Four New York youth prisons are now under federal oversight, according to a recent article in The New York Times.
The decision to place the prisons under federal supervision was made after it was discovered that physical force was used as a method of discipline in the prisons, resulting in serious injuries. There was also almost no mental health counseling available to youth.
Among the new changes, which include hiring of psychiatrists, counselors, and investigators, youth guards, or counselors, are prohibited from physically restraining youth except when physical safety is at risk, or in the case of an attempted escape. However, guards will be allowed to use the controversial prone restraint, in which a child is held face-down on the ground. Guards may restrain youth for up to three minutes in this position, with a doctor’s evaluation to follow.
A federal inquiry into the prisons began in 2007, after a series of episodes that included the death of a 15 year-old after he was restrained on the ground.
View Federal Oversight for Troubled N.Y. Youth Prisons in its entirety.
