Bureau of Indian Affairs officials deserve to be punished for the death of Cindy Gilbert Sohappy, a 16-year-old student at Chemawa Indian School in Oregon, the Interior Department's Inspector General says in a new report.
Sohappy died in a holding cell at the school in December 2003. She had been placed there after staff found her intoxicated on campus. But the BIA didn't provide training for detaining students or monitoring them, the report, obtained by The Washington Post, says. It faults the agency for not maintaining a safe environment at the holding cells, a situation that led to Sohappy's death. "BIA officials had long been alerted to the potential liabilities associated with the detention facility and were provided clear recommendations to correct the deficiencies," according to the report. "The recommendations, however, were never acted upon." Sohappy's family has filed a $24 million lawsuit against the Interior Department. Get the Story:Report Cites BIA in Death of Teenager (The Washington Post 7/26)
pwpwd Oregonian Special Series:
Warm Springs - A Place Where Children Die Relevant Links:
Chemawa Indian School - http://www.chemawa.bia.edu Related Stories:
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