Texas is building two new secure juvenile facilities, one near Houston and one near Dallas, at a cost of $300 million. The move follows years of rising youth gun crime in the state, including two teenage killings in Houston in the past two weeks. The new centers are meant to bring youth closer to their families and tap into larger workforces in those cities, according to the state.
But the push is drawing fire from juvenile justice advocates, who say the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) has a track record of poor conditions and staffing shortages at its existing facilities. A letter from advocates called on TJJD to stop construction and focus on safety and staffing problems at existing sites, citing lockdowns that began on August 14th.
The state says the new beds are needed because it currently has hundreds of empty physical beds that are not filled with staff. The facilities are scheduled to open by early 2029.
Gun Crime Numbers Rise
In 2020, 1,708 juveniles were referred to TJJD for offenses involving firearms. By 2025, that number climbed to 2,474, up nearly 45%. The increase has driven the state’s decision to expand capacity.
Two Houston-area high school students have been killed in separate shootings in the past two weeks, with the alleged shooters also teenagers. The investigations remain unresolved.
The New Centers
The two new facilities will be built near Rosharon in Brazoria County and near Waxahachie in Ellis County. The Rosharon facility will have 104 beds and house only the most high-risk and violent juveniles. The second facility will also have 104 beds and focus on youth with the highest level of mental and behavioral health needs.
The locations are strategic. Both are near major metropolitan areas, which the state says will help with staffing recruitment. Existing TJJD facilities are spread across the state, located in Edinburg, Gainesville, Giddings, Mart and Brownwood.
The proximity to Houston means youth can stay close to their families while serving time. The state has framed this as a benefit of the new locations.
Staffing Is the Real Problem
TJJD Executive Director Shandra Carter said the new facilities are not simply about adding beds. She noted that the agency currently has hundreds of physical beds that are not filled with staff.
“I have hundreds of physical beds, but I don’t have staffed beds,” Carter said.
The distinction is central to the state’s argument. It is not a lack of space that is driving the expansion; it is a lack of people to fill those spaces.
Advocates Push Back
Advocates are skeptical. They point to a history of problems at existing TJJD facilities, including unconstitutional conditions that drew scrutiny from federal authorities.
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice found unconstitutional conditions across Texas’ five state juvenile facilities. The findings cited problems including excessive force, prolonged isolation and inadequate mental health care.
Brett Merfish, Director of Youth Justice at Texas Appleseed, made the case bluntly.
“You have an agency that does not have a track record of consistent conditions that are good for rehab, and there is not much to think this will go differently,” Merfish said.
The letter from advocates asked TJJD to halt construction and address staffing and safety issues at existing facilities first. The lockdowns that began on August 14th are part of the concern.
Local Support for the Move
The Harris County Juvenile Probation Department said having a state facility in nearby Brazoria County could make a significant difference for Harris County families. That support comes from an agency whose work overlaps directly with TJJD’s.
Prevention vs. Punishment
Not everyone agrees that more facilities are the answer. The Harris County Public Defender’s Office said it would rather see greater investment in prevention efforts.
Those include stronger schools, expanded access to mental health services, support for families and access to basic resources. The office argued that money spent on new buildings would be better directed at addressing the underlying causes of youth crime.
The disagreement over the new facilities centers on what happens once young people enter the state system. Defense attorney Jerry Michael Acosta sees many of them much earlier in the process.
“A lot of cases I handle are aggravated cases dealing with firearms,” Acosta explained.
Acosta said commitment to a state facility should remain a last resort, arguing that many young offenders are better served by programs closer to home.
“TJJD, as an advocate for juveniles, that’s the last resort for juveniles,” Acosta said. “There are a lot of facilities, a lot of programs that are available in the community. Here, there are a lot of programs that are available in Harris County.”
The Timeline
| Facility | Location | Bed Count | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosharon | Brazoria County | 104 | High-risk and violent juveniles |
| Waxahachie | Ellis County | 104 | Youth with mental and behavioral health needs |
Construction is expected to be completed by early 2029.
What Comes Next
The new facilities are moving forward. The state has committed the $300 million, and the timeline is set.
But the fight over whether they are the right solution is far from over. Advocates will continue to raise questions about staffing and conditions at existing facilities, while the state argues that the new centers are necessary to meet demand.
The two teenage killings in Houston have changed the conversation. What was once a policy debate is now a question with real human stakes.
“I have hundreds of physical beds, but I don’t have staffed beds.”
That quote from Carter captures the tension at the heart of this story. The state has the space. It just does not have the people.
The new facilities will open in 2029. Whether they solve the staffing problem or simply add to the existing ones is a question that will only be answered once they are operating.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs neither side directly but supports smaller government and less central control, which points toward questioning why the state is building these new facilities rather than addressing staffing shortages and poor conditions at existing ones. The $300 million project raises a simple question: if TJJD cannot staff its current beds, why build new ones?
The state’s own executive director admits the problem is staffing, not space. The agency has hundreds of empty beds that lack staff. That admission undercuts the justification for expansion. Instead of fixing the staffing crisis, the state is spending hundreds of millions on new construction while existing facilities face lockdowns, unconstitutional conditions and federal scrutiny.
The fight is far from over. Advocates will keep pressing TJJD to halt construction and address staffing and safety at existing sites first. The state’s argument rests on proximity to large workforces in Houston and Dallas, but the core complaint is staffing, not location. The new facilities open in 2029, and the question of whether they solve the staffing problem or simply add to it will only be answered once they operate.
Source material: “Texas to build 2 new juvenile centers, including 1 in Brazoria Co., as youth gun crime increases,” ABC13 Houston.
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