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| Monitor finds no abuse or neglect of reform school inmates this year |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 09/19/2003 |
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A state monitor says he found no proof of any abuse or neglect of juvenile offenders by the staff at South Dakota's juvenile reform programs during the first half of this year. 'This was a very quiet six-month period,' John Ellis told the Legislature's Government Operations and Audit Committee Tuesday. In fact, Ellis said the January through June period was the quietest since he started working as juvenile corrections monitor more than three years ago. When Ellis investigated complaints by juveniles and their parents for the first half of the year, he found no substantiated abuse or neglect by the staff at the various programs for juvenile offenders in Custer. He said he has found only a few substantiated cases in the past three years. The monitor position was created after 14-year-old Gina Score died of heat stroke in July 1999. She collapsed after a forced run at the girl's boot camp in Plankinton. The State Reform School in Plankinton later was closed, and the girls' programs were changed substantially and transferred to Custer. Ellis visits the Custer programs at least several days a week. The juveniles can approach him directly or can place written complaints in locked boxes that only Ellis can open. Ellis said he got 132 complaints from the locked boxes from Jan. 1 through June 30. The largest number, 53, dealt with food, and those complaints dropped off after officials began to address problems, he said. Another 45 dealt with program issues, such as whether juveniles received appropriate punishment after misbehaving, Ellis said. One complaint was labeled as a sexual harassment allegation, but Ellis said that involved only a juvenile's complaint about having to stand too near others in a line. No allegations of improper touching were made, he said. Eight complaints involved staff misconduct allegations, but no abuse or neglect was found, Ellis said. He said students complained that one staff member was criticizing them too loudly, embarrassing and humiliating them, and the state Corrections Department dealt with that complaint. The monitor also said he received 13 telephone calls from parents or guardians of juvenile offenders. |
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