Twenty-one people were sexually, physically, or emotionally abused in New Hampshire’s state-run disability care system in the first half of 2026. During that time, 30 people died within the system. At least one choked to death, several died of cancer or other diseases, and 10 causes of death were listed in state records as “unknown […]

In 2021, Cassandra Sanchez was working for the Massachusetts Department for Children and Families in Lowell and growing frustrated with red tape and ineffective bureaucracies. She decided she needed to find a new role — one where she could enact systemic change. “I felt at a certain point that I wasn’t helping families by doing […]

U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander waded into the ongoing controversy at the Sununu Youth Services Center this week as she called on federal prosecutors to open their own investigation into the Manchester juvenile justice facility. The Office of the Child Advocate first raised concerns about staff being potentially abusive toward the facility’s underage detainees in a […]

A bill aimed at protecting people with disabilities from abuse and neglect is now law. Senate Bill 670 creates a developmental services oversight commission responsible for reviewing the state-regulated, taxpayer-funded care system for people with disabilities. The commission will be made up of lawmakers, state officials, private providers, advocates, parents of people with disabilities, and […]

A group of state lawmakers have decided the proceeds from selling the Sununu Youth Services Center should go to the state’s general fund, rather than directly into a settlement fund for victims of abuse at that facility. The move doesn’t preclude the state from using that money to compensate victims, but it doesn’t guarantee it. […]