Justice Department Announces Civil Investigation into Chemical Restraint Use at Two Nevada Juvenile Facilities

The Justice Department announced today that it has opened an investigation into the use of pepper spray at two juvenile correctional facilities run by the Nevada Juvenile Justice Services Agency: the Nevada Youth Training Center and the Summit View Youth Center.  The investigation will examine whether staff at the two facilities use pepper spray in a manner that violates youth’s rights under the Constitution.

The department has not reached any conclusions regarding the allegations in this matter.  The investigation will be conducted under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA) and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act.  Both statutes give the department the authority to investigate systemic violations of the constitutional rights of young people in juvenile detention and correctional facilities.  The department’s work has led to important reforms to protect the rights of young people housed in those facilities. 

The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section is conducting this investigation.  Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the department via phone at 1- 833-591-0426 or by email at Community.NVJuveniles@usdoj.gov.

Additional information about the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt.