Disability Rights Ohio Concludes 16-month Investigation into Youth Intensive Services

May 28, 2024

Disability Rights Ohio (DRO), the federally authorized protection and advocacy (P&A) system for people with disabilities in Ohio, today released the results of a 16-month investigation into Youth Intensive Services (YIS). YIS, located in northeast Ohio, is a residential facility that provides mental and behavioral health treatment to children ages 12 to 18. Findings were reported to both the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OHIOMHAS) and YIS over the course of the investigation.

DRO’s investigation included numerous interviews with children and staff, hours of video review, examination of hundreds of records, and documentation from police reports. Pervasive and disturbing problems embedded in the treatment culture at YIS were uncovered, as well as the inability of the facility to protect children’s safety.

Among the findings uncovered were:

• Regular instances of children leaving the facility without permission and often being exposed to unsafe and dangerous conditions while off-grounds, including sustained injuries and reported sexual assault. Some tested positive for drugs upon their return.
• Inappropriate, unapproved, and painful restraint techniques and physical abuse at the hands of staff members that often result in injuries. Traumatizing staff conduct, a chaotic environment, and an ineffective grievance system were frequently discovered.
• Failure by agency leadership to provide a safe, trauma-free culture for childhood survivors of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.

“We were truly appalled by the issues exposed through our inquiry and we consistently reported our findings to OhioMHAS and YIS,” said Kerstin Sjoberg, DRO President and CEO. “We asked both entities to do more to improve the care and safety provided for children at YIS, but neither has adequately addressed the issues we raised or took steps to remedy the situations we cited.”

YIS is licensed by the OhioMHAS as a Class One residential facility, which means that it is to provide accommodations, supervision, and mental health and personal care services to children and adolescents with mental health issues. However, DRO continues to receive reports about dangerous and concerning conditions at YIS.

“We have asked OhioMHAS to suspend YIS’s licenses until it demonstrates that it meets minimum standards in accordance with OhioMHAS’ stated values and initiatives,” noted Sjoberg. “The public should be able to trust OhioMHAS to verify that the appropriate services are provided, and safe conditions are met. However, based on DRO’s investigation at YIS, the public cannot, at this time, rely on OhioMHAS for those assurances.”

Learn more about the investigation here. 

Read our full investigative report at Dangerous Inaction: A Culture of Chaos at Youngstown's Youth Intensive Services.