A young autistic man is sent to a mental institution where he is sexually abused. A 15-year-old boy with a long history of mental disorders is sent to a local jail and put in a holding cell where he is repeatedly sexually abused by a prison guard.
A “disturbing” new report on the treatment of children with severe mental illnesses in New Brunswick has uncovered sexual abuse and harsh treatment in several cases where troubled youths have been sent to jail.
Former provincial cabinet minister Bernard Richard is New Brunswick’s Child and Youth Advocate. He released a scathing report Monday uncovering serious flaws in New Brunswick’s treatment of mentally ill youth and calling for the end of “criminalization” of mental illness. The report suggests there are inadequate resources in place in the province to assist victims of mental illness.