs to answer for what it builds. The paper will continue to follow the projects, the agency’s responses, and whether the promised rehabilitation actually materializes.
Key Facts
- The Brazoria County facility will open in 2029 and house up to 100 youth.
- The Ellis County facility will house juveniles with the most behavioral and mental health needs.
- Both facilities will cost $304 million together.
- The TJJD currently operates five youth prisons.
- The Texas Civil Rights Project called for the groundbreakings to be halted.
The TJJD is moving forward with a costly expansion even as critics question its handling of youth prisons. The agency’s response — safety first — is a familiar one, but the scale of the investment demands scrutiny.
The new facilities will not open for several years. By then, the questions raised today will have either been answered or left hanging. The TJJD has broken ground. Now the agency needs to answer for what it builds.
Source material: “Texas Juvenile Justice Department breaks ground on new Brazoria County facility,” Houston Public Media.
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