Sec. 46a-150. Definitions. For purposes of this section and sections 46a-151 to
46a-154, inclusive:
(1) "Provider of care, education or supervision of a person at risk" and "provider"
mean a person who provides direct care, education or supervision of a person at risk.
(2) "Assistant provider of care, education or supervision of a person at risk" and
"assistant" mean a person assigned to provide, or who may be called upon in an emergency to provide, assistance or security to a provider of care, education or supervision
of a person at risk.
(3) "Person at risk" means (A) a child requiring special education described in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (5) of section 10-76a, who is receiving special education
by a local or regional board of education, or a child being evaluated for eligibility for
special education pursuant to section 10-76d and awaiting a determination, or (B) a
person receiving care, education or supervision in an institution or facility (i) operated
by, licensed or authorized to operate by or operating pursuant to a contract with the
Departments of Public Health, Developmental Services, Children and Families, Mental
Health and Addiction Services or a regional education service center established under
section 10-66a, or (ii) operating under contract with a local or regional board of education
pursuant to subsection (d) of section 10-76d. The term does not include a person in the
custody of the Commissioner of Correction, or a resident or patient of a nursing home
subject to federal regulations concerning restraint of residents or patients.
(4) "Life-threatening physical restraint" means any physical restraint or hold of a
person that restricts the flow of air into a person's lungs, whether by chest compression
or any other means.
(5) "Physical restraint" means any mechanical or personal restriction that immobilizes or reduces the free movement of a person's arms, legs or head. The term does not
include: (A) Briefly holding a person in order to calm or comfort the person; (B) restraint
involving the minimum contact necessary to safely escort a person from one area to
another; (C) medical devices, including, but not limited to, supports prescribed by a
health care provider to achieve proper body position or balance; (D) helmets or other
protective gear used to protect a person from injuries due to a fall; or (E) helmets, mitts
and similar devices used to prevent self injury when the device is part of a documented
treatment plan or individualized education program pursuant to section 10-76d and is
the least restrictive means available to prevent such self-injury.
(6) "Psychopharmacologic agent" means any medication that affects the central
nervous system, influencing thinking, emotion or behavior.
(7) "Seclusion" means the confinement of a person in a room, whether alone or
with staff supervision, in a manner that prevents the person from leaving, except that
in the case of seclusion at Long Lane School, the term does not include the placing of
a single child or youth in a secure room for the purpose of sleeping.
(P.A. 99-210, S. 1, 6; P.A. 07-73, S. 2(a); 07-147, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 99-210 effective June 29, 1999; pursuant to P.A. 07-73 "Department of Mental Retardation" was changed
editorially by the Revisors to "Department of Developmental Services", effective October 1, 2007; P.A. 07-147 amended
Subdiv. (3) to redefined "person at risk" to include a child requiring special education or awaiting a determination for
eligibility for special education in new Subpara. (A), designate existing provisions as new Subpara. (B) and existing
Subparas. (A) and (B) as new clauses (i) and (ii), and delete former clause (i) and (ii) designators, and amended Subdiv.
(5)(E) to exclude from the definition of "physical restraint" devices that prevent injury if the device is part of an "individualized education program pursuant to section 10-76d".
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Sec. 46a-151. Life-threatening physical restraint prohibited. No provider of
care, education or supervision of a person at risk and no assistant provider may use a
life-threatening physical restraint on a person at risk. This section shall not be construed
as limiting any defense to criminal prosecution for the use of deadly physical force that
may be available under sections 53a-18 to 53a-22, inclusive.
(P.A. 99-210, S. 2, 6.)
History: P.A. 99-210 effective June 29, 1999.
See Sec. 17a-3a re Connecticut Juvenile Training School.
