‘Hobbling’ reference dropped in Nevada Youth Training Center policy
Nevada officials are revising the use of force policy at the Nevada Youth Training Center and dropping a reference to the “hobbling” technique.
The policy is in “status of revision,” said Steve McBride, deputy administrator for juvenile services in the state’s Division of Child and Family Services. A statewide quality assurance team is working on the changes. The team has representation from the Caliente Youth Center in Clark County, the Nevada Youth Training Center in Elko, the Juvenile Justice programs office and McBride’s office.
“It definitely became one of our priorities,” he said Thursday of the policy revisions. “There is no reference to a hobbling technique contained in the… new revision. We hope to have it accomplished as soon as possible.”
In July, Family Court Judge William Voy ordered 12 Clark County youths to be returned to his jurisdiction after reports that inmates at the Elko facility had been subjected to hobbling.
A Commission on Statewide Juvenile Justice Reform subcommittee today is expected to recommend that the commission support the Elko facility in continuing to serve juvenile offenders in Northern Nevada.
The hobbling measure falls into the category of mechanical restraints, which can involve handcuffs, legs cuffs, waistbands, leather straps, and restraining chairs.
The measure was acceptable at the facility in cases of youth at high risk of escape or harming themselves or others, state officials said in late July.
State officials have said the hobbling technique hasn’t been used at the facility since December.
“We want to create a policy that ensures the safety of youth and staff,” McBride said. “That’s my goal.”
A lawsuit filed in August on behalf of a juvenile inmate alleges he suffered permanent injuries from the combination of a physical attack and use of force by correctional officers while housed at the Elko facility.
Mary Woods, spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, said state officials are making progress on their research to identify an agency with the expertise needed to conduct a review of the state’s juvenile facilities, “but due to pending litigation we are not able to discuss specific actions taken.”
Contact Yesenia Amaro at yamaro@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440. Find her on Twitter: @YeseniaAmaro.
