Treatment Facilities
ALL OR NOTHING Ending Washington’s Dependence On Involuntary Civil Commitment
December 14, 2021Press Release For Immediate ReleaseDecember 14, 2021 Contact: Alexandra Deas(206) 324-1521 x117alexandrad@dr-wa.org Disability Rights Washington’s (DRW) newest report examines the
ALL OR NOTHING Ending Washington’s Dependence On Involuntary Civil Commitment
All or Nothing, examines the gaps in Washington’s behavioral health treatment and crisis response systems, and the systemic failures in the involuntary civil commitment system that has resulted in the increased use of harmful Single Bed Certifications (“SBCs” ) and No Bed Reports (“NBRs”). All or Nothing provides clear, sensible action steps Washington can take to deliver the right care at the right time.
$22,000,000 in grant funds awarded to create housing for Trueblood class members across Washington State
November 1, 2021As part of the ongoing Trueblood contempt-fine funded diversion programs, DRW is pleased to announce that we have awarded over $22,000,000 in grant funds to five service providers. These funds will be used over the next four years to generate housing for class members under the Trueblood lawsuit, ranging from rental subsidies to dedicated leases, renovated houses to newly-constructed permanent supportive housing.New Law Demands De-escalation, Not Abandoning People in Crisis
July 20, 2021During the 2021 legislative session, Washington law makers passed HB 1310, a new law governing when and how police can use force against members of the public. The law creates an expectation for officers to de-escalate and requires police to exercise care in the use of any force, in order to reduce violence and prioritize the sanctity of life. However, some law enforcement agencies in Washington are dangerously misinterpreting the new law.Solicitation for new and additional housing resources for Trueblood Class Members
February 8, 2021The Trueblood Court Monitor and the Trueblood Parties are soliciting letters of interest from providers who currently or recently have operated programs specifically targeted to Trueblood Class Members who wish to enhance the availability of housing for current or previous Class Members in their region.
“Shut Them Down”
January 2021
In “Shut Them Down,” DRW calls out Washington’s RHCs for repeatedly showing that when major problems are discovered, they do not act swiftly or make lasting changes that prevent future harm, even when failing to remedy legal violations costs lives. The issues called out by DRW in previous reports in 2017, 2018, and 2019 have not been fixed – people with developmental disabilities are still languishing, sometimes for decades, in segregated institutions where they are continually at risk for verbal, physical, and sexual abuse and neglect.
“Shut Them Down”
January 20, 2021DRW has released “Shut Them Down:”* It’s time to close Washington’s Dangerous Residential Habilitation Centers, a report that calls out the continued failures of Washington’s Residential Habilitation Centers (RHCs) to fix major problems that have put people with developmental disabilities at risk for verbal, physical, and sexual abuse and neglect.
From Hospitals to Handcuffs – Addendum Report: Spokane
ADDENDUM REPORT: SPOKANE
September 2020
In addition to DRW’s investigation into criminalization of patients in crisis in Seattle described in From Hospital to Handcuffs, DRW also looked into similar incidents in Spokane. The result of the Spokane investigation is an addendum report that should be read together with From Hospital to Handcuffs. DRW found many of the same concerns around ineffective arrest and prosecution of patients in crisis in Spokane as it did in Seattle, but Spokane also presented its own specific issues and resulting recommendations.
Pratt v. DSHS
In October 2020, the family of JoHanna Pratt, Disability Rights Washington, and Carney Gillespie PLLP filed a suit in Pierce County Superior Court against the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) for neglect, claiming that DSHS wrongfully caused the death of JoHanna Pratt and violated state law against abuse of vulnerable adults.
Lawsuit Filed RE: DSHS Accountability For Deadly Neglect at Rainier School
October 22, 2020Today, the family of JoHanna Pratt, Disability Rights Washington, and Carney Gillespie PLLP filed a suit in Pierce County Superior Court against the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) for neglect, claiming that DSHS wrongfully caused the death of JoHanna Pratt and violated state law against abuse of vulnerable adults.Addendum to From Hospitals to Handcuffs Report: Spokane
September 17, 2020In addition to DRW’s investigation into criminalization of patients in crisis in Seattle described in From Hospital to Handcuffs, DRW also looked into similar incidents in Spokane. The result of the Spokane investigation is an addendum report that should be read together with From Hospital to Handcuffs.
From Hospitals to Handcuffs
May 2020
In From Hospitals to Handcuffs, DRW found that hospital calls to police resulted in at least two patients per week being arrested, removed from treatment, and booked into jail. In most of these cases, there was no visible injury to a victim. These arrests lead to sick people stuck in jail for weeks or months, decompensating, with decreased access to needed health care. Many of the criminal cases are ultimately dismissed precisely because the person’s mental health is so compromised.