U.S. Department of Justice Investigation of Kings County Hospital Center Psychiatric Unit

February 5, 2009 The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) started a Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons investigation of  the psychiatric unit operations at New York City's Kings County Hospital Center in December 2007. The investigation period covered the spring, summer, and fall of 2008. DOJ found that conditions at the psychiatric unit violated patients? civil rights. Problems included fire safety, sanitation, processes that led to neglect of patients, overuse of restraints, overuse of medication to sedate patients, failure to develop treatment plans, and failure to prevent patient aggression toward other patients . . .