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Jonathan Carey's parents release
documents they say prove abuse
November 19, 2007
By Erin Billups
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ALBANY, N.Y. -- Jonathan Carey's
parents are releasing documents they say show their son was abused
extensively and the appropriate state agencies did little to help
him. Now the Careys are calling on state leaders for reform
immediately.
Michael Carey said, "Parents and
legal guardians need to know their child is safe."
Carey said documents obtained
through Jonathan's Law and its amendment show Jonathan was the
victim of several instances of abuse -- instances he said were
covered up by the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental
Disabilities, OMRDD, and the state's Commission on Quality Of Care,
CQC.
Carey believes the documents show
that while Jonathan attended the Anderson School, he was physically
harmed. Charts display dozens of bruises all over his body. His
father said Jonathan was locked in his room for days at a time, food
withheld from him for weeks, all because Jonathan wouldn't keep his
shirt on.
Carey said, "He had a compulsive
problem to keep his shirt on. The school thought it was a behavior
problem, that he was being obstinant and chose to withhold his meals
to try and program him into submission."
Carey said CQC sent him letters
saying investigations into Jonathan's abuse were unfounded but that
the documents prove otherwise and may even suggest a cover-up. One
document from OMRDD to the Anderson School cites 14 violations and
calls for immediate action. But the Careys were never notified of
this.
Now Carey and his wife are asking
state leaders for immediate action so this doesn't happen to other
children.
Carey says CQC has not followed the
letter of Jonathan's Law, failing to notify parents of disabled
children of their rights. So first, Carey is calling for a one-year
extension to the amendment of Jonathan's Law. Right now, parents
have until Dec. 31 to get past records.
Second, the Careyss want the Social
Services Law Standard of Abuse abolished, calling it outdated.
Next, they want all calls to the
current abuse hotline to go directly to law enforcement agencies
rather than the current regulatory agencies.
And, they want laws dealing with
abuse of the disabled upgraded from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Carey said, "Aggravated cruelty to
a companion pet is a Class E felony. There's more protection for
your pet than for the disabled. This is despicable, and it's got to
be changed immediately."
Calls to CQC and OMRDD have not yet
been returned. So far, the Careys have met with Governor Spitzer and
several legislative leaders about the plan.
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