Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 17, Episode 4 - Institutional Fail - full transcript

In the criminal justice
system, sexually based offenses

are considered
especially heinous.

In New York City,
the dedicated detectives

who investigate these vicious
felonies are members

of an elite squad known
as the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

[TV playing cartoons]

[cartoon character
in background]

[chair squeaking across floor]

[cartoon continues
in background]

[suspenseful music playing]



♪

[horn honks]

[TV playing]

99 cent.

Shorty, where your mommy at?

So that wasn't as horrible
as I thought.

You're gonna be a lieutenant.

You need to practice
kissing those rings.

Lieutenant?

So I passed.

And then some.

When it's official, you can pick
any command in the city.

I'm happy where I am.

Okay.



You up for a nightcap?

We need to talk about
finding you a number two.

[phone buzzing]

Don't you ever
turn that thing off?

I can't.
We're short staffed.

Benson.

Okay.

Yeah, I'm on my way.

Where to? I'll drive.

Liv, Chief,
sorry to break up your date.

- That wasn't a date.
- It wasn't a date.

Detective Campisi and I
took this from patrol.

Our sergeant suggested SVU

would be better equipped
to handle a lost kid.

In other words,
he passed the buck.

Little boy won't talk.

Not even a name.
Walked in here all by himself.

Where the hell are the parents?

That's why we're here.

[dramatic music]

♪

That's a cool bus.
Huh? You like the bus?

The bus goes
"vroom, vroom," right?

Can you say that?

Hey, let's try our game again.

Ready?

So I'm Olivia and you are?

Remember, you are?

You are?

- Bruno.
- Bruno.

Bruno, what's your last name,
sweetie?

Bruno.

So Bruno, how old are you?

Huh?

Are you this many?

Hmm?

You this many?

Hey.

Okay, sweetie, I'll be back
in one second, okay?

- Any luck, Sergeant Benson?
- Just his first name.

I mean, he's gotta be
three years old, right?

Shouldn't he be talking by now?

Delayed speech.
I mean, I'm not surprised.

No one's taking care of him.

He was filthy,
several cavities.

Vitamin D levels were low,
so he's not getting out much.

Okay, so he's neglected,
but any abuse?

No broken bones
or any signs of sexual trauma.

- Good.
- But I want to run

some more tests, and I'd like
to talk to the parents.

Well, so would we.

Thank you.

_

The way you're carrying,
that's a girl.

Yeah, so you were saying
you'd seen Bruno around?

In this courtyard, all hours.

No one watching him.

I called 911, 311.
Nothing.

What about the mother?

That girl is a mess.
All hopped up.

Excuse me, is that your son?

- He's cute.
- I know you?

Have you seen this boy
around here?

I guess, with his mom
sometimes.

Well, does his mom have a name?

Manuela something.

Like a baseball player name.
One of them Dominican brothers.

Who taught you how to slide?

Look, man, I'm not holding.

What are you, a lookout?

Looking for this kid's mother.
You know him?

Look, I don't know the kid
or his mother.

You know what?

My name's Tito Morales,

and I'm recording
the rest of this.

Hey, Tito, keep snitching

and we'll drop those charges
against you.

- Come on, man, I'm no snitch.
- Then start talking.

We are all over it.

Uh, that was Dodds.

He's asking about Bruno.
What can I tell him?

Local runner told me his mom's
been copping once a day.

He'll call when she shows.

- You get a name?
- Manuela.

Last name could be Ortiz,
Organda, Ordano.

It's something Dominican.

You talk to the housing
authority?

They're checking,
but my contact there

said not to expect much.

He's gotta go through
2,000 leases.

Yeah, not to mention
illegal sublets,

hot beds, roommates.

So Manuela's strung out,
and Bruno is home alone.

Did you run their names
through Child Services?

Yeah, I called them.
Without a last name,

the guy told me
where I could go.

Did he?
Let's do a drop-in.

Yeah, you know what,
Fin and I got this.

Ugh.

Actually, Rollins, why don't
you stay here with Fin?

No, seriously, no, I'm fine.

No, seriously,
just work the phones.

You know, food stamps, housing.

Carisi, let's go.

