LogFAQs > #902668839

Children are locked in an Anchorage mental hospital without justification because child welfare authorities don't know what else to do with them.

These other sources say North Star's prison-like, acute-care units routinely house and drug many children whose real need is consistent discipline and a caring home. They also describe chaotic, understaffed units where injuries are common and teens are controlled by threats, sedation and restraint.

... OCS can send a minor under its control to intake staff, who assess the youth and then call an independent psychiatrist for an admission decision. In those cases, the doctor usually never sees the patient or reads the assessment until after the admission, she said.

North Star has financial incentives to admit children to the hospital.