Sick, Dying and Raped in New York’s Mental Health Facilities & Group Homes

Jonathan Carey "Champion for the Disabled" Born September 12,1993 Killed by caregivers on February 15,2007

Governor Cuomo has refused to take vital basic emergency actions to protect disabled children and adults from premature death, sexual abuse and rape

Governor Cuomo had every opportunity to right many wrongs, but chose to continue to cover-up most of the damages and loss of lives instead.”
— Michael Carey
DELMAR, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, February 23, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- You can take the CNN investigative report titled, “Sick, Dying and Raped in America’s Nursing Homes” http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2017/02/22/sick-dying-and-raped-in-americas-nursing-homes-a-cnn-investigation/ and simply change the words America to New York State and Nursing Homes to Mental Health Facilities and Group Homes, the similarities are almost identical. New York State documents obtained through Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) reveal staggering numbers of deaths and sexual assaults in these facilities. These massive problems cannot continue to be pushed aside and ignored by the Governor of New York State. Governor Cuomo has claimed publicly saying “I am disabled” http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/01/29/cuomo-travel-ban-hotline/ which is obviously not true, but he was using it, along with other statements, to say that he is fighting for people with disabilities and their rights, which also sadly not true.
The shear staggering numbers of reported deaths and sexual assaults in these State and private facilities and group homes throughout New York State speak volumes. The truth is, we have severe systemic failures and very ugly things are happening behind these closed doors and many innocent and extremely vulnerable people with disabilities are dying and being raped as a result. State documents reveal that 11-12 deaths on average are reported a day and 1,300 sexual assaults within the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) system alone on average every year or close to four a day. Most of the deaths are covered-up because Governor Cuomo’s Justice Center is not notifying County elected District Attorney’s and Medical Examiners or Coroners of most of these deaths. It is hard to fathom that they continue to get away with this evil and these crimes as I continue to expose it and shout it from the rooftops, but hopefully it will be stopped soon.
In regards to sexual assaults, the numbers exponentially increase when we look at the full reality and fact that almost all of these sexual assault crimes against these disabled victims, that in most cases cannot speak or defend themselves, will never be witnessed or reported. A well known report titled “Prevalence of Violence” http://www.mass.gov/dppc/abuse-recognize/prevalence-of-violence.html has been up on the State of Massachusetts website for a long time, brings an even more powerful fact to light, which is a horrible fact that only 3% of these sexual assaults and rapes of the developmentally disabled will ever be reported. Using this statistical data along with the known New York State numbers of reported sexual assaults could mean that approximately one third of the developmentally disabled living in State and private facilities within the OPWDD system alone are sexually assaulted on average once a year. Sexual abuse and rape of the disabled in these facilities is a massive problem which has been known by Governor Cuomo for many years. Most deaths and sexual assault crimes of New Yorkers with disabilities living in known unsafe residential care facilities and group homes are swept under the rug and covered-up by Cuomo’s fraudulent Justice Center.
There are basic safety and abuse prevention measures that will make the system much better and safer and dramatically reduce the staggering numbers of deaths and sexual abuse crimes occurring in these facilities, but Governor Cuomo has refused to take action. Surveillance cameras must finally be installed within all mental health facilities and group homes, as well as all transport vehicles, this is vital to prevent these deaths, crimes and to hold sexual predators accountable. Immediate and direct reporting by mandated reporters to 911 and not a State whitewash/cover-up entity is not only critical to hold criminals accountable, but will also save many lives. No longer can New York State continue to deny innocent and extremely vulnerable children and adults with disabilities living outside their family’s home 911 emergency first responder medical and police services and assistance, this is discrimination and in many cases it is deadly. Bypassing local authorities, laws in place for everyone and local courts also denies this specific group of people their 14th Amendment right to “equal protection of laws.”
Included are two very important news pieces. AP News just reported on a disgusting case in which a New York State caregiver was molesting a disabled child in a State run group home. Thankfully, there was some measure of justice in this case, but most are being covered-up by Governor Cuomo’s wrongfully named Justice Center which is keeping most reported sexual assault crimes from local police and County elected District Attorney’s. Here is the story followed by another horrific one as well; “New York to pay $3M to family of boy molested at group home” http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/new-york-pay-3m-family-boy-molested-group-home-article-1.2977392 . New York State’s system is made up of thousands of State run and privately operated facilities and group homes and the rampant sexual abuse in these facilities can easily be dramatically reduced, but not if basic prevention measures continue to be ignored. The award winning New York Times “Abused & Used” investigative reporting series which was a runner up for a Pulitzer Prize, exposed New York State’s extremely dangerous and deadly system in 2011. Governor Cuomo was already aware of the severe problems because it was brought to his attention while he was the NYS Attorney General. Governor Cuomo had every opportunity to right many wrongs, but chose to continue to cover-up most of the damages and loss of lives instead. The very first NY Times investigative report that came out in March of 2011, two months after Cuomo became Governor, details how a sexual predator was caught in the act and that he was still protected and shielded by the State http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/nyregion/13homes.html . Here is the extremely disturbing quote from this investigative report; “At a home upstate in Hudson Falls, two days before Christmas in 2006, an employee discovered her supervisor, Ricky W. Sousie, in the bedroom of a severely disabled, 54-year-old woman. Mr. Sousie, a stocky man with wispy hair, was standing between the woman’s legs. His pants were around his ankles, his hand was on her knee and her diaper was pulled down. The police were called, and semen was found on the victim. But the state did not seek to discipline Mr. Sousie. Instead, it transferred him to work at another home.” Pretty graphic, but this type of evil must come out into the light and dramatic steps must be taken to prevent these horrible sex crimes and rapes of disabled men, women, boys and girls whom are extremely vulnerable and in most cases cannot defend themselves. Bypassing 911 and local police is how New York State currently gets away with covering-up thousands of crimes and deaths annually.

Michael Carey
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The incredible life and tragic preventable death of Jonathan Carey, who was disabled, had autism, was non-verbal & only 13 when he was killed by his caregivers