ODMRDD Memo Banning Use of Prone Restraint

November 5, 2008 The Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (ODMRDD) banned the use of prone restraints in its facilities in November 2008, stating that they pose "an unacceptable risk to health and safety." An inter-agency committee, led by Michael Rench, deputy director of community services, and Pamela Berry, senior policy advisor of ODMRDD, will study and make recommendations on the use of prone restraints; from their recommendations, Ohio will develop a statewide policy concerning the use of physical restraints on children . . .