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Group slams authorities over Swan
Valley
No criminal charges filed in case; Montana Advocacy Program attorney
dismayed
December 14, 2007
HELENA - An advocacy group
chastised Montana authorities Thursday for failing to prosecute
abuse allegations at a private residential treatment center for
juveniles.
The Swan Valley Youth Academy,
north of Condon, closed more than a year ago, but a state report
detailing some of the allegations was recently released by a judge
following a request by the Montana Advocacy Program.
"This report reveals truly
horrendous and brutal treatment of children," said Andree Larose,
attorney for the Montana Advocacy Program. "They found there was
basically a reign of terror that was promulgated by two senior
officials."
Media attention surrounding the
report prompted Chris Perkins, former head of the Swan Valley
facility, to resign Thursday from his new position as director of
Maryland's juvenile detention facilities.
In January 2006, the state
Department of Public Health and Human Services completed a detailed
investigation. At the time, it released a report on licensing
issues, which contained some of the allegations. It did not release
the investigative report that was made public Wednesday.
The department did not appear at a
December 2006 hearing, which resulted in the unnamed staffers being
dismissed from non-criminal administrative civil hearings. The
department has not said why it did not appear.
On Thursday, department director
Joan Miles said the agency takes all cases of abuse seriously.
"However, specific to the Swan
Valley case and alleged claims of abuse against a former employee,
any mistakes that our department may have made would not have
affected the criminal proceeding of the case," Miles said in a
statement. "Due to numerous confidentiality issues, we cannot
comment further until we have had a chance to investigate."
Perkins, the former head of the
Swan Valley facility, told the (Baltimore) Sun that he was one of
the unnamed staffers in the report, but denied the allegations. No
criminal charges have been filed.
Larose, with the Montana Advocacy
Program, said she was dismayed that authorities failed to follow
through and prosecute the findings.
"I think this is an opportunity for
the state to examine why and put some procedures and protections in
place to make sure this doesn't happen again," she said.
According to the newly released
report, investigators documented abuse involving 14 juveniles and
found humiliation and cursing were part of the regimen at the Swan
Valley facility. The report states that an anonymous staff member
later identified as Perkins was aware of the abuse, failed to stop
it and also participated in some instances.
The Division of Criminal
Investigation at the Montana Department of Justice said Thursday
that it had prepared an investigation last summer and gave it to the
Lake County attorney. John Strandell, enforcement program manager,
said it was up to the county attorney to prosecute.
"Our job is to investigate and
provide the facts back," Strandell said, adding that the statute of
limitations had expired in many cases, since the allegations
involved possible misdemeanors.
Lake County Attorney Mitch Young
did not return multiple calls seeking comment.
Strandell said the document was
confidential, because it involved a criminal investigation.
Health department officials first
released a report in January 2006 that found 19 licensing violations
and said teens were often degraded and yelled at by staff members,
were forced to do excessive exercise and drink large amounts of
water during intake, which caused some to vomit.
The facility also failed to report
a suicide attempt, health department officials said.
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