A youth treatment facility holds some of our most vulnerable populations—youth and people with mental illness. The painful reality is that kids who need full-time treatment aren’t believed when they say they’ve been abused at these facilities. Not only are these victims written off as liars or manipulators, but their mental illness or past behavior is used against them as a reason to dismiss their claims. Young people who need residential treatment have rights, especially the right to feel and be safe while getting the treatment they need. We are a team of kind, compassionate individuals who have an unshakable desire for justice for our clients.
Understanding Youth Abuse at Facilities and Treatment Centers
The choice to send your child or loved one to a facility is usually a last resort, something you do when you feel you’ve exhausted all your other options. You send your child to a facility like this to give them intensive treatment to help them feel better and, thus, behave better. These institutions should be held to the highest standard regarding patient care as they deal with a particularly vulnerable population. Sometimes, bad actors in these facilities use the vulnerability of their patients to abuse them, whether that abuse is emotional, sexual, or physical. While most employees at these facilities are there to help young people find healing and peace, there will be some who aren’t. These facilities and employees must be held responsible when they hurt kids. That’s where an attorney specializing in youth abuse at facilities comes in.
The Role of a Youth Abuse Attorney in Nevada
A youth facility abuse case is complex. Typically you are suing the facility and the perpetrator(s), which complicates things. Medical and insurance records are crucial in these cases and require a specialized understanding of these documents. The laws surrounding confidentiality, statutes of limitations, and other specific requirements add another layer of complexity. Our team at Hale Injury Law has the experience required to understand and litigate your case thoroughly.
Compassion and determination guide our team as we work with you to create a case that will get you compensation and justice. We’ll start with our initial consultation, where we get your story and begin building our case. We’ll then file documents with the court and begin the discovery process. Then we’ll start our pre-trial prep and then begin the trial or settle out of court, depending on what is best for you. Finally, we’ll gather your settlement and get it to you, giving you peace of mind that justice has been served.
Signs of Abuse at Youth Treatment Facilities
There are a few signs your child is being abused at a residential youth treatment center. While some are similar to other negative behaviors your child may have shown before treatment, worsening, more frequent, or intense behaviors can be a sign that abuse is occurring. If you suspect your child is a victim of abuse at a treatment facility, get them out and contact the police and an experienced attorney to help you decide your next steps.
- Running away and refusing to return when found
- More explosive behavior than normal
- Bruises, marks, and sores in any stage of healing, and especially in areas typically covered by clothing
- Increased suicidal ideation or self-harm
- Refusing to participate in treatment with a specific employee
- New or worsened physical health problems
- Contact from your child decreases or stops
- The treatment center says not to believe your child when they tell you about abusive acts or situations
- Many of the kids in the facility dislike a specific employee
- The facility doesn’t contact you when your child is hurt or sick, and you find out about illnesses or injuries way after the fact
- A major or unexpected regression (bed-wetting, anxious tics, mannerisms, new mental health diagnosis unrelated to previous diagnosis, etc.)
- Your child seems more disassociated and less “with it”
Seeking Compensation for Youth Abuse
Not only do we want to prevent more abuse at youth facilities, but we also want to ensure that clients who experience abuse get all the help and healing they need. Youth who are abused at treatment centers will need care not only for the abuse but help with whatever mental or emotional needs they had that got them into treatment. These kids (and their families) need more therapy, organizations, and support groups. That’s why you need to be compensated, not only as a form of justice but you have very real financial needs to help you and your child heal. The legal system is rarely straightforward, especially when there are likely multiple responsible parties and tons of medical and insurance records to comb through. You need an attorney who understands this area of law.
How Our Youth Abuse Attorneys Can Help
We pride ourselves on being a soft place to land when you are in a crisis. Finding out that your child was in an abusive situation or recognizing that you may have been in an abusive treatment center is devastating. Our team is compassionate and confidential, but we balance our tenderness towards our clients with a tenacious determination to get compensation and justice. With a deep knowledge of the law, an exceptional understanding of medical records, intense investigations, and a team experienced in trying these cases, we are the best law firm for youth treatment center abuse.
Contact Us for a Free Consultation
We know it can be difficult and painful to trust again after experiencing abuse at a youth treatment facility. After all, these facilities are supposed to be safe places for healing, not heartache and abuse. We want to advocate for you in the legal system, not only to get justice and compensation, and not just because we want to help end abuse in treatment facilities, but because we want to help restore your faith in humanity. Good people are working to keep kids safe in every environment, and we are honored to be a part of that change for good. Help us get you the justice, compensation, and peace you deserve by completing our contact form today. We’re ready to be your voice and advocate in the legal system.