_

How the hell you gonna
tell me I can't see her?

- Get out my damn face!
- A little help please?

I'm just trying to see
my daughter, okay?

- Let's go, sir.
- Welcome to the jungle.

We good?

[sighs] You all right, Keith?

Yeah, he's just got
a little bit of anger there.

Keith Musio, Ser...

- Sergeant Benson.
- And Detective...

Detective Carisi from SVU.

Oh. SVU?
What happened?

- Get your ass out of here!
- Don't talk to me like that!

- Treat me like a man.
- Will you excuse me?

So your boss tells us

that you have some families
in the Conyers Projects.

At least a dozen.

This kid one of them?
Name's Bruno.

Um, I think so.
This way.

Um...

Yeah, here it is.
Bruno Ozuna.

Is he okay?

You must not watch the news.

With this job, I barely
have time to take a piss.

Bruno Ozuna was found

wandering the streets
last night.

Alone.

- Is he okay?
- We need to find his mother.

Sorry, elevator's always out.

And the stairs can get
pretty rank in the summer.

When was the last time
you were here?

A couple weeks ago.
Both kids were fine.

Kids? Plural.

Bruno has a half-sister.
Keisha Houston, she's eight.

It's just down the hall.

This is six dead bolt country.
That door's not even locked.

Manuela Ozuna?

[TV in background]

NYPD...

She's not here.
No wonder Bruno walked.

This place is a furnace.

She's not in there.

I think she sleeps down there.

Hello? Keisha?

Keisha?

What is this?

Carisi?

- Oh, my God.
- It's a kid.

Keisha? Keisha, honey?

- Can you hear me?
- Oh, my God.

Keisha, can you hear me?

There's a pulse.

It's just faint.

Hey, I need a bus
here right now.

Conyers Project,
building 6, apartment 9-J.

She's tiny.

I thought you said
she was eight years old.

She is.
She's almost nine.

Keisha?

Keisha, sweetheart.

It's okay, honey.

We're gonna get you
some help, sweetie.

We're gonna get you
some help, sweetie.

You're okay. You're okay.

You're gonna be okay.

You're gonna be okay, sweetie.

[monitor beeping steadily]

That poor kid.
Still no sign of the mother?

Fin's working the dealer.

Dr. Wilder, how's she doing?

Not well.
Starvation, infections.

She's so dehydrated
her organs are shutting down.

But she's gonna
make it though, right, Doc?

I wish you'd have
found her sooner.

_

[whispering]
Thank you, thank you...

- Manuela Ozuna?
- What you got?

We got your kids.

Get up.

What? What do you mean
you got my kids?

- I'm their mother.
- That's what you tell yourself?

You don't act like it.

Yo, what you doing, man?

- You're under arrest.
- You ain't got no right.

Shut up.

Hey, you feeling better?

Yeah.

When I was a rookie,
I used to puke all the time.

Keisha... the way she looked.

Keith, you were just there
a couple of weeks ago.

I mean, how did she look then?

Well, I'm trying to remember.

You know...

there's so many visits
in a day.

At least eight or nine.
I never have enough time.

Yeah, but you did see Keisha
two weeks ago, right?

I...I m...must have.

I mean,
I'd have to check my notes.

Look, the Ozunas weren't even
my family to begin with.

My colleague has been
on maternity leave,

so now I have
twice the workload.

- Okay.
- I'm doing 12-hour turns here.

Rushing through visits.

And all the paperwork,
and the court appearances...

Okay, okay, I get it.

But you know where I'm going
with this, right?

We just picked up
Keisha's mother.

There's gonna be more questions.

Bruno.

That's my good boy.
I want him back.

That's not happening.

Keith Musio's putting him
in foster care.

Keith?
I don't know no damn Keith.

Your DCS caseworker?

Oh! Him.

Last time I seen him
he was up my ass

about feeding my kids
chips for dinner.

Chips? We found your daughter
in a cage.

Starving.

Well, that's Keisha's fault.

If she'd shut up, stop crying,

maybe she'd earn herself
some food.

Oh, so you starved her
to teach her a lesson?

My mother used to whip me with
an electrical cord till I bled.

You want I should do that?

