By NANCY WEST, InDepthNH.org
MANCHESTER – An injured Trooper and a juvenile detainee were taken to the hospital after a chaotic incident at the Sununu Youth Services Center, previously called YDC, Thursday night in which two juveniles threatened to harm themselves and others, according to a statement from Tyler Dumont, spokesman for the Department of Safety.
Just before 8 p.m. Thursday, a code was called and SYSC staff responded to an incident involving two juveniles that also included vandalism and broken glass. An SYSC supervisor and two New Hampshire State Police troopers were also called into the juvenile detention center in Manchester.
“During the response, one of the troopers was bitten and struck in the head by a juvenile…. Shattered glass and plastic from the facility vandalism were recovered from the juveniles, and responding officials stabilized the situation,” Dumont said Friday afternoon.
The injured trooper and one of the juveniles didn’t require hospitalization, he said.
“Both juveniles sustained only superficial injuries, with the juvenile who was not transported evaluated by a nurse at the facility. Additional law enforcement also responded to ensure the facility was secure.”
The facility has been under renewed scrutiny since April when the Office of Child Advocate and Disability Rights Center complained about the treatment of the juveniles being detained.
Last month, an investigation by Attorney General John Formella identified body-worn cameras as one measure to bolster safety and security at SYSC. Formella didn’t find any abuse when he investigated the facility, but was criticized for not interviewing the juveniles in custody.
Such cameras have been in the facility in a limited manner since June, as State Troopers have such cameras and been assigned to SYSC since that time as part of the State’s ongoing efforts to strengthen safety and security at the facility, Dumont said.
“Furthermore, DHHS has been actively working on securing body-worn cameras for its own staff, drafting associated policies, and training staff to operate the camera. DHHS intends to deploy body worn cameras throughout the facility within the next week,” Dumont said.
Dumont said the incident follows several weeks without a significant incident at SYSC and does not diminish the State’s ongoing work to strengthen staffing, training, facility security and emergency response.
“We will carefully review what occurred and take any additional steps necessary to keep youth and staff safe. The safety and security of youth and staff at the Sununu Youth Services Center is our top priority,” he said.
“We take incidents like this seriously and are actively reviewing what occurred Thursday night. While we are limited in what we can say about specific circumstances involving juveniles, the incident was contained through an appropriate and immediate response by SYSC staff and the law enforcement officers working at the facility,” Dumont said.
Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill, D-Lebanon, said, “I’m relieved that neither the young people involved nor the State Trooper suffered serious injuries. This incident is another reminder of how challenging the environment at the Sununu Center is, and why we need to continue implementing significant reforms, including additional staffing, enhanced training, and body-worn cameras.
“We also need to be moving as quickly as possible into the new facility to provide a trauma-informed treatment environment that is safe for both the incarcerated youth and the staff working there. We need to be focused on rehabilitation – and even more than that, we need to be investing in prevention, including youth behavioral and mental health,” Liot Hill said.
Earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-2nd Congressional District) called for a federal investigation into current and historic abuses inside the Sununu Youth Services Center.
Goodlander sent a letter to United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire Erin Creegan asking for an investigation under the Civil Rights for Institutionalized Persons Act, or CRIPA.
“Such action would not be unprecedented; the [United States] Department [of Justice] has pursued similar relief regarding juvenile facilities in other states,” Goodlander wrote.
Goodlander’s letter comes as the state continues to fumble its response to the YDC scandal of 60 years of abuse, and the ongoing abuses alleged to be taking place inside now as well.
The facility, which opened in 1858, is one of the oldest juvenile detention centers in the country.
“Its recent history is defined by one of the largest child-abuse scandals in the nation,” Goodlander wrote. “Since 2020, roughly 1,300 people have come forward alleging physical, sexual, or emotional abuse as children in state juvenile custody, in conduct spanning approximately six decades; survivors have filed nearly 1,200 civil lawsuits, and eleven former workers have faced criminal charges. The State has, in substantial measure, acknowledged that serious abuse occurred: at least three former staff have been convicted, with additional prosecutions pending; a jury returned a $38 million verdict — the largest of its kind in State history — in the first case to reach trial; and the Legislature created a settlement fund that had allocated $185 million by the end of 2025.”
Attorney General Formella responded to Goodlander’s request previously: “The New Hampshire Department of Justice follows the facts, enforces the law, and pursues justice without fear or favor. The State continues to work to strengthen safety and security at the facility.
“The New Hampshire Department of Justice remains focused on accountability, transparency, and protecting children. It has investigated allegations of abuse at the Sununu Youth Services Center, brought criminal charges for past conduct, secured convictions for that conduct, conducted comprehensive reviews of recent allegations, publicly released its findings, and it will continue to take action as warranted,” Formella said.
At its meeting earlier this month, the Executive Council approved the reclassification of eight positions to fill staffing needs at the Sununu Youth Services Center.
“Without approval, SYSC will continue to face critical staffing and supervisory gaps that may limit programming capacity, increase reliance on overtime, place additional strain on employees, and reduce the facility’s ability to consistently meet the needs of youth and support daily operations. These ongoing challenges increase risks to you, staff, and facility stability and may impair the State’s ability to fulfill its obligations within the juvenile justice system,” wrote Patricia Tilley, associate DHHS commissioner in requesting the change.
The council also discussed the sale of SYSC in Manchester and the process that will be set out to decide what happens to that valuable piece of land.
They were told that the Manchester mayor is putting together a task force to work on the process.
Reporters Damien Fisher and Paula Tracy contributed to this report.