The teen residential treatment center near Greenville that was closed by state officials this month has a history of institutional abuse of children in its care. A new report from the Texas Tribune contains details from documents released by federal courts.
Thompson Residential Treatment Center, located at 1995 E. FM 1564 near Greenville, has been closed and its license revoked. The facility had been licensed by the Texas Department of Health and Human Services to provide residential services with teenaged boys.
An 11-year-old, identified in court documents as “O.R.,” died while in the care of the treatment center last November. The child died on the day before Thanksgiving at the Majestic 12 Movie Theater on Joe Ramsey Boulevard in Greenville.
The Tribune reports Thompson Residential Treatment Center had a history of major violations. In 2011, state licensing investigators found that the treatment center’s staff organized fights between the boys and would sometimes bet on the outcome. That same report also found evidence of physical abuse by staff and sexual conduct among the residents. In 2018, a child was hospitalized after a physical restraint by staff resulted in a laceration to his liver. A 2023 investigation also found evidence of physical abuse by staff.
