The Wyoming Department of Family Services says a restraint chair at the Wyoming Boys’ School near Worland will be disposed of once an ongoing civil rights lawsuit is resolved.
According to the department, the chair has not been used on residents since 2022 and is being retained only as evidence in the case.
The lawsuit was filed by six former residents who allege they were subjected to abuse while at the state-run juvenile facility, including prolonged solitary confinement and extended use of the restraint chair. Court filings released in June included photographs showing one plaintiff restrained in the chair with a hood over his head, images that drew widespread attention online.
Court documents allege some youths were restrained for hours at a time, despite the chair’s manufacturer warning that it should not be used for more than two hours without removal. One plaintiff alleges he remained in the chair for more than seven hours in 2021. Those allegations have not been proven in court.
Department records show the restraint chair was first used in 2018, with its use increasing to 23 incidents in 2021 before declining in 2022. The Department of Family Services says it has not been used since that year.
The department also confirmed it does not use independent third-party investigators to examine abuse allegations at the Wyoming Boys’ School. Instead, complaints are investigated internally through the agency’s Child Protective Services division.
Most of the employees named as defendants in the lawsuit, including Superintendent Dale Weber, continue to work at the Wyoming Boys’ School, according to WyoFile. The civil lawsuit remains pending.