Independent oversight proposed for developmental centers

Amy Julia HarrisMonica Lam/California Watch The Office of Protective Services is an in-house police force at California's developmental centers.The state’s influential legislative analyst is recommending that the California Legislature create an independent Office of Inspector General to monitor state developmental centers where police failed to properly investigate patient deaths, abuse, sexual assault and neglect.The proposal from the Legislative Analyst’s Office comes in response to an 18-month investigation by California Watch into rapes and other instances of patient abuse at the Sonoma Developmental Center and four other board-and-care centers around the state.“Given the vulnerable nature of the population served by the Developmental Centers, and the ongoing nature of the health and safety problems that have plagued the Developmental Centers for more than a decade, we believe such additional oversight in the form of an Office of Inspector General is warranted,” the analyst’s office said in its budget analysis for the coming fiscal year. A Senate budget subcommittee on health and human services is scheduled to discuss the proposal Thursday.In its investigation, California Watch found 36 cases of alleged rape and molestation at the centers, which house more than 1,600 patients with severe disabilities. The investigation also uncovered allegations that a state worker used a Taser to inflict burns on a dozen patients at the Sonoma Deve...
Source: http://californiawatch.org/topic/health-and-welfare/feed - Category: American Health Authors: Tags: Health and Welfare Daily Report Department of Developmental Services Office of Protective Services Sonoma Developmental Center Broken Shield Source Type: news