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Sec. 46a-152. Physical restraint, seclusion and use of psychopharmacologic
agents restricted. Notification of parent or guardian of physical restraint or seclusion of child required. Monitoring and documentation required. (a) No provider or
assistant may use involuntary physical restraint on a person at risk except (1) as an
emergency intervention to prevent immediate or imminent injury to the person at risk
or to others, provided the restraint is not used for discipline or convenience and is not
used as a substitute for a less restrictive alternative, (2) as necessary and appropriate,
as determined on an individual basis by the person's treatment team and consistent with
sections 17a-540 to 17a-550, inclusive, for the transportation of a person under the
jurisdiction of the Whiting Forensic Division of the Department of Mental Health and
Addiction Services.
(b) No provider or assistant may involuntarily place a person at risk in seclusion
except (1) as an emergency intervention to prevent immediate or imminent injury to the
person or to others, provided the seclusion is not used for discipline or convenience and
is not used as a substitute for a less restrictive alternative, or (2) as specifically provided
for in an individualized education program developed pursuant to section 10-76d. Each
local or regional board of education, institution or facility providing special education
for a child shall notify the parent or guardian of each incident in which such child is
placed in physical restraint or seclusion.
(c) No provider or assistant may use a psychopharmacologic agent on a person at
risk without that person's consent except (1) as an emergency intervention to prevent
immediate or imminent injury to the person or to others, or (2) as an integral part of the
person's established medical or behavioral support or educational plan, as developed
consistent with section 17a-543 or, if no such plan has been developed, as part of a
licensed practitioner's initial orders. The use of psychopharmacologic agents, alone or
in combination, may be used only in doses that are therapeutically appropriate and not
as a substitute for other appropriate treatment.
(d) Any use of physical restraint or seclusion on a person at risk shall be documented
in the person's medical or educational record. The documentation shall include (1) in
the case of emergency use, the nature of the emergency and what other steps, including
attempts at verbal deescalation, were taken to prevent the emergency from arising if
there were indications that such an emergency was likely to arise, and (2) a detailed
description of the nature of the restraint or seclusion, its duration and its effect on the
person's established medical or behavioral support or educational plan.
(e) Any person at risk who is physically restrained shall be continually monitored
by a provider or assistant. Any person at risk who is involuntarily placed in seclusion
shall be frequently monitored by a provider or assistant. Each person so restrained or
in seclusion shall be regularly evaluated by a provider or assistant for indications of
physical distress. The provider or assistant conducting the evaluation shall enter each
evaluation in the person's medical or educational record. For purposes of this subsection,
"monitor" means (1) direct observation, or (2) observation by way of video monitoring
within physical proximity sufficient to provide aid as may be needed.
(f) Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting any rights a person may
have under sections 17a-540 to 17a-550, inclusive, section 17a-566 or section 54-56d.
(g) Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting the justified use of physical
force by a local, state or federal law enforcement official or an employee of the Board
of Pardons and Paroles or the Department of Correction responsible for the supervision
of persons released on parole while in the performance of such official's or employee's
duties.
(h) (1) Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting the use of mechanical physical restraint in transporting any person (A) who is receiving services from the
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services pursuant to sections 17a-513 to
17a-517, inclusive, 17a-566 to 17a-567, inclusive, 17a-582 to 17a-603, inclusive, or
54-56d, or (B) who is committed to the department by a court of competent jurisdiction
and has a pending criminal charge for which bail or a bond has not been posted, from
a department facility to another location and, if applicable, back to such facility. Any
such use of mechanical physical restraint shall be determined on an individualized basis
by the head of the facility, or by a designee of the head of the facility, to be necessary
and appropriate to protect the public safety.
(2) Any use of mechanical physical restraint under this subsection shall be documented in the medical record of the person who is transported. Such documentation
shall include, but not be limited to, (A) the reason for the use of such restraint, including
the risk of flight, the risk to public safety and the person's clinical condition, and (B) a
detailed description of the nature of such restraint and its duration. If the use of any such
restraint results in serious physical injury or death to such person, the head of the facility
shall report such injury or death to the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction
Services. The commissioner, upon receiving any such report, shall inform the director
of the Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities of such injury
or death.
