On January 21, 1987, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), notified the State of New Mexico, of its intent to investigate, pursuant to the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 1997, allegations of unconstitutional conditions at the Los Lunas Hospital and Training School, Los Lunas, New Mexico. Following its investigation, the DOJ issued its findings letter on September 12, 1988. The findings letter detailed the unconstitutional conditions revealed by the investigation, which included Los Lunas' failure (1) to provide minimally adequate training programs sufficient to ensure that residents were free from undue bodily and chemical restraints, (2) to provide minimally adequate medical staff and medical care and (3) to provide minimally adequate resident supervision to protect residents from unreasonable risks to their health and safety.

On October 27 . 1989, the DOJ filed a lawsuit pursuant to CRIPA in United States District Court for the District of New Mexico regarding the conditions at the Los Lunas Hospital and Training School, Los Lunas, New Mexico. The case was settled shortly thereafter. A formal Settlement Agreement was signed and entered as a formal order of the District Court on February 1, 1988. The Agreement called for implementation of various reforms at Los Lunas. The implementation period followed with the parties filing quarterly compliance reports thereafter until 1997.

On September 22, 1997, the District Court (Judge James A. Parker) granted the parties' joint motion to terminate consent decree and dismiss case.

Dan Dalton - 04/17/2007


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