Andrew McClain - 1998

11-year-old Andrew McClain died because the employees at the Elmcrest Psychiatric Hospital tried to restrain him. It proved to be a deathly decision. He was basically crushed to death because the employees were poorly trained to do their job. Maybe profit mattered more than the safety of the patients. We can not know.

All we know is that a family lost their boy, which should not have been the case.

When you commit your child to the hospital, you believe that your child is safe. This case proves otherwise. Please check up on your child in any residential setting.

May he find peace where he is now.

Sources:

• Andrew's Last Hours (The Hartford Courant)
• A Child Dies in State's Custody (The New York Times)
• Connecticut Examines Use of Restraint Holds on Psychiatric Patients After Death of Boy, 11 (The New York Times)
• Hospital and Employee Are Cited in Death of Boy (The New York Times)

Tristan Sovern - 1998

16-year-old Tristan Sovern died because the employees at the Charter Behavioral Health Systems tried to restrain him. Suffering from a cold it did not become easier for him to catch his breath when the employees placed bed sheet and towel over his mouth and nose. The employees were poorly trained and it saved them from criminal conviction. They simply did not know better.

So no training, equal license to kill.

Why the state did not intervene and close the hospital due to concerns of the safety of the patients is strange. No hospital should be able to operate without training their employees. The death of the boy shows that so clearly.

They managed to get away with this bad management and the family of the boy was left behind suffering from the memory of a boy who should have been given a chance to life and fulfill his destiny.

May he find peace where he is now.

Sources:

• Unsafe Haven: FAQ (CBS News)
• A mother's anguish - and a President's profits (The Guardian)
• Hospital personnel face prison for death of "restrained" patient (Google News-group)
• CHARTER AIDE DESCRIBES DEATH\ PRIOR TROUBLE WITH PATIENT IS RECOUNTED (News & Record - Greensboro)
• DA ENDS PROBE OF CHARTER PATIENT'S DEATH\ NO FURTHER CHARGES WILL BE FILED IN THE INVESTIGATION INTO TRISTAN SOVERN'S DEATH AT A GREENSBORO PSYCHIATRIC FACILITY. (News & Record - Greensboro)

Matthew Goodman - 2002

14-year-old Matthew Goodman suffered from autism. It should be an illness he should be able to live with for many years. Instead due to the methods used at Bancroft NeuroHealth's "The Lindens" which was a residential treatment facility, he died when he was restrained by the employees in a way which hurt him.

The death was followed by other troubles with the treatment facility and in the end the facility promised to look at their methods.

For Matthew Goodman it was too late. May he find peace where he is now.

Sources:

• Boy's death puts spotlight on restraints (Billings Gazette)
• Institution Agrees To Changes Following Matthew Goodman Death (Inclusion Daily Express)
• Mother Sues Institution And Hospital Over Matthew Goodman's Death (Inclusion Daily Express)
• Placements halted at Haddonfield residence Officials say Bancroft NeuroHealth failed a fire drill. The center has been under scrutiny since a young resident's February death. (Philadelphia Media Network, PBC)

Charles William Chase Moody - 2002

17-year-old Charles Moody was sent to the wilderness program named "On Track Wilderness". During the hike the counselors decided to restrain him and that caused his death burried live under a pile of counselors without being able the breathe properly.

His death was only one out of many death which occured in similar matter.

The Brown Schools which operated the wilderness program closed only a few years later. Lawsuits were taking their toll on the organization.

However the closure of both wilderness program and the schools came too late for Charles Moody. May he find peace where he is now.


Sources:

• When discipline turns fatal (American Statesman - Project Nospank)
• A Father's quest (NBC Dateline)
• 358. On Track Wilderness Program (1000 places You don't want to be as a teenager)

Isabel Jamison - 1994

Isabel Jamison was sent to Bellefaire to get help. Unfortunately it was not what she got. An employee took advantage of her and the result was a severe depression which sent her to a more restricted department inside the residential treatment facility. She was punished for being a victim.

She got medication for her depression but the employees failed to monitor whether she got them on a regulare basis. She stored them until she had enough to overdose from the medication.

This poor girl was failed in so many ways that it is hard to write about. Her family might have believed that they made a good choice by opting for treatment but the reality is that she got hell.

May she rest in peace.

Sources:

• Cleveland Academy of trial attorneys - september newsletter
• Bellefaire JCB residential treatment center experiences (Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora)

Dawn Renay Perry - 1993

16 year old Dawn Renay Perry was unfortunately not the last teenager to die while the employees tried to restrain her, but her death resulted in new legislation regarding the use of restraints.

However as tough as the legislation sounded, it didn't influence the number of teenager who died as result of failed restraints.

The specific treatment facility - known back then as Behavior Training Research closed 1998, but in the state of Texas alone additional 3 teenagers died before 2010.

The politicians had the interest of girls like Miss Perry in their hearts when the proposed the new legislation but frankly they had no idea of what they were dealing with. We can only pray that they will realize it at some point and impose legislation which can save lives.

They owe Miss Perry that. She didn't deserve her faith.

May she rest in peace.

Sources:

• Victims in 1990s (Fornits Wiki)
• TEXAS LACKS TOUGH LAW ON PRONE RESTRAINT THAT'S BANNED IN THREE STATES (The Statesman, May 18, 2003)
• Ruling In Treatment Center Death Could Affect Other Investigations (The Victoria Advocate - July 5, 2002)

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)

Garrett Rush Halsey - 2004

Just a few hours short of Christmas no less than six staff members from the Grafton School decided to try to restrain 13 year old Garrett Rush Halsey.

