After more than a decade of litigation, a settlement has been reached in a federal class action challenging the adequacy of mental health treatment given sex offenders civilly committed to the state Special Treatment Unit in Avenel.
The settlement in Alves v. Main, 01-cv-789, approved Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Dennis Cavanaugh, increases the amount of therapeutic programming provided to residents, requires the hiring of additional staff, sets standards for treatment plans that are narrowly tailored to each resident’s needs and calls for the appointment of an independent monitor to assess the state’s compliance with the settlement for a five-year period.
