More than two dozen changes to the state’s youth detention center would bring sweeping changes and needed reform, according to a report by a legislative committee tasked with investigating potentially improper restraint and seclusion practices at the facility.
The recommendations, if implemented, would involve an overhaul of nearly every aspect of the facility.
The group is calling for increased oversight, an immediate prohibition on strip searches, the establishment of a special education program within the facility, and the addition of security cameras with audio recording capabilities.
Members of the ad-hoc committee formed by the Oversight Commission on Children’s Services also expressed a lack of confidence in Marie Noonan, the director of the Division for Children, Youth and Families.
“The current work environment and overall climate in the building that has led to low morale is a direct result of DCYF leadership,” the committee, which was led by Republican Sen. Victoria Sullivan, wrote in its report.
The bureau chief of the Sununu Youth Services Center, Joshua Nye, resigned on Wednesday after just four months leading the facility.
The committee called for DCYF — the entity that runs the facility — to be separated from its parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this week, the spokesperson, Jake Leon, wrote in a statement that the agency remained “committed to the safety and well-being of the youth at SYSC and the staff who serve them,” referring to the acronym for the Sununu Youth Services Center.
DCYF leaders will have the opportunity to formally respond to the committee’s report next week.
The report focused on allegations that have arisen publicly 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.
In addition to the legislative committee, three other organizations or agencies are conducting investigations. Their reviews remain ongoing.
Read the committee’s report here:
