Armed State Police officers have been working at the state’s youth detention facility since a “significant incident” occurred there last month.
Their presence at the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester is supposed to be temporary and is partially a result of significant staffing challenges, according to Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Jake Leon.
A new report released this week on conditions at the facility raised concerns about the police presence, along with several other issues.
“The use of armed law enforcement within SYSC during routine staff interactions with children is inconsistent with trauma-informed care and raises serious concerns regarding DCYF’s ability to properly and safely administer the program,” wrote attorney Michael Todd of the Disability Rights Center – NH, a watchdog and advocacy organization.
The report comes a month after a top Department of Health and Human Services official pledged to address concerns involving improper treatment of children at the state’s youth detention facility.
On recent visits to the facility, staff from the Disablity Rights Center said they observed dried blood in rooms where children had engaged in self-harm and a child who had “significant bruising and lacerations” due to self-harm.
They also observed a “large puddle of urine” in the room of a child who had “reportedly been secluded for approximately 10 hours with access to a bathroom.”
Another child had been kept in restraints for approximately 12 hours, according to the report, which was sent to Gov. Kelly Ayotte and several other state officials on Wednesday.
Other concerns, including malfunctioning door locks and staff with insufficient training were also observed, according to the report.
A spokesperson for Ayotte referred a request for comment to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Leon responded with a written statement.
“The state is aware of the concerns raised by DRC-NH and other oversight bodies,” Leon wrote. “DHHS continues to work with stakeholders to ensure that the safety and well-being of the youth in the state’s care and the staff that care for them remain our highest priority.”
The facility has been under scrutiny since March, when the Office of the Child Advocate reported concerns about the use of physical restraints on children, a weeks-long restriction on the children’s movement and limited educational instruction.
The allegations, which were followed by others throughout the spring, led to the initiation of various investigations. A legislative body that concluded one of the investigations in May called for more than two dozen changes.
Other investigations, which are being conducted by the Department of Justice, the Office of the Child Advocate and the Disability Rights Center, remain ongoing.
Patricia Tilley, an associate commissioner at DHHS, pushed back against many of the findings of the legislative inquiry, but she also acknowledged systemic leadership and culture failures.
The facility has been without a permanent director since May, when Bureau Chief Joshua Nye after less than four months in the role.
