It is time for federal action at the YDC
I am deeply disturbed by the reports I have read about the Sununu Youth Detention Center in Manchester, and it is long past time for federal authorities to step in and address the appalling lack of oversight and accountability by the relevant state agencies overseeing the facility and its staff.
On Monday, the Disability Rights Center in New Hampshire and the Office of the Child Advocate said that staff at the YDC are using illegal restraints on children who don’t comply with directives from the staff. Recent interviews have uncovered that youth are being neglected and subjected to isolation at the center despite denials by the NH Attorney General’s office.
The Child Advocate reported recently on 15 children who were subjected to a lockdown that lasted almost six weeks and denied them full educational services and even access to fresh air.
I have viewed some of the training materials used with YDC staff, and I am extremely uncomfortable with the “force-first” attitude that seems to view children as a threat that needs to be managed primarily through physical restraint. As teachers who have worked with young people in a variety of settings, my husband and I know firsthand how crucial it is to provide proper training and emphasize the necessity of addressing a student’s psychological and physical need for safety and belonging before reverting to the use of physical force to subdue a child who is a threat to themselves or the people around them.
Given the severity of the alleged crimes against children that are apparently ongoing at the YDC and the inability of the state Attorney General to hold the perpetrators accountable, it is time for the federal government to step in.
I call on our federal Congressional delegation to refer the situation to the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division for a formal investigation. All incarcerated and institutionalized individuals are protected by law under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, and under this law, the Justice Department has the authority to investigate conditions in state-run juvenile facilities.
With state-level accountability stalled, there is a strong case for a formal pattern-or-practice investigation into the Youth Detention Center, and Senators Shaheen and Hassan as well as Representatives Pappas and Goodlander should request an investigation publicly and in writing.
This request would create public and institutional pressure on the Justice Department to act immediately to protect the children under the state’s care in this facility.
I also think there needs to be a full and transparent conversation about how and why former US Attorney Jane Young was appointed to her position despite conflicts that required her recusal in matters related to the Youth Detention Center. If she couldn’t act on issues related to abuse at the facility, why was this not publicly discussed at the beginning of her term?
