New York Bans Prone Restraints At Congregate Foster Care Facilities

On January 2, 2021, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) implemented new rules on congregate foster care facilities to ban the use of prone restraining holds. The new rules also ban the use of isolation rooms. OCFS will permit the use of voluntary de-escalation rooms.

In October 2020, OCFS began eliminating prone restraints in juvenile justice settings, including secure and specialized secure detention facilities. By the end of November 2020, OCFS banned prone restraints in 12 residential programs. An OCFS spokesperson said this effort to eliminate use of physical restraints with youth at imminent . . .