New Hampshire Attorney General's review found claims of current abuse at the Sununu Youth Services Center unsupported, but cited chronic dysfunction in its administration
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What happened
In March 2026 the New Hampshire Office of the Child Advocate published a report alleging prolonged lockdown-style restrictions and an illegal prone restraint of a child at the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester. The Attorney General's Office reviewed operations from early January through late May 2026 and reported on July 7, 2026 that the facility is operating within legal boundaries, that it did not identify any instances of physical or sexual abuse of youth, that there was not a six-week lockdown as the advocate described it, and that a youth's broken hand was likely self-inflicted. It also concluded that significant operational challenges and dysfunction, including too few experienced staff and disconnection within the administration, are perpetuating instability, and recommended that the Department of Children, Youth and Families and facility leadership address the chronic dysfunction. The Child Advocate's allegations and the Attorney General's conclusions differ; this entry reports both.
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