Focus of Investigations
The Abuse Investigation Unit enhances the safety of individuals with disabilities by focusing its activities and selecting cases or incidents to investigate in the following areas:
- Deaths and serious and injuries in connection with the use of restraint or seclusion.
- Restraint incidents which demonstrate that a provider is utilizing inherently dangerous practices such as prone restraints.
- Restraint or seclusion incidents which demonstrate that a provider is not complying with federal and state standards.
- Incidents which demonstrate that restraint and seclusion practices are not being consistently implemented across service provider settings in accordance with applicable standards.
- Incidents occurring in settings which are not investigated by other agencies.
- Incidents which demonstrate that unwarranted duplication exists within the investigatory system.
- Incidents which demonstrate that enhancements to the state and federal systems charged with investigating abuse and neglect are needed.
- Incidents resulting in death or serious injury which illustrate a systemic issue affecting the safety or well-being of a group of individuals or which represent dangerous practices.
- Incidents which demonstrate that a potential risk of serious harm exists if current practices are not addressed.
- Serious incidents occurring in psychiatric residential treatment facilities for individuals under 21.
