Out of Mind, Out of Sight

Becky is a shy, quiet girl with freckles and jumbled teeth. She says she's out of the "suicide mode," but she still craves cocaine. Her mouth dry, her stomach knotted, she stares at the floor, picking up anything white.

She gets angry when she sees other Corsicana girls carving railroad tracks into their arms. She wants to get some cocoa butter to heal her scarred skin. Someday, she says, she wants to be a massage therapist.

Wendy Grossman

The Corsicana Residential Treatment Center is one of two facilities for mentally ill kids run by the Texas Youth Commission.

Details

Part of our three-part series "Make 'em Pay: Juvenile Justice in Texas"

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More About

• Kids Becky
• Elmer Bailey
• Corsicana
• Probation and House Arrest
• Mental Health

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Halfway through her resocialization plan, Becky has a couple of years left in TYC. When she gets out, as when she came in, there will be nowhere for her to get treatment--unless she gets into trouble again.