The Texas Civil Rights Project announced Wednesday that the nonprofit organization, along with two other law firms, is suing the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the Texas Juvenile Justice Department over the wrongful death of 16-year-old Joshua Keith Beasley Jr.
The teen died by suicide in March 2023 while in the custody of the Texas prison system, a death which the lawsuit alleges was “both foreseeable and preventable.”
Beasley was incarcerated at age 11 for kicking a school safety officer, and he “spent the next, and last, five years of his life languishing in prison without adequate mental
health treatment. Juvenile and adult prison personnel and mental health providers failed to give Joshua the treatment and care he needed, and to which he was legally entitled, ultimately leading to his death,” the lawsuit states.
Beasley had mental health disabilities and a documented history of self-harm and repeated suicide attempts. The lawsuit alleges that, while incarcerated, he was “deprived of appropriate treatment or accommodations for his known mental health disabilities.” He spent the majority of his time in the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) in solitary confinement, which further traumatized the teen and exacerbated his mental health conditions.
“Without adequate mental health treatment in TJJD, he was repeatedly punished for behaviors driven by his disability, which created a self-perpetuating cycle,” said Robine Morrison, a partner at Winston and Strawn, one of the firms representing the plaintiffs.
Less than a month after he turned sixteen, the TJJD requested a court order to move Beasley to an adult prison in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), where he and one other prisoner were the only teens in a total prison population of 500 men at the Wayne Scott Unit. Six months later, the teen reportedly hung himself with a sheet.
Beasely’s mother, Amnesty Freelen, said that the state of Texas killed her son.
“They didn’t look at the whole situation. They didn’t try to fix the brokenness,” she said, per The Texas Tribune. “They just broke him more.”
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Beasley’s parents and his estate, alleges that the TDJC, TJJD, and the University of Texas Medical Branch — the medical provider for the prison system — violated the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. In addition, the lawsuit alleges that these entities violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, leading to Beasley’s death.
“By filing this lawsuit, we aim to shed light on the systemic failures in how mental health is treated within both juvenile and adult facilities—because no one should be left to suffer behind bars. Joshua was severely mistreated during his time in custody, and his death is a stark reminder that our most vulnerable citizens deserve more,” stated Breanta Boss, a civil rights attorney at Palmer Perlstein, the firm representing Beasley’s father in the case.
“This lawsuit gives me a lot of hope that we can change the system for all the kids still inside, so no more mothers have to go through what I did,” said Freelen. The lawsuit keeps Joshua and his story alive. I’ll never have full closure because my son died there, but this lawsuit means there’s some accountability, and a possibility of change for the other kids suffering.”