FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CR

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1995 (202) 616-2765

TDD (202) 514-1888

ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO PRAISES KENTUCKY FOR

UPGRADING CONDITIONS AT JUVENILE TREATMENT CENTERS

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In an effort to cut down on juvenile

crime, Attorney General Janet Reno joined Kentucky Governor
Brereton Jones today in signing an agreement ensuring that
juveniles confined in thirteen treatment centers throughout the
state will be protected from abuse and neglect, receive the proper
educational services and be set on the right path.
The agreement, signed at a ceremony in the statehouse in
Frankfort, stems from an investigation that the Justice Department
launched in February 1995. The Justice Department conducted the
investigation after receiving complaints from advocacy groups and
reading news reports revealing that juveniles were being abused,
placed improperly in solitary confinement and receiving inadequate
medical and mental health care.
During the investigation, conducted under the Civil Rights of
Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), Justice Department officials
toured five facilities with experts in juvenile justice;
interviewed staff, parents and children; and reviewed records.
They found that conditions at the centers failed to meet minimum
constitutional standards.
Under today's agreement, the state will:
​ significantly change the way it reports abuse and neglect;

​ increase the treatment and aftercare services it provides to

ensure the children become productive members of society upon
release;

​ provide mental health services;

​ provide educational services and individualized care in the

most appropriate setting depending on the needs of each child;

​ no longer isolate the children improperly; and

​ enable a third party to monitor the state's compliance with

the agreement.

"We must not give up on our children," said Attorney General

Janet Reno. "We must make sure that youngsters entering these
centers come out willing to give back to society, rather than eager
to get back at it."
Although the Justice Department only investigated five
centers, the state pledged to implement changes throughout all 13
facilities in the state system.
"These important changes would not have been possible without
the enthusiastic response of the state," said Assistant Attorney
General for Civil Rights Deval L. Patrick. "The problems of the
past are now behind us because of the vision and foresight of the
state officials."
Following its investigation, the Justice Department concluded
in July that procedures to investigate abuse and neglect were
flawed; the state failed to provide adequate treatment and
aftercare services; staff at the centers isolated the children for
prolonged periods; and the state did not offer adequate medical and
mental health care services.
The Justice Department also found that the state violated the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act by failing to develop
individual education plans for qualifying individuals.
The agreement must be approved by the U.S. District Court in
Louisville.
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