The mother is a piece of work.

She's also a murderer.

Keisha didn't make it.

Damn.

[somber music]

♪

Was it as bad as the headlines?

- It's worse.
- We got the autopsy report.

Keisha Houston's cause of death
is child abuse syndrome

due to prolonged physical abuse,
malnutrition, dehydration.

- That's homicide.
- Yeah.

Where was Child Services?

Well, Carisi talked to
Keith Musio, her caseworker.

He's so slammed he doesn't
remember yesterday.

His supervisor,
Jeanette Grayson,

claims that DCS is launching
an internal investigation.

You mean cover-up.

Keisha's dead.
What's there to cover up?

Their complicity.

The caseworker botched this.

You want to prosecute
the caseworker?

Yes.

Brooklyn tried that and lost.

Morally responsible,
okay, legally...

Keisha didn't lose

20 pounds in two weeks.
If Keith had actually been

showing up for his visits,
he would have noticed.

And she'd still be alive.

- Okay, all right, I get it.
- You're angry, emotional,

but if you want me
to go after this guy,

I'm gonna need more than
maternal outrage to make a case.

This is a caseworker and
a supervisor's worst nightmare.

Yeah, the whole city's
heartbroken.

Just tell me Manuela is not
gonna get away with this.

Well, this brings us
to why we're here.

We're looking
to document Manuela's abuse.

Now, Keith, you told me

that you visited the apartment
two weeks ago.

Yeah, that's right,
and I've got that right here.

Home visit,
July 27th around 2:00 pm.

"Manuela Ozuna
is present and sober.

"Son, Bruno,
and daughter, Keisha,

are also present,
clean, and seem healthy."

Okay, so Keisha was there,
because when we talked

you said you weren't sure.

No, I said I had
to check my notes.

Yes, which we did.

And we've gone through these
with a fine-tooth comb.

Okay, hold on, so you're
saying that two weeks ago,

that Keisha looked healthy?

Yeah, that's what the report
says, but you know,

these situations with parents
on a drug binge,

they can deteriorate like that.
[snaps]

Jeanette, you should've
brought me in.

Matt Sheridan,
Deputy Commissioner.

Let me assure you that

our agency is reviewing
every moment and action

that led up to this tragedy.

So is our ADA, so we're
gonna need Keith's laptop

and all of his case files.

We're here to cooperate,

but because of
confidentiality issues,

we can't hand anything over
without a subpoena.

[dramatic music]

♪

So there is a home visit report

on the Ozunas
dated two weeks ago?

There is.

That doesn't mean he was there.

If I had to guess,
he hasn't seen the Ozunas

for at least four months.

Four months?
How do we know?

I ran a statement analysis

on a year's worth
of his home visit reports.

Detail in his earlier reports
compared to the latest...

it's night and day.

- Walk me through this.
- All right.

Keith inherits the Ozuna case
last November

when his co-worker
starts maternity leave.

Now that jumps his caseload
from 30 to 47.

Even so, there's
extensive handwritten notes

on each field visit,

and his typed reports
are one, two, three pages,

scanned in in a timely manner.

Yeah, and at this point,
Keith's logging 16,

17-hour days,

but with the court hearings
and the family visits...

It's a losing battle.

By April,
no more handwritten notes.

- And after April?
- No reports on the Ozunas

were scanned in at all until
the morning after Keisha died.

He goes in,
and he backdates nine reports.

And all these cases
take place at the same time

that his calendar
has him in court

or visiting other clients
miles away.

His supervisor
signed off on these?

Yep, even the ones
[phone vibrates]

scanned in eight hours
after Keisha's death.

Okay, copy that.

That was the sarge.

She just got called down
to 1PP by Dodds.

They want a briefing on
all the stuff we found at DCS.

- That's not good.
- No, it's not.

Why don't I walk over?
Pay my respects.

_

I understand your concern,
Sergeant,

but Child Services
is a city agency.

There are protocols.

A caseworker
lied about his visits.

A supervisor signed off
on false reports.

Child Services is responsible
for Keisha's death.

The city has
a Department of Investigation.

If they decide something
criminal has transpired...

