Judge sides mostly with Union Leader on YDC records release

Merrimack: So, a judge just made a big call about some records from the Sununu Youth Services Center. The New Hampshire Union Leader wanted to see what went down during some disturbances there in 2022.

The judge mostly agreed with the newspaper, saying they should get access to certain details. This all started when the Union Leader appealed a previous decision that blocked them from getting the info. The state Supreme Court stepped in and sent it back to the lower court to sort things out.

There were a few points of contention between the two sides. The judge decided that the Union Leader could see descriptions of the juveniles involved, their security status, and where the incidents happened. They also wanted the names of staff who witnessed the events.

Now, the Department of Safety wanted to keep some footage under wraps, claiming it showed the use of restraint and could identify the juveniles. They were worried about security risks too. But the judge didn’t buy that argument. He pointed out that the footage mainly showed the movements of the troopers and didn’t reveal any sensitive security info.

He did say that the faces of the juveniles need to be blurred out, and their voices shouldn’t be included. However, any audio from the troopers and staff must be made public. The only thing that couldn’t be released was handwritten letters from the juveniles, as they were deemed too personal.

Between August and October 2022, there were quite a few calls to the Manchester facility due to staff injuries. Some workers even needed surgery after being hurt, and there were reports of youths trying to grab a trooper’s gun during one incident.

In late 2022, the Union Leader asked for records related to the police responses at the center and filed a lawsuit when those requests were denied. After reviewing the records privately, the judge made his ruling, allowing some information to be released while keeping other parts confidential. The Union Leader was represented by attorney Kathleen Sullivan in this case.