Violent incidents at Dallas County’s Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center have plunged about 90 percent since new leadership overhauled staffing and schedules, according to the county’s juvenile department. Director H. Lynn Hadnot credits longer shifts, new clinical programming and a rebuilt detention staff for calming units that had been rocked by a string of serious staff assaults. Officials say the drop has also cut costly overtime and eased burnout among officers.
As reported by KERA News, Hadnot said changing shifts from eight to 12 hours, a change made last July, strengthened staff and calmed juvenile residents and produced what he described as a roughly 90 percent reduction in reportable violent incidents. The county’s budget team also estimated the new schedule would save about $800,000 in overtime costs, Hadnot told reporters. He has framed the approach as a mix of staffing stability, clinical supports and clearer separation strategies for youth who present serious behavior issues.
State Spotlight After Troubled Year
Dallas County’s shift toward reform followed a hard look at the department in 2024, when state investigators and local reporting flagged problems with seclusion practices and staffing that prompted reforms and leadership turnover. Reporting by The Dallas Morning News traced the exodus of staff, the resignation of the previous director and the push to rebuild morale and procedures. County officials say the changes were intended to replace punitive routines with clinical supports and improved supervision.
Inside The Schedule Shakeup
The schedule change is only one part of Hadnot’s overhaul. He has added incentive-based programming, clinical interventions and a “Resident Separation Program” to manage the most dangerous behaviors. In September 2025 CBS News Texas reported Hadnot saying the facility’s “violence continuum” had fallen about 79.3 percent in recent months and that overtime pay had dropped roughly 42 percent since the changes began. Supporters say the combination of longer shifts and fewer mandatory overtime calls has stabilized staffing and given officers more predictable days off.
Frontline Officers Feel The Difference
Frontline staff say the staffing shifts make a tangible difference. Juvenile supervision officer Hector Garcia, who was seriously injured on the job in an April 28, 2025 attack, told KERA News that chronic understaffing left officers stretched thin, at one point leaving him as a single officer supervising a dozen youths. “So what can you do about that?” he asked. He said the changes have helped, but that recovery and accountability for injured officers remain ongoing concerns…