To describe the state's juvenile prison system as a pit of horrors is an insult to pits of horrors.

There's simply no acceptable excuse for the gross negligence – and, most likely, willful intent – that allowed rampant sexual and physical abuse to infect virtually every Texas Youth Commission unit across the state.

And these abuses proliferated for years under the noses of the TYC board members, who today say they simply weren't told by their subordinates what was occurring – a response that, given the extent of the scandal, is almost as bad as knowing and choosing not to act.

Credibility in the system cannot be rebuilt without restoring the trust and independence in top leadership. Failed board oversight permitted administrators and their underlings to run amok for years. It's time for a completely new board to take over – one that doesn't have the baggage of culpability hovering overhead.

The comfort level that permits sexual predators as guards and administrators to abuse without fear of punishment doesn't develop overnight. When whistle-blowers and victims are too frightened to come forward, it's because the past suggests that complaining is futile, retaliation likely.

Board inaction is not the sole reason for this disgrace, and in the coming months, more fingers will be pointed and wrongdoers identified.

Law enforcement officials were slow to investigate and prosecute. Middle-level TYC officials failed to appropriately act on allegations. Lawmakers failed to ask the right questions. Nonetheless, far too much depravity occurred on the board's watch in too many prison units for the TYC board to stay in place.

Most Texans are disgusted and repulsed by the sordid allegations of physical and sexual abuse that are emerging almost daily. TYC inmates are the state's most violent and incorrigible youngsters; still, they don't deserve abuse and other felonies at the hands of guards and administrators.

Nothing short of wide-scale dismissals, reassignments and organizational restructuring will begin to purge the juvenile prison system of this vileness. A board cleansing is an appropriate first step