Following a damning whistleblower report on the inhumane conditions for juveniles at the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center, the Dallas Black Clergy has called for an emergency press conference to address the community.
The press conference aims to shed light on the reported abuses, demand action from Dallas County officials, and mobilize community support for systemic changes.
The press conference comes as former and current employees came to local news outlet WFAA to expose the conditions at the facility.
The conference will take place at the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center on Sunday, June 30, at 3 p.m.
Speakers from the Dallas Black Clergy include:
· Rev. Dr. Frederick Douglass Haynes, III: Founding Member of the Dallas Black Clergy; Senior Pastor, Friendship-West Baptist Church
· Rev. Dr. Michael W. Waters: Founding Member of the Dallas Black Clergy; Founder and Lead Pastor of Abundant Life A.M.E. Church
· Sha Smith: Impacted Individual by the Henry Wade conditions
· Mr. John Fullinwider: Co-Founder of Mothers Against Police Brutality
· Rev. Dr. Irie Session: Founding Member of the Dallas Black Clergy for Safety, Equity and Justice; Co-Pastor of The Gathering: A Womanist Church in Dallas
· Minister Dominique Alexander: President and CEO of the Next Generation Action Network
· Rev. Virzola Law: Senior Minister of Northway Christian Church
The conference comes in the wake of a September 2023 report by the Lone Star Justice Alliance’s Reimagine Justice Coalition.
The coalition highlighted severe violations of state juvenile standards at the facility.
Key findings include:
- 15 violations of state juvenile standards.
- Juveniles isolated in cells for up to five days.
- Inadequate daily showering for detained children.
- Failure of guards to conduct regular checks, especially for those on suicide watch.
- Disparities in case processing times, with White (including Hispanic) children facing shorter waits compared to Black children.
- High rates of deeper system involvement for children, despite being reported as low or medium risk.
In Nov. 2023, John Wiley Price, ranking member of the Dallas County Commissioner’s Court, sat down with The DeSoto Tribune to discuss the standards of the Dallas Juvenile Detention Center.