Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

The former Texas Youth Commission Board, from left: Board Vice-Chairman Donald R. Bethel, William Mahomes, Jr., Dr. Gogi Dickson, Patsy Reed Guest, Board Chairman Pete C. Alfaro, Nick Serafy Jr., and Steve Fryar

The governing board of the scandal-racked Texas Youth Commission today unanimously approved a 24-point reform plan for the agency, mandating sweeping administrative and policy changes and likely a management shakeup.

After the vote, the six-member board transferred all its powers to Acting Executive Director Ed Owens and immediately adjourned for the last time. Board members advised Gov. Rick Perry they will resign at 5 p.m. today.

The plan recommends significant changes in how complaints of abuse are reported and investigated, and how incarcerated juveniles are supervised and rehabilitated, along with changes in agency structure.

Remote and older facilities that are hard to monitor, staff and supervise could be considered for closing or a new mission, and grievance procedures would be revamped to ensure that they are no longer subject to interference by those accused.

Changes also include segregating younger students from older ones and tailoring rehabilitation initiatives to fit the ages of offenders.

The plan also hints at a coming staff shakeup, and that existing operational fiefdoms within the agency — criticized for contributing to the current sexual abuse and cover-up scandal — could soon be dismantled.

The plan also calls for a complete review of medical care, youth-rehabilitation programs and community involvement, and for policies to "create transparencies" in how the agency does business as well as new community involvement.

Owens said he will "evaluate the existing agency structure/staff and will select staff at all levels in accordance with the revised mission. I will surround myself with a group of professionals who are decisive and take initiative."

After the meeting, Owens promised, "We start implementing this plan now."

He said he believes the plan will pass muster with the U.S. Department of Justice, which on Thursday officially declared conditions at a South Texas juvenile prison to be unconstitutional. Similar problems have been found by investigators at many of the other 21 state-run youth lockups and halfway houses.

Owens said he plans to bring in outside professionals and consultants within days "to make assessments of our processes and structure . . . I am going to be very aggressive with some of these items."

"As of today, I have the authority to run this agency as I see fit," he said. "We are talking about changing the culture here."

The so-called "rehabilitation" plan, ordered 16 days ago by Gov. Rick Perry amid the growing scandal that now involves seven different agencies investigating more than 550 allegations of abuse, neglect and a cover-up by top officials, was completed just hours before the emergency last meeting of the embattled board.

The brief, 30-minute session was conducted via teleconference in a packed conference room at the agency's Austin headquarters. Just down the hall, the regular board room was filled with a command center of investigators tracking abuse complaints.

It is rare for such a plan to be imposed on a state agency, even rarer for a board to vote itself out of existence. But since the scandal first broke last month, amid allegations that sexual abuse of incarcerated youths at the West Texas State School had been officially covered up or ignored for at least two years, calls for the board to resign had steadily mounted.

The Texas Senate two weeks ago called for putting the agency into conservatorship — a forced management takeover — and abolishing what they characterized as a "clueless" board. As new revelations and allegations continued to mount, a legislative investigating committee a week ago had approved a no-confidence vote in the board and demanded they resign.

When they refused, the Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to boot the current board. A House vote was set for next week, amid widespread support.

Even so, with their agency awash in investigations and their roles ending at Perry's order, board members continued to bristle Friday at suggestions they could have done more.

"Many of the ideas (in the rehabilitation plan) were recommended previously by the board," said an indignant Gogi Dickson of San Antonio. "We were labeled clueless . . . Ten specific recommendations we made . . .. the board had wanted and asked for, for many years."

Added Patsy Reed Guest of Duncanville: "Many of these, we, as a board, had already recognized."

Despite that, board minutes show, those changes were not made.

On a motion by Guest, seconded by Steven Fryar of Brownwood, the board then voted 5-0 to approve the plan. Juan Sanchez Muñoz of Lubbock was absent.

With a similar vote moments later, they transferred their powers to Owens, expressing sadness and thanks to Youth Commission staff members.

"Good luck to you, Ed," said Chairman Don Bethel of Lamesa.

mward@statesman.com

Rehabilitiation plan from Acting Executive Director Ed Owens, Texas Youth Commission

•Restructure institutions that are designed based on the youth's age and/or psycho-social stage of development.

•Conduct a vulnerability assessment of institutions to establish staffing patterns and security risk levels.

•Review the proposed training curriculum to determine the suitability and appropriateness of modules to prepare staff for institutional environment related to the care, custody and behavioral management of youth.

•Consolidate staff training functions to one targeted function of the restructured agency. Specific staff training by divisions will be terminated.

•Conduct an evaluation of the existing medical- and health-related contracts to assess continuance or change. As the Interim Executive Director, I will seek the assistance of a nationally recognized certifying authority to provide guidance for the medical service delivery.

•Ensure that an evaluation of all existing and future contracts between the agency and external entities is appropriately managed through the agency's Business and Finance Division. Additionally, the Business and Finance Division will immediately assume oversight responsibilities for all business managers currently located at the institutions. An assessment will also be conducted to determine the feasibility in maintaining the current staff at the institutions.

•Evaluate the existing agency structure/staff and select staff at all levels in accordance with the revised mission and new agency philosophy. I will surround myself with a group of professionals who are decisive and take initiative.

•Evaluate the assignment of specific functions housed within various divisions to determine correct placement.

•Charge a select group of executive administrative staff with the responsibility of creating a revised strategic plan with attendant performance indicators.

•Embark on the implementation of a result-driven management system of operations and utilize key performance data managed through the information resources and research divisions. Evaluate the existing program concept, resocialization and explore alternative strategies to meet the risks/needs of the youth that can be effectively implemented within the budget.

•Restructure program offerings that are age-appropriate and match the psycho-social developmental stages of the youth.

•Establish community-based forums, advisory councils and work with other community/faith-based organizations to allow for reciprocal communication between the agency and its constituents (youth, parents, local officials and community).

•Create 'transparencies' associated with how the agency does its business and with whom.

•Create youth forums to allow youth to publicly address issues of concern to staff, including my office.

•Encourage the use of incentives/disincentives as a behavioral management technique.

•Establish an ethics advisory council for the TYC.

Source: Texas Youth Commission