Hadnot, H. Lynn
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H. Lynn Hadnot is expected to take over as Dallas County Director of Juvenile Services.
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Hadnot is currently serving in the same position in Collin County.
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The move comes after previous director Darryl Beatty resigned amid an investigation of the county’s facilities.
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H. Lynn Hadnot is expected to take over as Dallas County Director of Juvenile Services.
-
Hadnot is currently serving in the same position in Collin County.
-
The move comes after previous director Darryl Beatty resigned amid an investigation of the county’s facilities.
The next Director of Juvenile Services was named by the Dallas County Juvenile Board on Friday.
Judge Cheryl Lee-Shannon offered H. Lynn Hadnot the position and declared the board would consider nearby Collin County. Hadnot is now employed in Collin County in the same capacity.
What We Know: Hadnot is the Director of Juvenile Services for Collin County.
According to a statement from Shannon, Hadnot is anticipated to be appointed in Dallas County at the meeting of the Juvenile Board on January 27, 2025.
What They’re Saying: Shannon stated in a press release, “We anticipate that Mr. Hadnot will address shortcomings and expand upon the services that are performed effectively in Dallas.”
Shannon continued by praising the efforts of Mike Griffiths, the agency’s interim director who took over in August.
“He has made necessary changes and has laid a solid foundation on which Mr. Hadnot can build,” Shannon stated.
The Backstory: Following whistleblower accusations of cruel circumstances within the Dallas County Juvenile Justice Center, the department has been under criticism for a number of months.
When state inspectors unexpectedly visited the institution in July, Darryl Beatty, the director at the time, resigned.
The Texas Office of the Inspector General launched a fresh inquiry into the facility as a result of the visit.
Areport, which was published in September, discovered that the Special Needs Unit program functioned without following any rules or guidelines. The facility was able to get around state regulations thanks to the technique.
Numerous young people were kept in their rooms, often all day, without access to bathing, schooling, or physical activity.
Staff, educators, and administrators, both past and current, were aware of the systematic disregard that resulted.
According to investigators, Darryl Beatty, the former director, had plenty of time to make amends.
Mike Griffiths, the interim director of the Dallas County Juvenile Department, stated, “The most troubling of the report is that youth were held for long periods of time, sometimes days in their rooms, and regardless of whether that was a product of the pandemic or the COVID crisis, it was a practice that should have been discontinued immediately when staffing levels actually went up.”
Inspectors discovered widespread document fabrication relating to observation inspections, which may be illegal. Those must occur every 15 minutes when people are in their rooms during the night, under state legislation. The checks never took place.
The next meeting of the Dallas County Juvenile Board is scheduled for January 27, 2025.
The Origin:The Dallas County Juvenile Board and earlier Fox 4 investigation provided the information used in this piece.
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