Juvenile Detention Centers Faulted for Teen Injuries
Several Albany New York juvenile detention facilities are being investigated for their use of excessive force when dealing with teenage offenders. The probe involved 28 residential facilities which houses 940 young adults ranging in age from 10 to 21. Among them, the institutional abuse and battery at the Lansing and Louis Gossett Jr. residential centers outside Ithaca and the Tryon residential centers for boys and girls in Johnstown was highest. At these centers, many young people incurred serious injury, including broken bones and teeth. After an inquiry spanning 2-years, investigators found that the workers at these centers often used extreme violence as a primary way to control their wards. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division also found that necessary mental health treatment and counseling was not given.
Even minor offenses, such as sneaking a cookie, could result in severe, physical punishment. At Lansing, which has the ability to hold 50 girls, restraints were used 698 times in 2007, and 123 injuries were reported.
The Justice Department can consider the option to sue the state if the situation fails to improve, but at this juncture feels it is uncessary due to the cooperation they are receiving with the investigation.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Comments
One Response to “Juvenile Detention Centers Faulted for Teen Injuries”Trackbacks
Check out what others are saying about this post...[...] study by researchers for the Justice Department found that the majority of children encounter violence in their everyday lives. Attorney General Eric Holder called the results “staggering,” [...]