Popular on Rezul
- Pulitzer Prize Nominated Lauren Coyle Rosen Releases New Album, Covers and Veils in Blue
- "We Don't Give a Crap About Interest Rates." Baby Boomers are Flexing Their Equity Muscles
- Explore Luxury Homes for Sale in Las Vegas with Blue Heron
- Deshawn White and Oceans Chest Unveil Country Single "What I Can" from Upcoming Album Let God and Let Go
- Cooking with the Godfather Blends Family Tradition, Italian Flavor, and Leadership Wisdom
- Prymax Media & Technology Group Acquires 'Hidden Treasures' From Estate of Jewel Records Founder Stan Lewis
- Greenfield Communities Honored with Eight 2025 MAME Awards
- Detroit Grand Prix High Profile Media Exposure, $100 Million Financing for Major Acquisition & Growth Strategy; Remote Lottery Platform: Lottery.com
- Lake life awaits on Long Lake!
- No Limits Method Revolutionizes Neurodivergent Education Through Embodied Cognition
Similar on Rezul
- Speranza Dental Implant Centers Opens Their First Location
- New Frontier Aerospace Successfully Tests Its Revolutionary Mjölnir Rocket Engine
- Profiting from Elder Harm: The Push to End Psychiatric Drugging in Nursing Homes
- Dr. Jacqueline West Honored as Best Dentist in JAX by Folio Weekly
- Exciting News: Pivotal Health Solutions Acquires Revolutionary Portable Parallel Bars
- Mensa Foundation Prize Awarded to Neuroscientist-Pianist
- OPRAH.COM Featured Award-Winning Novel AS FAR AS YOU GO BEFORE YOU HAVE TO COME BACK now Available as Audiobook
- KeysCaribbean Vacation Home Rentals Offers Last-Minute Booking Discount of 15 Percent
- purelyIV Blog Named One of the Top 45 IV Therapy Blogs by Feedspot
- purelyIV Launches Mobile Iron Infusion Therapy for Patients with Iron Deficiency Anemia
Urgent Reform Demanded to Stop Child Abuse in Youth Behavioral Facilities
Rezul News/10704601
Despite decades of investigations, fines, and federal mandates, abuse continues in psychiatric and behavioral institutions for youth. CCHR calls for immediate government action—not another three-year study—before more children are harmed.
LOS ANGELES - Rezul -- Amid a surge of reported abuse and deaths in psychiatric and behavioral residential programs for youth, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) is urging immediate and sweeping federal intervention. CCHR warns that continued inaction by state and federal agencies endangers lives and enables a mental health system where vulnerable children and adolescents are subjected to trauma, neglect, and avoidable harm.
In December 2024, Congress passed the bipartisan Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, calling for a study by the National Academies of Sciences into the state of youth in institutional programs. However, the legislation granted a three-year window to complete the investigation—a delay CCHR deems unconscionable now, given ongoing reports of harm.
"Children are dying. Others are being restrained, secluded, forcibly drugged, or sexually abused," said Jan Eastgate, president of CCHR International. "How many more cases of tragedy must occur before regulators respond with urgency? A three-year timeline is a death sentence for some of these children."
A 2024 peer-reviewed study in Psychiatric Services confirmed that the use of seclusion and mechanical restraints remains widespread in U.S. psychiatric hospitals, despite the documented trauma and risk of death. The study called on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and The Joint Commission to implement reforms to end the practice.
A previous New York Times investigation estimated at least 86 deaths in youth behavioral programs from 2000 to 2015, noting that children in these institutions are often subjected to conditions that would be unlawful for prisoners—including isolation, and physical and chemical restraint.[1]
In just the past few weeks, a string of new incidents has surfaced from across the U.S. involving youth facilities, including:
Although multiple federal investigations have led to substantial fines and civil settlements, CCHR asserts these penalties have failed to deter misconduct, patient harm, and deaths. "Financial penalties are clearly not enough. Many of these settlements are treated as the cost of doing business," Eastgate noted. CCHR also emphasizes that current tools used by government agencies—such as consent agreements or Corporate Integrity Agreements (CIAs)—do not work. These measures allow institutions with a history of serious violations to remain operational after promising internal improvements. "Voluntary promises are violated again and again, and children suffer the consequences," Eastgate said. "These agreements create a dangerous illusion of accountability."
More on Rezul News
The organization is calling on Congress and the Administration to take such actions as:
In June 2024, a U.S. Senate Finance Committee report into several for-profit youth behavioral hospital chains described the harms children experienced resulted, in part, from financial models that prioritize revenue over safety. The Committee urged "bold intervention" to prevent further tragedies.
