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Is Dallas County juvenile lockup moving past abuse allegations?

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Is Dallas County juvenile lockup moving past abuse allegations?


Dallas County’s new interim juvenile department chief has begun to right the ship.

For more than a year, the juvenile department has been plagued with allegations of deplorable conditions and mistreatment of children in its youth lockup. It also has been criticized for not properly handling the cases of juvenile offenders, sometimes keeping low-risk children locked up much longer than they should be. Findings of a state investigation into some of the worst allegations are expected soon.

But at a recent meeting of the Dallas County Juvenile Board, interim director Mike Griffiths offered some refreshing good news.

Griffiths, who led the department between 1995 and 2010, said he had begun fixing up the Dr. Jerome McNeil Jr. Detention Center, buying new furniture, cleaning and painting. He also said he planned to bring back in October plans for a thorough, third-party review of the entire juvenile justice system to lay bare where breakdowns are occurring. Such a review is critical to restoring the community’s trust in the department, Griffiths rightly noted.

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Now it’s up to the Juvenile Board, with the support of the Dallas County Commissioners Court, to keep this positive momentum going. The board must not only welcome an outside review, as we recommended last month, but also resist the urge to be defensive, as it has in the past. The board also must commit to hiring a permanent director with a strong record of working in a large juvenile justice system and who can tackle the particular problems facing Dallas County.

Those problems are numerous. A March 2023 report by the group Evident Change, sought by Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot, who was concerned about recidivism, found that juveniles were being held in detention for months longer than national standards recommend. That led him to believe that rather than rehabilitating juveniles, the county’s system was turning them into hardened criminals.

Then, a June 2023 investigation by this newspaper found that some juveniles were locked in their cells for 23 hours a day while others complained of filthy conditions, insufficient food and lack of medical care.

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The Texas Juvenile Justice Department has since launched two inquiries into the neglect allegations, including one begun in July 2023 and another following a surprise inspection at the detention facility this summer. The latter led to the sudden resignation of Dallas County Juvenile Department director Darryl Beatty and Griffiths’ appointment.

Since taking over the helm, Griffiths has gotten strong reviews from top county officials. Creuzot, a former district court judge, told us he has known Griffiths for decades and supports his plan for a third-party review.

But while Griffiths is clearly the right person to chart a new course for the juvenile department, at 72 he is understandably eager to get back to retirement in Chicago. The Juvenile Board must humbly accept any criticism coming its way and rely on these lessons to help find an able director. It won’t be smooth sailing, but it must follow this better map.

We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com



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Dallas, TX

2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule officially announced

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2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule officially announced


Behold the 2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule.

We knew coming into Thursday that the Cowboys would be on the road to take on the New York Giants in the season opener on Sunday Night Football, that Dallas is “hosting” the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil in Week 3, and that the Philadelphia Eagles would be in town for Thanksgiving Day. Now we know it all.

Among the first things that jump to mind is that bye week is late. Dallas isn’t on bye until Week 14, the Sunday of that week is December 13th for full perspective.

The Cowboys also only play twice in their own building, thanks to the Brazil game, before November. Sometimes those weird quirks show up in schedules and this is certainly one of them.

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It is interesting to see that the NFL gave Dallas the longest amount of rest possible after their Thanksgiving tilt. It hasn’t been uncommon for the league to have the Cowboys play on consecutive Thursdays, but perhaps that is a thing of the past.



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Dallas Approves $180,500 for New Botham Jean Boulevard Street Signs

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Dallas Approves 0,500 for New Botham Jean Boulevard Street Signs


A portion of South Lamar Street was officially renamed Botham Jean Boulevard in 2021.

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On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council approved funding that will replace highway exit signs and road signs marking Lamar Street with new signage honoring Botham Jean, the 26-year-old Dallas accountant who was fatally shot in his own apartment by an off-duty Dallas police officer in 2018. 

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The $180,500 in funding for 13 signs to be installed by the Texas Department of Transportation is the final step in the street renaming that was unanimously approved by the council in 2021. The new signs will be placed at exits along Interstate 45, State Highway 310 and U.S. Highway 175. 

Already, Botham Jean Boulevard signs run along the road in the Cedars, where Jean lived before he was killed. 

“This street on which he chose to live and the street on which he died can serve as a lasting memory of the upstanding resident who loved Dallas so much,” his mother, Allison Jean, told the council in 2021.  

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Jean was shot by Amber Guyger, a Dallas police officer, after she entered his apartment believing it was her own. A Dallas jury found Guyger guilty of murder in 2019 and sentenced her to 10 years in prison. She has also been ordered to pay the Jean family nearly $100 million in a civil trial, which accused her of using excessive force. 

The Jean family is seeking restitution from the city of Dallas because they argue that Dallas, as Guyger’s former employer, had a duty to defend Guyger and pay out claims brought against her. The Jean family filed suit against the city in April of this year.

On Wednesday, city council member Adam Bazaldua stated that the continued remembrance of Jean’s name is a reminder that “no one is above the law.” 

“This has never simply been about changing street signs; it has always been about commemorating a life that was taken too soon,” said Bazaldua. “When driving down Botham Jean Boulevard, we are reminded of the thousands of lives lost across the country each year to senseless gun violence.” 

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Bazaldua said that once city leaders were made aware that some signs from the initial 2021 street name change had not materialized, the horseshoe took steps to correct the oversight “somewhat promptly.” But he acknowledged that Wednesday’s funding came on the heels of community advocacy urging the project’s completion. 

Community leader Yafeuh Balogun said his organization, Community Movement Builders, began asking the city for the updated signs in September 2025. Addressing the council ahead of Wednesday’s vote, Balogun encouraged the horseshoe to vote in favor of the funds because it “would make no sense” to not follow through with the street renaming approved years ago. 

 “I think this is very powerful simply because driving here today, I still saw the Lamar Street Signs,” Balogun said. “I remember how powerful it was back in 2021 when the city council voted to rename Lamar Street to Botham Jean. I’d like to keep that legacy going.” 



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World Cup volunteers receive uniforms, new tickets released

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World Cup volunteers receive uniforms, new tickets released


We’re less than a month out from the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and North Texans volunteering in the event have received their uniforms. FOX 4’s Peyton Yager has more on that and the new hospitality tickets released today.



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