At the time of his death no legal consequence was given due to a local ruling in court.

However in 2008 almost 5 years later The Virginia Supreme Court overturned the ruling.

It was time for the family of young Mr. Halsey to gain some justice. If they did succeed we don't know but we hope that it would give them some peace.

A life should not end at age 13.

May he rest in peace.

Sources:
Local School Lawsuit Decision Overturned (by Ryan O'Connor, 3 ABC Winchester, December 9, 2008)

Casey Collier - 1993

A rather unknown restraint system called "the Illinois system" claimed the life of 17 year old Casey Collier. Nothing have been heard about this specific system before or after he died, which could indicate that it was invented for this incident as excuse and false documentation, so the six employee who held him down to the floor could justify what was basically murder.

We don't know for how he struggled realizing that he was about to die due to the fact that he could breathe as the employees were on the top of him.

Cleo Wallace Center/Devereux got their employees off based on this self-invented system. It is not fair for either Casey Collier or for the family he left behind. He should have been given some justice. It shouldn't been free to kill children like him.

May he rest in peace!

Source:

• The Truth About Prone Restraint
• Mother says negligence caused her son's death (By Jeffrey A. Roberts, Denver Post Staff Writer, June 10, 1994)

Mark Draheim - 1998

The social services are out to protect children in need.

Or at least that is what we are supposed to believe. Back in the late 1990's they removed Mark Draheim from his home because they alleged that his mother did a poor job bringing him up. Now the state believed that they would be able to do a better job.

Did they then?

First there is the question of the alleged sexual assault on him. A case never fully investigated because he conveniently died before the investigation was finished.

Then there is the restraint job the counselors made which caused him to die - from anoxia under the pressure from several adults. How long did it take for him to basically strangle to death? One minute, two minutes or even more?

Just try to imagine how it must be knowing that every time you breathe out you will know that you will not be able to take new air in. You know that you are dying and while a lot of people are standing around you, they are not willing to save you.

No the state did not do a good job trying to do a better job than his mother did. At the funeral his mother stated that she wanted to join him in the next world. We don't know if she it with her son now.

It is common knowledge that kids in the system are much more exposed to the risk of being sexual molested. Still it continues to happen every single month. In a small country like Denmark with only 5 millions people and 14.000 kids in the system, it happens every 14 day. According to the minister of social services in Denmark the staff are not educated to deal with rape victims. In some cases the victims are even forced to continue to live next door with the person who did evil with them.

Awful, but it is the system.

To all parents out there only one advice can be given. Keep quiet about your problems at home. Otherwise your children could end up in the system and like young Mr. Draheim they might not return home alive.

May he rest in peace.

Sources:

• Kidspeace Rape Investigation Began Before Boy's Death Kidspeace Rape Inquiry Began Before Death State Police Confirm They Were Looking Into Report 14-year-old Mark Draheim Was Assaulted. He Died Friday (By DAVID WASHBURN And CHRISTINE SCHIAVO, The Morning Call, December 17, 1998)
• Holiday Gift Shrouds Kidspeace Client * Mark Draheim, Who Died After Being Restrained At N.whitehall Facility, Is Buried (by Keith Herbert and Christine Schiavo, The Morning Call, December 18, 1998)

Jeffrey Bogrett - 1995

Few reports are public concerning the death of 9 year old Jeffrey Bogrett which happened December 1, 1995.

A report states:

Jeffrey Bogrett, age 9, died on December 1, 1995 at the New England Center for Autism. In those days before attention was paid to deaths in restraint, his death was merely noted as "sudden death in restraint."

We can only wonder how many lives which would have been saved if the authorities had targeted this issue sooner. Restraints claimed several lives of children since.

The death of Jeffrey Bogrett deserved a lot more attention than the tragedy got. None had the slightest interest in children with disabilities at that time but the deadly methods continued to be used. The result was that the personal tragedy for his family and 9 year Jeffrey Bogrett himself basically was ignored. He didn't deserve that.

May he rest in peace!

Source:
RESTRAINT AND SECLUSION OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN MASSACHUSETTS: A REVIEW OF THE LA (CENTER FOR PUBLIC REPRESENTATION, by Robert Fleischner, Kathryn Rucker, and Susan Stefan, September 2007)

Melissa Neyman - 1997

Melissa Neyman was 19 when she was strangled to death and would normally not be qualified to be called a child however she faced the challenge of being autistic which would have meant that she would have met difficulties living independently as other adults, so we have decided to write a small piece honoring her regardless of her age.

A lot went wrong setting her up her death. The person who should care for her wasn't qualified to do that. The type of restraints which should have been keeping her to her bed was not some tools approved by the authorites. None looked into her room or sat by her what is mandatory in several countries when you apply restraints to people.

As result she managed to free herself partly but was found hanging out the windows strangled by her restaints.

Because her illness judged her a troubled teen, the authorities knew that a jury wouldn't use 5 minutes to her about her suffering and the case was settled with little consequence for those responsible for her death.

World over people simply doesn't seem to care when it is revealed that so-called troubled teenagers are treated too harshly or to a point where their lives could be in danger.

Melissa Neymann didn't deserve her faith. That's why we will honor her by writing this small article so she isn't forgotten.

Sources:
People Die And Nothing Is Done, by Dave Altimari, Toddlertime Network
Victims in the 1990s, Fornits Wiki