Joshua Ferrarini - 1989

When an untrained employee at St. Aemelian Hospital tried to intervene against the only 13 year old boy the boy died.

The employee had a reputation of using "power" to discipline the children and he had been suspended before. Regardless of that he was allowed to restrain Joshua Ferrarini alone and declined help from a co-worker.

As it was custom in the 1980s there was no prosecution against the employee and the Hospital only received minor discpline actions.

So it took som decades more before things started to improve. Improper use of restraints continued to be a major factor when it came to claim the lives of children in residential care.

Cases like the one with Joshua Ferrari could have ended without his death. Unfortunately the political willpower wasn't existing and it claimed his life in the end.

May he rest in peace.

Sources:

• Center Cited In Death Of 13-year-old‎ (Katherine M. Skiba, The Milwaukee Journal - June 28, 1989)
• Victims - 1980s (Fornits Wiki)

Angellika Arndt - 2006

This memorial website was created in the memory of our loved one, Angellika (Angie). That is the first line on her memorial site. It is rare to learn of such a meaningless, unnecessary and tragic death as she met only aged 7.

After a rough start she found a family where she was loved. She lived a normal family life.

The dark clouds came when it was recommended that she should receive some treatment to prepare her for life in school. Her family approached what they believed was professional, but they were fooled by the marketing Northwest’s Rice Lake Clinic used to get patients to their firm.

The problems started as soon as she entered the clinic. According to a DHFS report, Angie was restrained nine times for one to two hours each time, once for “gargling milk” and was put in 18 “timeouts”, all within 31 days.

That is not a professional approach. Problems at a child aged 7 are not met with restraints and time-outs. It is a slow process gaining the trust by the child which is needed. However a professional approach demands properly trained staff and it seems that that was something the management of this clinic was not prepared to pay for.

She was crushed to death under a staff member basically because there was a management too focused on profit.

It was meaningless. It was unnecessary. It was a tragedy.

May she rest in peace.

• Her memorial site
• Victims 2005-2009 (Fornits Wiki)
• Death of 7-year old Angellika Arndt results in closure of Northwest’s Rice Lake Clinic Press-release by CAICA on Webwire

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)