Restraint & Seclusion Campaigns
The Transformation Center, M-Power (www.m-power.org/) and people with mental health conditions nationally have a long and active history of speaking out against the use and abuse of restraint and seclusion. There have been 4 campaigns / initiatives on the issue in Massachusetts:
- 1978 Boston Common Demands asked for ending the use of seclusion and restraints.
- 1993 M-POWER Regulation Campaign
- 1995-96 DMH Restraint and Seclusion Task Force
- 2006-2008 The Transformation Center Restraint & Seclusion Elimination Initiative
The harm caused by restraint and seclusion began to be recognized nationally after a 1998 series in the Hartford Courant entitled “Deadly Restraint: A 5 Part Series” that highlighted deaths in restraints.