Prominent legal professionals agree. KBA attorney Kayla Ferrel Onder stated: "More effective oversight systems need to be in place to protect patients. This includes stricter penalties for facilities found guilty of abuse or fraud. Jail time for executives and significantly larger financial penalties may be necessary to curb misconduct prevalent in the behavioral healthcare industry."[7]
Attorney Tommy James cites horrendous physical abuse and emotional trauma in behavioral residential facilities, stating, "those responsible must be held accountable."[8] Another attorney, Kayla Ferrel Onder, said the abuse is so extensive that it reflected a "systemic failure," which needs to stop.[9]
CCHR maintains an extensive record of documented youth abuse in psychiatric facilities, including seclusion, restraint, sexual assault, and forced drugging. "Children should not be warehoused, abused, or silenced," said Eastgate. "What is happening now is a humanitarian crisis hiding in plain sight."
Quoting lawmakers who have supported the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, Rep. Ro Khanna stated: "The industry has gone unchecked for too long."[10] Senator Tommy Tuberville added: "We need more sunlight… to stop the waste, fraud, and abuse in the system."
"This is not a policy debate—it is a moral imperative," Eastgate concluded.
"We are calling on legislators, prosecutors, and health agencies to act now. No more broken promises. No more promises of avoidable deaths. No more children forgotten in the system."
About CCHR: The government-acclaimed watchdog and award-winning advocacy group was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and Professor of Psychiatry, Dr. Thomas Szasz.
More on Rezul News
Sources:
[1] Alexander Stockton, "Can you punish a child's mental health problems away?" The New York Times, 11 Oct. 2022, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/10/11/opinion/teen-mental-health-care.html
[2] Jeffery Collins, "Residential treatment school closes in North Carolina after deaths of 2 girls," AP News, 3 June 2025, apnews.com/article/therapy-school-closes-north-carolina-asheville-academy-9854c3ca7cda11cc06f05d9fccef4112
[3] "California watchdog finds for-profit psychiatric hospital abused patients," San Francisco Chronicle, 19 May 2025
[4] "Suit alleges teen repeatedly abused by worker at former youth residential treatment center," Santa Fe New Mexican, 29 May 2025, www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/suit-alleges-teen-repeatedly-abused-by-worker-at-former-youth-residential-treatment-center/article_be37888c-4bbe-41db-bd35-c76f3c8eb6c1.html
[5] "Youth in Vermont custody have been physically restrained hundreds of times in recent years," VT Digger, 22 May 2025, vtdigger.org/2025/05/22/youth-in-vermont-custody-have-been-physically-restrained-hundreds-of-times-in-recent-years/
[6] legiscan.com/MD/text/SB400/id/3232730
[7] kbaattorneys.com/acadia-abuse-behavioral-health-facilities/
[8] Erica Thomas, "Tuskegee youth facility dubbed 'House of Horrors' in latest lawsuit," 1819 News, 27 Aug. 2024, 1819news.com/news/item/tuskegee-youth-facility-dubbed-house-of-horrors-in-latest-lawsuit
[9] "Letter: The alarming pattern of abuse at Acadia Healthcare facilities," Springfield Daily Citizen, 29 May 2025, sgfcitizen.org/voices-opinion/letters/letter-the-alarming-pattern-of-abuse-at-acadia-healthcare-facilities/
[10] www.cchrint.org/2024/12/27/paris-hilton-congress-praised-for-teen-behavioral-treatment-abuse-prevention-and-oversight/ citing khanna.house.gov/media/press-releases/khanna-merkley-cornyn-tuberville-and-carter-joined-paris-hilton-celebrating
In December 2024, Congress passed the bipartisan Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, calling for a study by the National Academies of Sciences into the state of youth in institutional programs. However, the legislation granted a three-year window to complete the investigation—a delay CCHR deems unconscionable now, given ongoing reports of harm.
"Children are dying. Others are being restrained, secluded, forcibly drugged, or sexually abused," said Jan Eastgate, president of CCHR International. "How many more cases of tragedy must occur before regulators respond with urgency? A three-year timeline is a death sentence for some of these children."
A 2024 peer-reviewed study in Psychiatric Services confirmed that the use of seclusion and mechanical restraints remains widespread in U.S. psychiatric hospitals, despite the documented trauma and risk of death. The study called on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and The Joint Commission to implement reforms to end the practice.
