Gina Score - 1999

Gina Score committed minor crimes. She stole food and had a weight problem. Here in 2013 we are so enlightened that we know that she should have got some counseling. Maybe an in-patient treatment program would be the best but still counseling because it was not the actions of an evil criminal mastermind.

It was a girl basically reaching out for help.

But in 1999 the governor of South Dakota was William John "Bill" Janklow. He had his mind set to be tough on crime among youth hoping to scare them straight.

Gina Score was sent to the State Training School in Plankinton. It was a boot camp where the teenagers were forced to run in a very hot weather every day. July 21st, 1999 - only five days after she had arrived, Gina Score collapsed during the run. They believed that she was faking her situation, but it was for real.

She died there. Basically she was murdered there.

The boot camp shut down when everyone realized that the path promoted by the governor was no real answer to juvenile crime.

But it was too late for Gina Score.

She was only allowed 14 years on this planet.

May she find peace where she is now.


Sources:

• Former Plankinton Inmate Looks Back At Death (KELOLAND TV)
• Barnett on Gina Score: 'We killed her' (Madison Daily Leader)

Kristal Mayon-Ceniceros - 1999

"It does not appear to have been an unsafe method of restraining her"

It was the understatement of the year in 1999.

The 16 year old Kristal Mayon-Ceniceros returned from lunch at the New Alternatives residential care facility. She found someone at her work desk and became upset. The staff tried to calm her down and decided to restrain her. It led to her death.

We don't know why she was sent there for treatment but for some persons suffering from mental illnesses like autism everything must be in place. Small changes can upset them. They have to be given tool to deal with changes and while they are learning these tools only minor chances must take place.

Something went wrong with her treatment plan. And as descriped above the restraint method turned out to be a killer.

She was basically failed two times. May she rest in peace.


Sources:

• Girl, 16, Dies at Psychiatric Hospital (Los Angeles Times, February 7, 1999)
• Kristal Mayon- Ceniceros (Find a grave)
• Victims in the 1990's (Fornits Wiki)

Joshua Sharpe - 1999

When staffmembers at the Oconomowoc Developmental Training Center tried to restrain 17 year old Joshua Sharpe they believed that he held them for fools trying to play dead.

But he didn't play dead. He was dead.

As in so many cases the so-called caregivers attempt to restrain a child turned deadly.

He would never return home to his family. A full-blown tragedy for his parents had happened.

The decision whether to restrain a child should always be given the consideration that it could include the risk of taking the life of the child.

Research about the risks of restraints were however only starting to emerge. The odd thing is that even after 20 years of knowledge about restraints, children continue to die caused by the use of restraints.

May he rest in peace.

Sources:

• Caregivers Say They Thought Restrained Teen Was 'playing Dead' (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - April 4, 2000)
• Hold Used To Restrain Teen Who Died Is Safe, Lawyer Says (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Apr 12, 2000)

Jerry McLaurin - 1999

The death of 14 year old Jerry McLaurin is unfortunately yet another case where deaths could have been avoided if everyone would have taken the time to learn about the dangerous nature of physical restraints.

What led to his death is not known. The area around the town of Brownwood house a number of facilities for minors in foster care and the newspapers from that period tell stories about several deaths in that area.

Are the laws of today good enough to prevent deaths caused by physical restraints? The last known death cause by restraint occured October 2009. Whether the epidemic of poor care is over remains to be seen.

References:
Victims - 1990's (Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora Wiki)
Isabelle Zehnder: Restraints that kill kids, blog by Isabelle Zehnder, January 12, 2007
A Texas toll: deaths attributed to restraintsAMERICAN-STATESMAN, May 18, 2003