New Hampshire lawmakers investigating abuse allegations at the state’s youth detention center say they remain frustrated with a lack of transparency from the officials overseeing the center. Meanwhile, fresh reports of violence and unrest continue to emerge from the facility.
Three staff members were injured at the facility Sunday “following assaultive behavior involving multiple youth,” according to Jake Leon, spokesperson for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Leon declined via email to be more specific about the nature and severity of staff injuries or whether youth were charged or placed in lockdown.
Leon said the “situation was quickly stabilized” with the help of state police and the Manchester Police Department.
Sunday’s incident is the latest in a series of recent reports of injuries to youth and staff inside the Sununu Youth Services Center. The facility, formally known as the Youth Detention Center, has been under increased scrutiny in recent weeks following allegations of abuse, including excessive restraint used against children there and an extended lockdown. Multiple investigations are underway by the Attorney General’s office, Office of the Child Advocate, and the Disability Rights Center in New Hampshire.
On Monday, lawmakers conducting their own investigation said they still have questions surrounding the lockdown at the facility and why it was not reported to the Office of the Child Advocate, an independent state watchdog.
Sen. Victoria Sullivan, a Manchester Republican leading the legislative investigation, said lawmakers recently learned that the facility is still strip-searching youth, despite having a body scanner for the past year. Sullivan said the agency had not developed a policy to use the machine until last month, following lawmakers' questions.
“Why did it take us finding out and getting loud about it, and then it was all of a sudden done within a week,” Sullivan asked the deputy child advocate, Jason Taylor. “My concern is that things aren't happening in this building that should be happening on their own.”
Taylor said his office is also trying to get answers to similar questions.
Leon said in an email Monday the agency is working to begin using the scanner “as quickly as possible.”
Before they wrap up their investigation next week, the lawmakers want to hear from Joshua Nye, the state employee who oversees the center, who has not spoken publicly since the investigations began last month. Among lawmakers’ questions is what role Nye and leadership at the state Division for Children, Youth, and Families played in the extended lockdown that lasted up to six weeks.
Marie Noonan, Nye’s supervisor at the Division for Children, Youth, and Families, declined to answer lawmakers’ specific questions, citing guidance from the New Hampshire Attorney General's office until it concludes its own investigation.
