Lawyers for a Waterbury man, who was allegedly held captive by his stepmother, claim that the state of Connecticut is improperly withholding records from the Department of Children and Families (DCF). The man, identified as S, filed a claim against the state in February, contending that the abuse he suffered was a consequence of negligence and repeated failures by Connecticut’s child welfare agency.

DCF Investigation

DCF investigated six reports about the victim’s well-being between 1996 and 2005 but didn’t remove him from his family’s home. Lawyers for the victim are seeking documents that show how DCF performed its work and which policies it had in place at the time. They allege that state lawyers have selectively provided records that are incomplete and heavily redacted.

The victim’s conservator asked DCF in January to disclose records relevant to his case. The agency initially provided 140 pages of documents with some redactions. Then, in June, lawyers for the state responded to a separate discovery request with 240 pages of documents with different content and significantly more redactions, along with 69 pages that were entirely blacked out.

Internal Review

Lawyers for the victim accused the state of failing to disclose relevant material about DCF’s involvement with the family, including the findings of an internal review the agency conducted last year to examine any potential missteps by staff. The existence of the document came to light through a public records request filed by Connecticut Public. A hearing officer for the Freedom of Information Commission is currently weighing whether it can be released to the public.

Lawyers for the state contend they disclosed all known documents related to DCF’s child welfare investigations and involvement with the victim and his family but are bound by confidentiality laws that protect portions of the material. The internal review is also protected from disclosure under a legal principle that allows the government to withhold material that was created as part of a deliberative process, they contend.

Original reporting: The Connecticut Mirror — read the source article.