The past decade has seen tumultuous scandal followed by improvements in the juvenile justice system in Texas. Although the abuses in the system were discovered in 2007, they had been occurring for several years. The news that some staff were sexually assaulting children in the system while others ignored the reports broke shortly before the 80th Legislature met (Levin and Moll, 1). The Legislature took immediate corrective action to prevent this sort of tragedy from ever reoccurring. However, the reforms did not end there. Instead, the government continued to remedy systemic problems, making Texas a benchmark for juvenile justice across the country.
A Major Win for Trafficking Survivors and a Chance to Do More
The recent signing of the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act (TSRA) into law by President Donald Trump marks a historic victory for justice and a significant step forward in our national approach to rehabilitation. For too long, survivors of human trafficking have been trapped in a cruel legal paradox: forced or coerced by their exploiters to commit non-violent...