Workers fired for abuse at youth detention centers

Friday, Jan. 16, 2004 | 9:51 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Eleven employees have been disciplined -- five of them fired -- for using excessive force on juveniles at the state reformatories in Elko and Caliente, state Human Resources Director Mike Willden said Thursday.

"We have terminated as many bad apples as warranted," Willden told the Legislative Committee on the Juvenile Justice System. He was reporting on the steps taken since the 2002 investigation by the U.S. Justice Department revealed abuse and shortcomings at the corrections center in Elko.

Willden said nine employees were disciplined in Elko and two in Caliente. There is a "zero tolerance" policy for using excessive force on the inmates, he said.

A Justice Department report completed in November 2002 found inmates in Elko were beaten, kicked and had their heads smashed into doors by staff. There was a "pattern or practice of use of excessive force," it said, noting that some of the staff involved in the excessive force received promotions.

"We've taken a lot of steps to correct this," he said. If the youths feel they have been mistreated, they can file grievances and only the superintendents and assistant superintendents will see the complaints, he added.

An external review committee examines cases in which the feel they have been mistreated, he said. Training has been increased for employees to show them how to handle the inmates who act out.

Assemblyman John Carpenter, R-Elko, said he talks with the staff and others in Elko and added, "We're making progress."

"I've talked to a lot of people and things are a lot better out there," said Carpenter, who added that it was "tough" to get mental health workers at the Elko reformatory.

Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, also said there has been "significant improvement" at Elko but she also added she was concerned about the lack of mental health employees both in Elko and Caliente.

The isolated areas make it hard to recruit, she said. "I'm not saying we should close it and move it to Las Vegas," she said. She asked Willden to develop some new ideas to present to the 2005 Legislature on how to get these services to the delinquents.

Willden said that it was not only the two juvenile corrections centers that lacked mental health services but most of rural Nevada falls into the same category. In addition it is hard to recruit nurses and substance abuse counselors.

Willden said there may have to be a pay differential -- higher salaries -- to these workers at the rural youth corrections centers. Or he said there may have to be "supportive housing" for psychiatrists who might come out to Elko and Caliente and spend a week and then return to their offices in the metropolitan centers.

Willden said the state has reached a "memorandum of understanding" with the Justice Department to correct the deficiencies at Elko and it is awaiting signatures of the federal agency. But he said those changes are being made whether the Justice Department signs the memorandum or not.