- Which they won't.
- Then NYPD gets involved.

Since when does NYPD kick
an investigation back to DOI?

Who's this coming from,
City Hall?

No one likes bad headlines,
but let me be clear.

I'm not just in charge of press
for NYPD.

I'm the commissioner's
right hand.

I work for him, and so do you.

I issued the subpoenas.

SVU is investigating
at my request.

SVU doesn't work for you,
Counselor.

All right,
we're all friends here.

The commissioner wanted us
to convey that, as of now,

this is not a police matter,
but if it becomes one...

You'll let us know.

I'm glad
we're all on the same page.

By the way, I hear you're
on the Lieutenant's List.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

So that's it.
They just call us off.

Well, they called you off.

I don't work for NYPD.

_

Good morning.

I am ADA Raphael Barba.

[camera shutters snapping]

Early last Saturday morning,
eight-year-old Keisha Houston

died after her mother,

Manuela Ozuna,
locked her in a dog cage.

Ms. Ozuna has been
charged with homicide.

At the time of her death,

Keisha was
under the supervision

of the
Department of Child Services.

Our investigation has revealed
that Keith Musio,

- her caseworker...
- Keith Musio.

- Falsely reported having made
- You're under arrest...

home visits to the family
for the last four months.

Digging deeper, we discovered
this caseworker's fraud

was orchestrated
by his supervisor,

Jeanette Grayson.

Overseeing this unit

was Deputy Commissioner
Matt Sheridan

who has also been taken
into custody.

Among the charges are,

reckless endangerment of a child,
official misconduct,

and obstructing
governmental administration,

as well as a felony charge

of manslaughter
in the second degree.

Thank you.

[reporters shouting]

[dramatic music]

Matt Sheridan,
Jeannette Grayson,

and Keith Musio,

in addition
to the aforementioned charges,

you are also charged
with manslaughter

in the second degree.

- How do you plead?
- Not guilty, Your Honor.

The ADA's attempt
to expand criminal liability

for Keisha Houston's
tragic death

is a purely political
overreach.

Something you can elucidate
at trial, Mr. D'Angelo.

People on bail?

People request $200,000.

And the overreach continues.

My clients have no records.
They are civil servants.

They are paid
like civil servants.

- They should be ROR.
- Duly noted.

Bail is set
at $50,000 per defendant.

[taps gavel]

[indistinct murmuring]

Sergeant.

I told you to drop this case.

And we did.
ADA picked it up.

Yes, we all saw
his showboating.

Hey, Barba,
you got your punim on TV, man.

The press is kissing your ass.

But now's the time to do your
real job and plead this out.

I'm sorry.
You're NYPD's press boy, right?

As you've already made clear,
I don't work for you.

Look, as a friend,

I'd hate to see
the tall poppy get cut down.

That was subtle.

They apply that much pressure,
that means they're scared.

Politicians, I swear to God.

What are you gonna do,
Counselor?

Well, if I'm gonna plea it out,
I'm gonna need leverage.

_

Ms. Ozuna's agreed to talk
with you, but she has a request.

Do you think
you could ask the judge

to let me out
for Keisha's funeral?

Uh, yeah, we'll see about that.

Just help us
understand something.

How did it get so bad, Manuela?

Your caseworker's report said
that you were clean and sober

and both of your kids
were okay.

I was...

until Filipe got released.

Filipe?

Bruno's dad.

After his bid in May,
he moved back in with us.

May?

The home report
didn't mention him.

When was the last time
you saw your caseworker?

I haven't seen a caseworker
since Easter.

Okay, so when
Filipe moved back in,

you guys started partying.

We weren't junkies.
We were having fun.

Drinking.
Barbecuing.

The two of us and Bruno,
we were a family again.

What about Keisha?

Felipe wasn't Keisha's dad.

She didn't like us partying.

She mouthed off to him,
and I told her

to keep her mouth shut,
but she wouldn't listen.

So Felipe got a cage.

And where's Felipe now?

He got shot
4th of July weekend.

Bled out on the ground.

I fell apart after that.

Oh, my God.

What have I done?

I am so sorry,
and I feel horrible about this.

To clarify, that is not
an admission of guilt.

