Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Federal Investigation of New York State Youth Prisons finds Rampant Abuses of Youth
A two year Department of Justice investigation of four youth facilities found that staff routinely used excessive force against youth residents. Furthermore, administrators failed to investigate reports of abuse committed by staff or discipline those who abused youth. The report concluded that children were so severely abused it constituted a violation of their civil rights. The NY Times reports: "In one case described in the report, a youth was forcibly restrained and handcuffed after refusing to stop laughing when ordered to; the youth sustained a cut lip and injuries to the wrists and elbows. One boy, after glaring at a staff member, was forced into a sitting position and his arms were secured behind his back with such force that his collarbone was broken." Read the full text of the article here: NY Times Article
SIGN THE PETITION TO CLOSE THESE ABUSIVE FACILITIES NOW!!!
Please take 10 seconds to sign the petition to close these abusive facilities and bring our children - and the resources they need to thrive - back to the communities where they live. http://www.petitiononline.com/200k4bed/ We pay up to $200,000 annually per kid to send them far from home to places where facility workers despise and fear them. We should be keeping them at home!!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Tuesday: NYCLU, Al Sharpton and Children’s Defense Fund-NY to Hold Press Conference about Abuse in NY’s Juvenile Detention Centers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 24, 2009 – At a press conference tomorrow on the steps of City Hall, the New York Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network, and the Children’s Defense Fund-NY will demand reforms to end the culture of neglect and abuse pervading four of New York State’s juvenile detention centers.
In findings recently made public after a nearly two-year investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that staff at four juvenile detention centers consistently used excessive force and violent physical restraint techniques that often resulted in serious injuries, including concussions and broken bones.
The DOJ report examines conditions at four facilities operated by the state Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). Federal investigators concluded that administrators failed to effectively investigate excessive force incidents or punish staff members guilty of abusing residents, who are all younger than 16 at the time of arrest. They also found that the centers fail to provide adequate mental health care to residents.
In a Sept. 2006 report, the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch released a report documenting alarming abuse and neglect of girls at Tryon and Lansing. Later that year, a teenager died at the Tryon facility after two workers pinned him to the ground.
What:
Press conference to demand reform at state’s juvenile detention facilities
When:
Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 11 a.m.
Where:
City Hall, Manhattan
Who:
Donna Lieberman, NYCLU
The Rev. Al Sharpton, the National Action Network
Mishi Faruqee, Children’s Defense Fund-NY
Mie Lewis, ACLU
Aug. 24, 2009 – At a press conference tomorrow on the steps of City Hall, the New York Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Rev. Al Sharpton of the National Action Network, and the Children’s Defense Fund-NY will demand reforms to end the culture of neglect and abuse pervading four of New York State’s juvenile detention centers.
In findings recently made public after a nearly two-year investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that staff at four juvenile detention centers consistently used excessive force and violent physical restraint techniques that often resulted in serious injuries, including concussions and broken bones.
The DOJ report examines conditions at four facilities operated by the state Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). Federal investigators concluded that administrators failed to effectively investigate excessive force incidents or punish staff members guilty of abusing residents, who are all younger than 16 at the time of arrest. They also found that the centers fail to provide adequate mental health care to residents.
In a Sept. 2006 report, the American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch released a report documenting alarming abuse and neglect of girls at Tryon and Lansing. Later that year, a teenager died at the Tryon facility after two workers pinned him to the ground.
What:
Press conference to demand reform at state’s juvenile detention facilities
When:
Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 11 a.m.
Where:
City Hall, Manhattan
Who:
Donna Lieberman, NYCLU
The Rev. Al Sharpton, the National Action Network
Mishi Faruqee, Children’s Defense Fund-NY
Mie Lewis, ACLU
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