Description

The Commission's study of the use of restraint and seclusion in New York State psychiatric facilities, requested by the Legislature, outlines the confusion and gaps resulting from the four sets of inconsistent, contradictory, and duplicative directives on restraint and seclusion contained in state law, state regulations, the policies of the State Office of Mental Health (OMH), and in standards issued by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO). It concludes with recommendations to the Legislature and OMH to both streamline and improve the administration of restraint and seclusion in psychiatric facilities.