I mean, we agreed to meet
to discuss a potential deal.

Bluntly, Keith,
as a caseworker on this,

you missed a lot.

You didn't make mention
the fact that Manuela

was back on drugs,
that she had a boyfriend.

- Because I didn't know...
- You don't have to answer.

You know what I think happened?

I think your bosses
gave you an impossible workload

and then they pressured
you to file false reports.

I mean, they set you up
to fail, Keith.

Does that sound right?

- There was a lot of pressure.
- Hey, hey, hey.

We're all overworked.

You, Detective.
You, Counselor.

It's not a crime.
It's a reality.

Why don't you let your client
answer the question?

Actually, I'll answer for him.

Shame on you...

using this tragedy
to score political points.

If your idea of a deal

is to pit co-worker
against co-worker, well,

it's a non-starter.

Hang in there, Keith.

Gentlemen.

I forgot my pen.

A word to the wise, all right?

I know the union lawyered
up the three of you,

but you are low man
on the totem pole.

So if anybody's gonna
take the fall here...

Is there anything
Barba can use?

You know how Keith backdated
the reports

right after Keisha died?

- Wasn't just Keith.
- What?

Dozens of
other caseworker's reports

were scanned in that day,
all generic,

all filed the morning
after she died.

What's going on here?

Just... just, um, catching up
on some paperwork.

Uhhuh.

A word, Sergeant.

[murmurs]

For God's sake,
you don't have a political bone

in your body, do you?

Abraham is a hatchet man.

He says back off, you back off.

This city has blood
on its hands.

Barba is doing the right thing.

I know
that you're close to him,

but if he wants to hang himself,
let him.

Don't get stuck in his noose.

Also, Detective Rollins...

I'm assuming you're aware
that she's pregnant.

I know.

Look, we're down a man.
I've been looking the other way.

Well, not anymore.

Starting yesterday,
she's on desk duty.

- Got it.
- Good.

If Dodds is here, I'm busted.

- Desk duty, I wouldn't mind.
- Yeah, Fin, I know.

Hey, they still in there?

- Yeah, stay out.
- Good point.

Uh, when Dodds leaves,

tell Sarge
I went back to the pen.

Keith wants to talk.

Jeanette was breathing down
my neck about the paperwork.

She told me to stop
coddling my clients.

Meaning what?

Meaning stop
taking their phone calls.

Stop counseling.

She would say, "This is
casework, not social work."

She told you this explicitly?

Absolutely.

Jeanette and Matt even said
that I didn't have to

make all my visits
as long as there was

some sort of record that I had.

So when we found Keisha,
you hadn't seen her for months,

but Jeanette and Matt
told you to report that you had.

This is where I say
that my client has information

that could prove very helpful
in bolstering your case.

Depending on what we hear,
we could downgrade

from manslaughter to
criminally negligent homicide.

Which is still a felony.

We'll stop here then.
Not another word, Keith.

No, look, wait.
I don't care.

I mean, they have to know.

Jeanette...

so she calls me that Saturday,

and she orders me
to come into the office,

and it's closed, but...

Jeanette and Matt stand over me

and make me file false reports

saying that
I had visited Keisha's home

and noticed nothing was wrong.

There were lots of reports
filed that day, Keith.

Were other caseworkers there?

No. I mean,
we stayed there all day.

We stayed there into the night
filing lies for half the staff.

And you're willing
to testify to that?

Yes.

[suspenseful music]

♪

Keisha died on my watch.

That's gonna haunt me
for the rest of my life.

Keisha Houston
was a happy and healthy girl

on Christmas, 2014,

when she and her family were
still receiving regular visits

from the Department
of Child Services.

On August 7th, months after
those visits ceased,

NYPD detectives found Keisha...

Locked in this cage,

battered and starved.

She died early
the next morning.

We're all outraged.

We all want someone to blame.

But what Mr. Barba failed
to mention,

the two people
directly responsible

for Miss Houston's death...

Keith Musio, her caseworker
who took a plea deal

to save his own skin,

and Manuela Ozuna
who abandoned her daughter

without food or water

and went on a drug binge.

The state will prove that
this tragedy was a direct result

of the policies of the DCS.

