JAIL GUARDS SUBDUE AUTISTIC TEENAGER!!!!!

The top pictures weren't taken in the Miramichi Youth Jail but who knows what truly happen in there???

NB Telegraph-Journal | Provincial News
As published on page A1/A2 on October 22, 2005

Jail guards subdue autistic teenager
Hired agency has sought guards' help with uncontrollable youth despite government policy

By Kathy Kaufield
Telegraph-Journal

Jail guards have intervened four times to help subdue the 13-year-old autistic boy housed by the province on the premises of the Miramichi youth jail, despite previous assurances from government officials they'd have no contact.

The Department of Public Safety has confirmed that jail guards have been called in four times to help the hired caregivers deal with the boy during "emergency" situations.

Patricia Hyland, spokesperson with the Department of Public Safety, said officials in her department have formally warned the Department of Family and Community Services that it is "not appropriate" for the caregivers hired by the province to seek assistance from the jail guards.

That's because the boy, who is not serving a criminal sentence, is not an inmate.

"(We told them) that they should make other arrangements to deal with future emergencies," Ms. Hyland said.

Family and Community Services revealed last week the boy is temporarily housed in a visitors' apartment at the youth jail and will remain there until he can be moved to a specialized care facility in Maine at month's end.

The boy is severely autistic and sometimes violent and the province says no other facility in New Brunswick meets his needs. They say the apartment at the jail compound is the best place to keep him until be can be moved to Maine.

Advocates for autistic children have been critical of the government's decision to place him there, saying he has committed no crime. They also say the case shows there is a need for proper facilities in New Brunswick to deal with individuals like him. Ombudsman Bernard Richard and Opposition Liberals have also raised questions about the case, saying it needs to be investigated by an independent office outside of government to make sure the boy gets proper care.

The province has contracted a non-profit agency from Miramichi, M.O.R.E. Services Inc., to provide care from two persons 24 hours per day at a cost of $700 per day. The visitors' apartment does not have bars on the windows and is near the administration building.

The boy cannot be named because he is under the care of the department.

Family and Community Services spokesperson Robert Duguay said twice last week that the boy has had no contact with the jail guards, but Ms. Hyland said that is not so.

Neither she nor Mr. Duguay would provide any details about the emergencies, saying it is information relating to the boy's care is confidential. For the same reason, neither would say how many guards were involved or when these interventions happened.

Ms. Hyland said the Public Safety department has an agreement with Family and Community Services that says jail guards shouldn't be in contact with the boy.

"He's not a youth in custody," she said. "We have a very specific agreement that says we are providing you the space and they hired the caregivers and are responsible for the care of the child so it's not appropriate for our staff to be helping with emergencies."

That said, Ms. Hyland added, "In an emergency, you respond to the emergency."

She said that although the department would prefer the guards not have contact with the boy, they would likely respond to another emergency.

"If (our) help was sought in an emergency situation, then our staff are in the difficult situation of either responding to the emergency or putting caregivers in immediate danger. So as concerned people, we would respond to an emergency. It's like a 911 call, right?"

Mr. Duguay said Friday he wasn't aware of the emergencies last week. He said the arrangement is clear that the guards shouldn't have contact with the boy but that a friendly relationship developed between the guards and the caregivers. He said the guards offered their assistance so when the emergencies arose, the caregivers took them up on it and buzzed them on the intercom system.

He said despite the arrangement that guards should not have contact with the boy, "it was a time of crisis. We don't want the child to hurt himself, to come to a point where he can (get) hurt seriously and sometimes he needs more than two people to help him, to get into control," Mr. Duguay said.

He said M.O.R.E. Services Inc. does have its own back-up system for emergencies and has been told to use it rather than call in the guards.

M.O.R.E. (Miramichi Options for Residential and Employment Services) Services Inc. is a non-profit agency that assists and supports individuals with intellectual disabilities. Their clients, who are referred to them by Family and Community Services, range from youth at risk to mentally challenged youth and adults to developmentally delayed youth and adults.

Bob Daley, M.O.R.E. Service Inc.'s residential manager, said Friday they have seven employees and one supervisor managing the boy's case.

He said the supervisor has 20 years experience with the agency, is a former crisis intervention instructor and has experience dealing with autistic individuals. The seven employees, who take shifts with the boy, are all trained as human services counsellors or youth workers and all have some experience dealing with autistic individuals.

Mr. Duguay said the province is more than satisfied with the care the agency is providing to the boy.