Former Wyoming Boys' School resident describes hopelessness during isolation

Blaise Chivers-King told a jury in Casper that he felt hopeless and wanted to end his life while confined to a detention room at the Wyoming Boys' School. The former resident, who was 15 and 17 when he spent time at the facility between 2020 and 2022, testified Tuesday that staff repeatedly isolated him with little contact to the outside world. His testimony is part of the first trial in a series of lawsuits alleging abuse at the state-run facility near Worland.

Video footage presented to the jury showed Chivers-King attempting suicide or engaging in self-harm while in the detention room. The clips captured him trying to strangle himself at multiple points and banging his head against the wall. Chivers-King stated that staff instructed him to clean his own blood after the head injury. He also tried to rip his braces off his teeth to use as a tool to stab himself. Chivers-King spoke softly during his testimony, noting that he was trying to do everything possible to end his life.

The plaintiff argues that school staff violated his 14th Amendment rights by using arbitrary isolation and excessive force. Chivers-King described his placement in the detention room as confusing, noting that staff kept him isolated even after he became calm. He said he felt tricked because the outcome was the same whether he behaved well or poorly. Whether the confinement served a legitimate purpose is central to the case, as the 14th Amendment protects detained people from arbitrary punishment.

The defense has argued that staff acted to address safety concerns and did their best under difficult circumstances. State attorneys focused their questions on Chivers-King's behavioral and mental health history prior to his time at the school. They also highlighted moments when he suddenly became violent, including punching, kicking, head-butting, and biting staff after appearing calm. Defense lawyers pointed to efforts by staff to help Chivers-King, such as providing a pencil and a self-help book during his detention.

Attorneys displayed images of the white cinderblock detention rooms, which contain only a toilet and a mattress provided at night. The rooms lack windows that look outside, and staff covered the window in the door with a magnet. Chivers-King said the inability to see people or sunlight made time move extremely slow. He described the experience as a never-ending whirlpool. Video footage showed him trying to look through the crack under the door, which a staff member covered with a mattress. A school document listed requirements for earning a good day in detention, including sitting in the corner of the room without falling asleep, an expectation Chivers-King said he struggled to meet.

Chivers-King is one of six former residents who filed complaints against the facility in 2024. The school detains delinquent boys ages 12 to 21 on a 38-acre property overseen by the Wyoming Department of Family Services. Washakie County Sheriff's deputies took Chivers-King to the county jail after he broke a sprinkler in a detention room. He testified that he was treated better at the jail than at the boys' school. The trial, which began Monday, is expected to last five to seven days. The next trial involving former residents is scheduled to begin on December 7.