New Mexico

A New Mexico mother sued Curry County, New Mexico for keeping her autistic son in solitary for 11 months. Christian Cook suffers from with autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Rather than providing mental health treatment when held at the Curry County Juvenile Detention Center, medication, and special education, Christian was placed in isolation, despite expressing a desire to harm himself. Through attorney Matt Coyte, Christian’s mother sued the county and the facility in July 2016. Click here to read the complaint. The same facility was sued for abusive practices and isolation by another youth and settled for $450,000 in 2010.