When you have knowledge of the sexual abuse of teens in state custody by state employees, action should be swift and decisive.

Rick Perry's actions were anything but, having waited until yesterday to move to reform the Texas Youth Commission, despite knowing of such abuse since last fall of sexual abuse dating back to 2005.

Gov. Rick Perry's staff learned last fall of a Texas Rangers investigation into allegations of sexual abuse in 2005 at a West Texas state juvenile facility, but the governor took no major action to reform the Texas Youth Commission until after the report became public last week.

On Wednesday, Perry removed the agency's board chairman, Pete Alfaro, of Baytown, and appointed Don Bethel, of Lamesa, as Alfaro's replacement.

Perry also recommended that at its meeting Tuesday, the board hire Ed Owens, the deputy executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, as the acting TYC director and set up an inspector general who answers directly to the board.

And late Wednesday, the Senate voted to ask the legislative audit committee to recommend the entire state agency be put into a conservatorship. Perry would have the final say on whether a conservatorship is adopted.

Legislative committees held hearings last year in which former TYC employees and the parents of youth offenders testified that there was widespread physical and sexual abuse of those incarcerated in the system.

But Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Sens. John Whitmire, D-Houston, and Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen, said they didn't find out until last week about the Texas Rangers' report on the possible sexual assault of boys by TYC administrators at the West Texas State School in Pyote.

They said there appeared to be a cover-up by high-ranking TYC officials.

I'd agree with that last assessment -- and would go further, including the Governor among those involved in a cover-up. Here's hoping that the legislature acts decisively to investigate and, if appropriate, punish that apparent malfeasance.

And for those who think I'm being harsh, please realize that any teacher facing similar allegations of sexual abuse would have been out of the classroom in a matter of day and not permitted back in until cleared -- if then. Instead, TYC abusers were permitted to stay in supervisory roles and to move elsewhere in the field of education with no check upon them.

Posted by: Greg at 11:24 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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