(P.A. 99-210, S. 3; P.A. 00-55; P.A. 04-257, S. 117; P.A. 05-108, S. 4; P.A. 07-147, S. 2.)
History: P.A. 00-55 added new Subsec. (h) re use of mechanical physical restraint in transporting persons receiving
services from or committed to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; P.A. 04-257 amended Subsec.
(g) to replace "an employee of the Board of Parole" with "an employee of the Department of Correction responsible for
the supervision of persons released on parole", effective June 14, 2004; P.A. 05-108 amended Subsec. (g) to include "an
employee of the Board of Pardons and Paroles" responsible for the supervision of persons released on parole, effective
June 7, 2005; P.A. 07-147 amended Subsec. (b) to require each local or regional board of education, institution or facility
providing special education for a child to notify the parent or guardian of each incident of physical restraint or seclusion
of the child and substituted "individualized education program" for "individual education plan".
See Sec. 17a-3a re Connecticut Juvenile Training School.
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Sec. 46a-153. Recording of use of restraint and seclusion required. Review of
records by state agencies and State Board of Education. Reviewing state agency
and State Board of Education to report serious injury or death to Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities and to Office of Child Advocate.
Each local or regional board of education, institution or facility that provides direct care,
education or supervision of persons at risk shall (1) record each instance of the use of
physical restraint or seclusion on a person at risk and the nature of the emergency that
necessitated its use, and (2) include such information in an annual compilation on its
use of such restraint and seclusion. The commissioner of the state agency that has jurisdiction or supervisory control over each institution or facility shall review the annual
compilation prior to renewing a license for or a contract with such institution or facility.
The State Board of Education may review the annual compilation of each local and
regional board of education, institution and facility that provides special education for
children and may produce an annual summary report identifying the frequency of use
of physical restraint or seclusion on such children. If the use of such restraint or seclusion
results in physical injury to the person, (A) the local or regional board of education,
institution or facility that provides special education for a child may report the incident
to the State Board of Education, and (B) the institution or facility shall report the incident
to the commissioner of the state agency that has jurisdiction or supervisory control over
the institution or facility. The State Board of Education and the commissioner receiving
a report of such an incident shall report any incidence of serious injury or death to the
director of the Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities and, if
appropriate, to the Child Advocate of the Office of Child Advocate.
(P.A. 99-210, S. 4; P.A. 07-147, S. 3.)
History: P.A. 07-147 made provisions applicable to local or regional boards of education, added provision re report of
physical injury incident to State Board of Education and provided that State Board of Education may review annual
compilation, may produce annual summary report, and shall report any incidence of serious injury or death to director of
Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities and to Child Advocate.
See Sec. 17a-3a re Connecticut Juvenile Training School.
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Sec. 46a-154. Internal monitoring, training and development of policies and
procedures required and subject to state agency inspection. (a) Each institution or
facility that provides direct care, education or supervision of a person at risk shall develop
policies and procedures that (1) establish monitoring and internal reporting of the use
of physical restraint and seclusion on persons at risk, and (2) require training of all
providers and assistant providers of care, education or supervision of persons at risk in
the use of physical restraint and seclusion on persons at risk. Such training shall include,
but not be limited to: Verbal defusing or deescalation; prevention strategies; types of
physical restraint; the differences between life-threatening physical restraint and other
varying levels of physical restraint; the differences between permissible physical restraint and pain compliance techniques; monitoring to prevent harm to a person physically restrained or in seclusion and recording and reporting procedures on the use of
restraints and seclusion.
(b) Each institution or facility required to develop policies and procedures under
subsection (a) of this section shall make such policies and procedures available upon
request to the commissioner of the state agency that has jurisdiction or supervisory
control over the institution or facility.
(P.A. 99-210, S. 5.)
See Sec. 17a-3a re Connecticut Juvenile Training School.
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Secs. 46a-155 to 46a-169. Reserved for future use.
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