State leaders ask for review of Tryon
By MICHAEL ANICH, The Leader-HeraldArticle Photos
PERTH - Fulton County's state legislators are asking the state Office of Children & Family Services to re-examine conditions at the Tryon campus in light of a recent story in The Leader-Herald.
The July 27 story quoted former employees who said staff conditions at the state's Tryon juvenile rehabilitation campus on County Highway 107 are worsening and the residents are becoming more troublesome.
State Sen. Hugh T. Farley, R-Niskayuna, and Assemblyman Marc W. Butler, R-Newport, wrote a letter dated Friday to OCFS Commissioner Gladys Carrion expressing concerns.
The Tryon campus was the scene of an incident that led to the death of a 15-year-old Bronx resident on Nov. 19, 2006. The campus is split into three main residential areas - Tryon Boys Limited Secure, Tryon Girls Secure and Tryon Girls Reception. The educational component of the campus is also known as Tryon School.
The 15-year-old Bronx boy, who had an altercation with staff at the Tryon Boys Limited Secure, had to be restrained and eventually was transported to St. Mary's Hospital in Amsterdam, where he died. It was the first death of a resident from an incident at an OCFS facility in 12 years, according to state officials.
"The article describes attacks by residents on Tryon workers which had led to serious injuries and quotes Fulton County Sheriff Thomas Lorey as saying some Tryon employees 'are afraid to go work,'" Farley and Butler wrote. "According to the article, somewhere between 34 and 73 Tryon workers [of a staff of about 130 to 140] are currently out on compensation after being assaulted by Tryon residents.
"As you will recall, in June 2007 we forwarded to you a letter signed by 130 Tryon employees expressing concerns about working conditions at the facility," the lawmakers added. "Since the news article suggests that matters have not improved, you may wish to revisit the issue."
The letter also thanks Carrion for "considering the safety of your employees, and our constituents, who work at the Tryon School."
Under Carrion, the agency's policy has been rewritten, reducing from seven to three the types of situations where staff can use physical force against inmates. New York state is trying to limit use of force to only a situation where a child poses an imminent threat of injury to self or others and all other means of control have been exhausted.
Former youth division aides, or YDAs, told The Leader-Herald in the July 27 story that the local state youth correctional facility has changed in the past two years, as Tryon imposes certain rules on staff members relative to the way they handle the residents.
Some also say the youthful residents, some coming from a gang environment, also are tougher themselves to deal with and restrain. More riots are breaking out at Tryon, staff and former staff say.
"Something needs to be done there," Butler said Tuesday.
The assemblyman said he has communicated with staff for some time at Tryon.
"We have been concerned," Butler said. "We have received some communications from staff there concerned about safety issues. If the situation is as serious as some are portraying it to us, I think the situation needs a review."
Butler said he's not sure the situation at Tryon is "typical" of what goes on at other youth detention facilities across the state.
"We're being told it's a matter of philosophy," he said. "These are young people who have behavior problems or more serious problems."
The latest incident at Tryon to be reported by state police was a June 27 arrest of Jeffrey Francis, 18, by state police at Mayfield.
Troopers said Francis, a Tryon resident, and two other residents attacked a staff member when the staff member was trying to restrain another resident. Troopers said the victim reported Francis tried to choke him. Witness reports confirmed Francis grabbed the victim around the neck in an attempt to choke him, troopers said.
The OCFS this year implemented the sanctuary model - a non-violent system the state says promotes recovery, healing and growth in troubled clients.
The assaults on staff apparently are not limited to the boys facilities at Tryon. An article titled "Residents Out of Control at Youth Facility" on the Tryon union's Web site details a Feb. 14 incident in which Mark Gruder, an education supervisor, was punched in the eye by a girl at Tryon School.
The article states that Gruder was serving a write-up to a girl for wearing someone else's sweatshirt and then throwing it at him. The YDA said the girl told him to "get the [obscenity] out of my face" before hitting him four times.
The Web site also details another incident last winter in which a staffer was assaulted by being thrown on a floor - suffering a head injury causing him to miss six weeks of work. The same man was attacked again in April, being knocked to the ground, cut and badly bruised.
Farley on Tuesday praised the staff at Tryon.
"That's a very tough job these employees have," the state senator said. "This is quite commonplace in this system. It's a frustrating, difficult job."
Farley said his letter co-written with Butler to Carrion was done through "proper channels." But, he said he expects a response from her, as he would from any state commissioner or department director he communicates with.
"Generally speaking, when legislators write to them, it generally receives some action because we're the ones who control their budgets," Farley said.
Edward Borges, director of communications for the state Office of Children & Family Services, couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday or this morning.
Michael Anich covers Fulton County and Johnstown. He can be reached at johnstown@leaderherald.com.
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sawxfan34
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08-06-08 11:21 AM
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WOW NOW THEY WANNA HELP. IVE BEEN OUT OF WORK SINCE JULY 1ST DUE TO BEING ASSAULTED, AND HOW MANY MORE INCIDENTS HAVE HAPPENED SINCE MY CASE. HOPEFULLY SOMETHING GETS DONE, EITHER STAFF GET MORE CONTROL, OR THE FACILTY GETS SHUT DOWN
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StopTheFraud
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08-06-08 11:06 AM
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Now...all of sudden...Farley and Butler are interested. What took them so long? They've only been in office a combined 45 years. Now they'll pretend to care about the staff at Tryon. It's sickening.
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