Due to a series of charges before his 16th birthday in February, 2019, Z.C. was placed in detention.
Photograph provided.
A few months later, he was assigned a probation officer, and directed to enroll in a class. Shortly after that, while in custody, he was placed in a first group home where the conditions were deplorable: filthy showers and bathrooms, youth able to leave and come back at night without being noticed, bullying among the youth, bad diet/food. In November, Z.C. escaped the toxic environment of that group home, attempted suicide, and was placed in a behavioral hospital. By the end of 2019, Z.C. was placed in a second group home where the conditions and treatment seemed promising. Family therapy was required, but over time, the therapist grew to be disdainful of both of Z.C.’s parents. A different therapist was requested, but it was said that there was no other therapist. While in this home, Z.C. previously prescribed medications were removed, and once COVID-19 declared itself, no attempt was made to ensure that Z.C. furthered his education. During Z.C.’s time in the [xxxx] group home, he made progress but never made it to the top “graduation” level. It seemed that he would be purposely caught in a minor infraction that would drop him back to the bottom of the ranking.
Punishment, rather than therapy and encouragement, became the norm.
When the environment between personnel at the home and Z.C. turned negative, he was told that he would be transferred to a third home, hours away from his actual residence. Home visits would become virtually impossible, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic circumstances. Given those issues and feeling hopeless, Z.C. went AWOL.
Photograph provided.
Due to the fact that I, his mom, have MS, and would like to avoid his exposure and mine to any virus, I have requested the possibility to create a home plan with outpatient treatment. However, the outpatient centers that accept Medicaid refuse to accept Z.C., until he is released by the xxxx program, and that program refuses to release him while he is AWOL and has a subsequent warrant out for his arrest. It seems to me that the xxxx group homes thrive on Medicaid funds, and have no real motivation to release Z.C. It also seems that there is no effective oversight in the living and treatment conditions in the homes he has experienced.
We feel trapped by the system.