Advocacy Day to Close Texas' Youth Prisons

On the first day of Texas' 2023 legislative session, join the Finish the 5 Coalition at the Texas Capitol for a rally and advocacy day! We'll hear from youth and speakers impacted by the juvenile punishment system, distribute our campaign materials to state leaders, and raise awareness about the inhumane living conditions in the state's 5 youth prisons.

This event is open to everyone who wants to get involved in the movement to help our most marginalized kids without handcuffs or Pr*son bars. Youth advocates and those with lived experience in the system are particularly encouraged to join us!

You can learn more about our work and find ways to get involved here.

With questions or for more information about the Coalition, please contact Austin Liberation Youth Movement and Texas Center for Justice and Equity.

BACKGROUND: The Finish the 5 Coalition was founded in the fall of last year after reports from the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD)’s Independent Ombudsman highlighted widespread human rights violations for the children incarcerated in Texas’ 5 state secure youth prisons. Children were locked in their rooms for up to 23 hours a day and forced to use water bottles and food trays as makeshift restroom facilities. Nearly half of the children incarcerated in TJJD were at risk of suicide, and some had already self-harmed. TJJD is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Finish the 5 Coalition seeks to raise awareness about incarcerated kids’ living conditions while advocating for a slate of legislation during the 2023 legislative session. They demand that Texas leaders: shut down TJJD’s 5 facilities by 2027 through a thoughtful, staggered closure plan; invest in building communities’ infrastructure to appropriately address the needs of children who would have been sent to TJJD, and allow recapture from closed facilities to reimburse the costs for community-based resources, and; enact policy reforms that decriminalize youth, diverting children from the youth punishment system altogether.

Please note: We will share more detail about where to meet at the State Capitol closer to the date of the event.

Host or Publisher Texas Center for Justice and Equity