Overview
- Rep. Maggie Goodlander sent a letter Tuesday asking the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to open a federal pattern‑or‑practice review of the Sununu Youth Services Center.
- Goodlander asked the DOJ to examine current and historical practices, staffing and training, use of restraint and seclusion, delayed medical care, and whether those practices violated children’s federal or constitutional rights.
- Since 2020 roughly 1,300 people have come forward about abuse over six decades, survivors have filed nearly 1,200 lawsuits, at least three former staff have been convicted, and courts have produced multimillion‑dollar outcomes including a $38 million verdict and a $10 million settlement.
- Two independent watchdog reviews and a New Hampshire Office of the Child Advocate probe opened after a March resident complaint have reported unlawful restraint, prolonged isolation, and delayed care, and state officials say internal reviews and prosecutions continue.
- A federal review, if opened, could produce pattern‑or‑practice findings and require enforceable corrective measures such as independent monitoring and public reporting, and the DOJ’s decision will affect ongoing civil cases and survivor calls for accountability.