The New York State Office of Children and Family Services allegedly subjects children in its custody to “near-total, around-the-clock isolation” for weeks or longer, depriving them of social interaction, education, and access to basic necessities.
A group of youth with disabilities who have been subjected to solitary confinement at OCFS facilities claim the child welfare agency routinely locks individuals as young as 12-years-old in small cells for extended periods of time “with no recourse to secure their release,” according to their complaint filed Thursday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The office didn’t immediately ...