Opinion ID: 410177
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Right to Freedom From Unreasonable Restraints

Text: 11 Youngberg v. Romeo holds that a state may not restrain residents of institutions for the retarded or the mentally ill except when and to the extent that professional judgment deems this necessary for the reasonable safety of residents and personnel within the institution, or to provide needed training or treatment. 102 S.Ct. at 2462. In our last opinion we concluded that a remand was required for consideration of Scott's claim that he should be assigned to some less restrictive setting in the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital. Under the standard announced in Youngberg v. Romeo such a remand is obviously still required. 12 With respect to the claim for money damages, we approved a charge which said in part: 13 Besides the State's objective of keeping a dangerous individual off the streets, you should realize that the government has a legitimate interest that stem (sic) from it's (sic) need to manage the facility in which plaintiff was detained. These governmental interests include the maintenance of security and order at the institution. Restraints that are reasonably related to the institution's interest in maintaining jail security do not, without more, amount to punishment. However, if the conditions or restraints are excessive in relation to the State's non-punitive purpose, you may find they constituted punishment. 14 Since the Youngberg v. Romeo decision recognizes a substantive fourteenth amendment liberty interest in freedom from unnecessary restraints, the quoted instruction, containing a reference to restraints constituting punishment, was probably more favorable to the defendants than is appropriate. Under Youngberg v. Romeo there is no necessity for a factfinder to determine that the restraint constituted punishment. No more need be found than that the restraint was more than a reasonable professional judgment found necessary for safety or treatment. The question of professional judgment as a component of the charge on unreasonable restraint was not presented to the trial court and was not dealt with in our last opinion. Obviously in framing a charge for the new trial the trial court must consider what the Supreme Court said in Youngberg v. Romeo in light of the entire record developed at that trial.