Dallas County Juvenile Department pushes back against report claiming issues with how kids are handled
DALLAS COUNTY - There were some heated moments at Dallas County Commissioners Court on Tuesday over the performance of the county's juvenile department.
A report by a national group called Evident Change showed the department was fraught with missteps in how kids were being handled, including how long they were being detained before case disposition.
"There are findings that are inaccurate," said Dr. Julie Childers, the deputy director of the Dallas County Juvenile Department.
For the first time, the department pushed back.
Dr. Childers told commissioners not only was the report comprised with a different methodology, but that some of the data provided by the department was not included in the analysis that she said brought public harm to the department.
"Some of the statistics from the Evidence Change report have been used against our department and misrepresented in certain outlets," she said.
The discussion over the department included some tense moments between Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price and fellow commissioner Andrew Sommerman.
"You been here 10 months and I know you know more than everybody else," Price quipped at Sommerman.
Since the report, commissioner Andrew Sommerman has tried to get records which would show how long children are in isolation.
Dispute ongoing over access to Dallas County juvenile records
Monday’s hearing was supposed to decide whether the commissioner could get 90,000 records of juveniles in the juvenile detention center. Judge Eric Moye did not rule on that Monday because of another investigation taking place.
"We heard nothing about children being held in isolation. We heard nothing about it," Sommerman said.
[PRICE: "Damn, you keep saying that."]
"I do, sir," responded Sommerman.
Sommerman subpoenaed the records, but the Juvenile Department's director sued to keep the records private.
Judge Eric Moye ruled state law favored the Juvenile Department.
Sommerman wants the county to hire lawyers to appeal that decision.
"Here we are still going down the same road? I don't even understand it, so my position is going to be hell no," he said.
No one from the company that generated the report was at the meeting to defend and explain its work.
Judge Clay Jenkins wants the county to bring them back and let them work alongside the Juvenile Department to see if their findings are, in fact, inaccurate.
The motion to hire appellate attorneys has been rescinded for now in a fight that has no end in sight.