Records for a southeast Texas county show hundreds of juveniles are jailed for weeks at a time for minor probation violations.
The Houston Chronicle reports that data from the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department show juveniles are often jailed for infractions like failing drugs test, violating curfews, running away or failing to attend school classes or rehabilitative programs.
Attorneys and juvenile justice advocates say the records show a pattern of detaining youth for technical violations that should instead be dealt with through the probation system.
Nearly 73 percent of the more than 1,000 juveniles cited for violating probation in 2016 were detained.
State District Judge Michael Schneider says the findings are concerning and that he'll seek help to analyze why low-level juvenile offenders are being detained.
