U.S. Attorney: Rhode Island violated civil rights of hospitalized children

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The U.S. Attorney of Rhode Island put out a report Monday afternoon, claiming that the state and the DCYF routinely and unnecessarily segregated children with mental illnesses and developmental disorders at Bradley Hospital in East Providence.

According to the report, inpatient services at Bradley are expected to last for one or two weeks before being discharged.

But some children were left in the hospital for months and up to a year.

The report shows from 2017 to 2022, 527 children were admitted through DCYF into Bradley.

Over the 5 year span, 116 were kept for more than 100 days, 42 were kept for 180 days, and seven were hospitalized for more than a year.

The DCYF released a statement to ABC6 News in response to the allegations that reads in part,

“DCYF takes these findings very seriously and is committed to continuing to work closely with the U.S. Attorney’s office and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to reach a resolution in the best interest of the youth in DCYF ’s care….we agree with the report that more work is needed on addressing the behavioral health needs of children in Rhode Island.”

The report ends noting that the U.S. Attorney’s office is looking to work with DCYF and the state to remedy these issues.

But if that can’t be done, they have ten days to respond before a lawsuit would be opened.