A Superior Court judge has found three former guards at Bridgewater State Hospital “not guilty” in the death of a schizophrenic patient at Bridgewater State Hospital eight years ago.
The hospital is operated by the Massachusetts Corrections Department.
The judge agreed with the defense that the men received poor training and followed standard procedures in place at that time 23-year-old Joshua Messier died after being forcibly restrained.
Messier’s mother– Lisa Brown– said she understands the judge’s decision.
“I need to take solace in the fact that because of Joshua’s death many things have already changed in the mental health system,” Brown said.
The restraint area, where Messier died, has been closed and operators have replaced state correction officers with a specialty trained security force.
This report comes from the New England News Collaborative: Eight public media companies, including Rhode Island Public Radio, coming together to tell the story of a changing region, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