A previous New York Times investigation estimated at least 86 deaths in youth behavioral programs from 2000 to 2015, noting that children in these institutions are often subjected to conditions that would be unlawful for prisoners—including isolation, and physical and chemical restraint.[1]
In just the past few weeks, a string of new incidents has surfaced from across the U.S. involving youth facilities, including:
- Two girls, aged 12 and 13, died by suicide in May in a North Carolina behavioral treatment facility, forcing its closure.[2]
- Reports of hundreds of prolonged restraint incidents in a single California psychiatric facility within months.[3]
- A teenage boy was repeatedly sexually abused by staff at a New Mexico behavioral facility.[4]
- Seclusion and restraint of children as young as five; Vermont state authorities confirmed over 500 cases.[5]
- New legislation was passed in Maryland restricting the use of physical restraints during youth transport to psych facilities.[6]
Although multiple federal investigations have led to substantial fines and civil settlements, CCHR asserts these penalties have failed to deter misconduct, patient harm, and deaths. "Financial penalties are clearly not enough. Many of these settlements are treated as the cost of doing business," Eastgate noted. CCHR also emphasizes that current tools used by government agencies—such as consent agreements or Corporate Integrity Agreements (CIAs)—do not work. These measures allow institutions with a history of serious violations to remain operational after promising internal improvements. "Voluntary promises are violated again and again, and children suffer the consequences," Eastgate said. "These agreements create a dangerous illusion of accountability."
More on Rezul News
- Pikmykid Partners with Vivi to Enhance School Emergency Communication and Safety
- AI Meets Cybersecurity: IQSTEL and Cycurion Take Aim at $500 Billion Market Opportunity
- N A S D A Q Compliance Achieved Following Active Trading and Financing, UAE Acquisition & Major Brand Events: Lottery.com Inc., (N A S D A Q: LTRY)
- New Frontier Aerospace Successfully Tests Its Revolutionary Mjölnir Rocket Engine
- Profiting from Elder Harm: The Push to End Psychiatric Drugging in Nursing Homes
The organization is calling on Congress and the Administration to take such actions as:
- Accelerate the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act investigation
- Withhold CMS and Medicaid funding from facilities with substantiated abuse records
- Freeze new licenses or bed expansions for companies under investigation
- Establish criminal penalties for executives and staff found complicit in systemic abuse
- Prohibit the use of further Corporate Integrity or improvement agreements for known violators.
In June 2024, a U.S. Senate Finance Committee report into several for-profit youth behavioral hospital chains described the harms children experienced resulted, in part, from financial models that prioritize revenue over safety. The Committee urged "bold intervention" to prevent further tragedies.
Prominent legal professionals agree. KBA attorney Kayla Ferrel Onder stated: "More effective oversight systems need to be in place to protect patients. This includes stricter penalties for facilities found guilty of abuse or fraud. Jail time for executives and significantly larger financial penalties may be necessary to curb misconduct prevalent in the behavioral healthcare industry."[7]
Attorney Tommy James cites horrendous physical abuse and emotional trauma in behavioral residential facilities, stating, "those responsible must be held accountable."[8] Another attorney, Kayla Ferrel Onder, said the abuse is so extensive that it reflected a "systemic failure," which needs to stop.[9]
CCHR maintains an extensive record of documented youth abuse in psychiatric facilities, including seclusion, restraint, sexual assault, and forced drugging. "Children should not be warehoused, abused, or silenced," said Eastgate. "What is happening now is a humanitarian crisis hiding in plain sight."
Quoting lawmakers who have supported the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, Rep. Ro Khanna stated: "The industry has gone unchecked for too long."[10] Senator Tommy Tuberville added: "We need more sunlight… to stop the waste, fraud, and abuse in the system."
"This is not a policy debate—it is a moral imperative," Eastgate concluded.
"We are calling on legislators, prosecutors, and health agencies to act now. No more broken promises. No more promises of avoidable deaths. No more children forgotten in the system."
About CCHR: The government-acclaimed watchdog and award-winning advocacy group was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and Professor of Psychiatry, Dr. Thomas Szasz.
More on Rezul News
- LET Mining launches zero-cost cloud mining, daily rewards + referral double benefits
- Passo Expands Portfolio with Acquisition of (3) Prime West Los Angeles Sites for Affordable Housing
- Rambler for sale on 5 acres in Becker, Minnesota!
