ALBANY (AP) -- Four youth detention centers in New York will be placed under federal oversight with strict limits on the use of restraint under a settlement reached with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Gov. David Paterson announced the settlement Wednesday. It prohibits guards from using physical force except in limited circumstances, including cases in which a youth's safety is threatened. It also requires prompt and adequate mental health care be provided at the facilities.
The settlement comes after a federal probe found that workers at the Lansing and Louis Gossett Jr. residential centers outside Ithaca and the Tryon residential centers for boys and girls in Johnstown caused serious injuries while routinely using force to restrain juveniles.
State and federal officials will jointly select two monitors to oversee the state's effort to enforce the new rules.
(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
