Neena Satija

Kids threatened suicide, urinated on themselves and were pepper sprayed in the early days of a statewide lockdown of Texas' five youth prisons. The first-of-its-kind move has youth advocates, experts and former staff wondering if the restrictive protocol is doing more harm than good.

The lockdown occurred after an "exceptionally brutal” assault against a correctional staffer, according to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.

The judge in the case insisted on a 60-day jail sentence. The controversy has roiled Texas politics and led critics to question the attorney general's ability to adequately prosecute crime.