(Worcester, MA) JT. is a 10-year old with autism, and was getting upset after he stopped taking his medication. JT’s mom, Beshai Torres, called 911 to ask for medical assistance. While an ambulance was on there way, two police officers arrived first. After Beshai told the officers her son was autistic, the officers approached JT who was sitting in a car. When the officers arrived, JT threw a bag of chips towards the officers. The officers then dragged JT out of the car and both officers pinned him to the ground to handcuff him. One officer had his knee on JT’s neck while the other had his knee on his legs. JT had a fractured arm due to the incident and was altered psychologically. The child became afraid of police officers and went into his own shell at school, always putting his head down. “Neither officer had received formal training or education about how to best interact with people on the autism spectrum”. More of this story here.

Youth Justice By The Numbers
Josh Rovner, the Director of Youth Justice, authored this briefing paper as part of the campaign titled “50 Years and a Wake Up: Ending The