the Department of Justice announced today that it has concluded that Maine unnecessarily segregates children with mental health and/or developmental disabilities, in psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment facilities, and a state-operated juvenile detention facility. The Olmstead decision held that people with disabilities have a right to live and receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs — typically in their homes and communities instead of in institutions.
Disability Rights Maine, the protection and advocacy agency for people with disabilities in Maine, filed a complaint with the department on behalf of a group of children with disabilities, alleging that these children cannot access needed community-based services, resulting in their institutionalization or risk of institutionalization in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead. The department’s findings, detailed in a letter to Maine Governor Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey, follow a thorough investigation into the complaint and the State’s system of care for children with behavioral health needs.
Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News 