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