- A new global property platform with a twist has arrived, its name is U-SellBest.com or to the person that created it USB
- Veteran-Owned Small Business Trapped in Amazon Seller Catch-22 Over Fraudulent FBA Partner
Sources:
[1] Alexander Stockton, "Can you punish a child's mental health problems away?" The New York Times, 11 Oct. 2022, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/10/11/opinion/teen-mental-health-care.html
[2] Jeffery Collins, "Residential treatment school closes in North Carolina after deaths of 2 girls," AP News, 3 June 2025, apnews.com/article/therapy-school-closes-north-carolina-asheville-academy-9854c3ca7cda11cc06f05d9fccef4112
[3] "California watchdog finds for-profit psychiatric hospital abused patients," San Francisco Chronicle, 19 May 2025
[4] "Suit alleges teen repeatedly abused by worker at former youth residential treatment center," Santa Fe New Mexican, 29 May 2025, www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/suit-alleges-teen-repeatedly-abused-by-worker-at-former-youth-residential-treatment-center/article_be37888c-4bbe-41db-bd35-c76f3c8eb6c1.html
[5] "Youth in Vermont custody have been physically restrained hundreds of times in recent years," VT Digger, 22 May 2025, vtdigger.org/2025/05/22/youth-in-vermont-custody-have-been-physically-restrained-hundreds-of-times-in-recent-years/
[6] legiscan.com/MD/text/SB400/id/3232730
[7] kbaattorneys.com/acadia-abuse-behavioral-health-facilities/
[8] Erica Thomas, "Tuskegee youth facility dubbed 'House of Horrors' in latest lawsuit," 1819 News, 27 Aug. 2024, 1819news.com/news/item/tuskegee-youth-facility-dubbed-house-of-horrors-in-latest-lawsuit
[9] "Letter: The alarming pattern of abuse at Acadia Healthcare facilities," Springfield Daily Citizen, 29 May 2025, sgfcitizen.org/voices-opinion/letters/letter-the-alarming-pattern-of-abuse-at-acadia-healthcare-facilities/
[10] www.cchrint.org/2024/12/27/paris-hilton-congress-praised-for-teen-behavioral-treatment-abuse-prevention-and-oversight/ citing khanna.house.gov/media/press-releases/khanna-merkley-cornyn-tuberville-and-carter-joined-paris-hilton-celebrating
Source: Citizens Commission on Human Rights International
Filed Under: Consumer
0 Comments
Latest on Rezul News
- KeysCaribbean Vacation Home Rentals Offers Last-Minute Booking Discount of 15 Percent
- purelyIV Blog Named One of the Top 45 IV Therapy Blogs by Feedspot
- purelyIV Launches Mobile Iron Infusion Therapy for Patients with Iron Deficiency Anemia
- Smile Makers Dental Care Introduces FP1: East Bay's First Robotic-Assisted Full-Arch Implant Solution for Natural, Fixed Smiles
- Wayne Homes Showcases Craftsman Home Floor Plans with Customizable Craftsman Style Designs Built on Your Land
- DCAS College opens new Representative Office in Malaysian Capital Kuala Lumpur
- GMO Miner: Creating a simple, efficient and reliable new cloud mining experience
- Grobecker Launches No-Repayment Down Payment Assistance Program for California
- DOT Miners launches a new cloud mining platform: low threshold, high transparency, and helps promote the inclusion of global digital assets
- Fray Fitness and Truemed Partner to Enable HSA/FSA-Funded Fitness Equipment Purchases
- Crazy Discount Codes App Transforms Mobile Shopping With Real-Time Deals
- Sploot Vets and DeepScan Launch Exclusive Regional U.S. Partnership to Bring Breakthrough Pet DNA Test to Market
- Mike Wilen Group Expands REO Capabilities with Launch of MinnesotaREO.com
- Century Complete Homes Enters New Market with Purchase of 26 Finished Lots in Cottonwood, Arizona for $2.4M
- As Sober.Buzz Community Explodes It's Growth Globally it is Announcing "Spreading the Good BUZZ" Podcast Hosted by Josh Case Debuting July 7th
- Coming Soon: The Cottages at Powell Park Offer a Rare Blend of Charm, Convenience, and Community in Raleigh
- CredHub and All County Property Management Franchise Corp. Partner to Empower Franchisees with Rental Payment Credit Reporting Solutions
- Pregis Shares 2024 Sustainability Report Highlighting Progress in Circular Product Innovation, Emissions Accountability, and Global Impact
- New Bethany Acquires Former Diocesan Headquarters to Expand Services
- Initial Order Received from Vietnamese Maritime Security and Defense Services for Advanced Video Compression Solution: RMX; Stock Symbol: RMXI