Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, January 12, 2022

    Justice Department Launches Statewide Disability Rights Investigation into South Carolinaโ€™s Use of Adult Care Homes

    The U.S. Department of Justiceโ€™s Civil Rights Division announced today that it has opened an investigation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into whether the State of South Carolina subjects adults with mental illness to unnecessary institutionalization and risk of institutionalization, in adult care homes. The investigation will examine whether South Carolina needlessly segregates individuals with mental illness in adult care homes, known in the State as community residential care facilities, by failing to provide integrated community-based mental health services. 

    Prior to the announcement, the department informed South Carolinaโ€™s Governorโ€™s Office and the South Carolina Attorney Generalโ€™s Office of the initiation of the investigation.

    โ€œPeople with disabilities have too often been unlawfully isolated in institutions, including state psychiatric hospitals and adult care homes,โ€ said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Departmentโ€™s Civil Rights Division. โ€œThe Civil Rights Division will continue to defend the rights of individuals with mental illness to access the community-based services they need and to participate fully in community living.โ€

    The department has not reached any conclusions regarding the subject matter under investigation. Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the department via email at Community.SouthCarolina@usdoj.gov or through the Civil Rights Divisionโ€™s Civil Rights Portal, available at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.

    Additional information about the Civil Rights Divisionโ€™s Olmstead enforcement is available on its website at https://www.ada.gov/olmstead/.
    Topic(s): 
    Civil Rights
    Disability Rights
    Component(s): 
    Civil Division
    Civil Rights - Special Litigation Section
    Press Release Number: 
    22-29
    Updated January 12, 2022


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