No more silence — cracking down on abuse in NY
by Beth
Patricia Wright wrote a post here in June about a 13 year old boy with autism who died while under the care of staff from in a residential facility in New York.
Jonathan resided in the Oswald D. Heck Developmental Center near Albany New York. The individuals providing support to Jonathan were not trained properly, nor did they have the aptitude to be providing care to individuals with disabilities. This lack of ability resulted in a tragic death.
Now a story in yesterday’s New York Times reports that the Cuomo administration has made an agreement with the state Police to establish guidelines for reporting possible crimes against people with developmental disabilities to law enforcement authorities. From the story:
For years, the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, a state agency that runs more than 1,000 group homes and regulates thousands more, has almost entirely policed itself and resisted disclosure. Likewise, some police agencies have been reluctant to investigate allegations of abuse in such facilities, often involving individuals who cannot even speak.
New York state law has long required people to report crimes against people with developmental disabilities, but the New York Times story said relatively few cases are actually reported to law enforcement officials. The new plan could possibly reshape how the state approaches enforcement against abuse of people with autism and other developmental disabilities. Definitely a move in the right direction, but I’m waiting to see how it’s carried out — and what force it has.