Their system-wide failure

prioritized paperwork
over field work.

Caseworkers were ordered
by the defendants,

Jeanette Grayson
and Matt Sheridan,

to falsify reports
and to ignore families in need.

My clients' only failure
is that they

trusted their caseworker,
and he betrayed them,

the same way
he betrayed Keisha Houston.

[dramatic music]

In my opinion,
Keisha's condition

would have taken months
to develop.

So if a caseworker
had visited two weeks earlier,

he would have noticed
her deterioration.

Absolutely.

Thank you.
Nothing further.

[clears throat]

Dr. Wilder, as a physician

you are familiar
with the term triage?

Yes.

It means to prioritize,

treat a gunshot wound
before a broken arm.

You must make
these decisions all the time.

- That's right.
- And have you or any doctor

that you've worked with
ever made a mistake

when deciding
who to treat first,

a mistake that resulted
in a patient's death?

We do our best
to ensure everyone's safety,

but even so, sometimes...

Sometimes patients die, right?

I mean, it happens.

And when it does, are you or any
other medical professional

charged with manslaughter?

No.

No.
Thank you, Doctor.

The last time I saw Keisha,
she was fine.

Her mother was sober,

and every week there seemed
to be a family more at risk.

I made the wrong choice,
and I am so sorry for that.

What happened
on that Saturday morning

a few short hours
after Keisha died?

Jeanette Grayson
and Matt Sheridan

ordered me to compose,
backdate,

and file false reports of visits
to the Ozuna apartment.

Why did you go
along with that?

They said that if I didn't,

I would go to prison
for Keisha's death.

Was this the first time
Ms. Grayson or Mr. Sheridan

had ordered you
to falsify case records?

No, all of us were expected
to appear on paper

more productive
than we actually were.

Why would Ms. Grayson want her
staff to fudge data like this?

Objection.
Calls for speculation.

Rephrase.
During the time

this widespread record
falsification was taking place,

were you reprimanded or
questioned by anyone above you?

No, um, I was put on probation

for spending too much time
with my clients,

but the probation was lifted

as soon as I doubled up
on falsifying paperwork.

All right, thank you.

Mr. Musio,
you said in your own words

that you chose not to visit
Ms. Houston

between May and August.

- Yes.
- Now, did Ms. Grayson

or Mr. Sheridan ever tell you
not to make those visits?

No, but they knew
I couldn't make...

Are you familiar
with the city's

Department of Investigation,

the agency that investigates
public corruption?

- Yes.
- So you must have

reported your
supervisors' wrongdoing, yes?

At the very least
you must have filed a complaint

about your impossible
case load.

No, I wanted to keep my job.

You wanted to keep your job,

so you only came forward
when you were facing

- manslaughter charges, Mr. Musio?
- Yes, but...

I mean, are you upset
that a vulnerable child

was starved to death
by her drug addicted mother,

or are you just trying
to pin it on your supervisors

to save yourself?

Objection.

Withdrawn.

Nothing further.

[dramatic music]

♪

You know I missed
Keisha's funeral.

My transportation showed up
three hours late.

That's why they're letting
you see Bruno now.

I'm doing eight years.

By the time I get out,
he'll be halfway to a man.

They found a good home for him.

If he's lucky, he won't
remember any of this or you.

_

Ms. Grayson,
what can you tell us

about Mr. Musio's reports
on the Ozuna home?

All of them indicated
that the family was functioning,

and the children were safe.

And you, as a supervisor,

- do you also make home visits?
- No.

So you relied
on Mr. Musio's reports

on Ms. Houston's condition.

Yes.

And I had no idea
how badly things had devolved.

I mean, I'm heartbroken for
Keisha and how she suffered,

but I only wish Keith
had come to me sooner.

Thank you, Ms. Grayson.

Ms. Grayson,
have you received any promotions

or raises over the past year?

I have.

Two promotions and one raise.

And were they based
on productivity levels

as they related to caseloads?

I believe so.

Over the last year,
you increased Keith Musio's

caseloads from 30 to 47.

- As an experienced supervisor...
- We're all overworked.

But did you honestly think it
was possible for one caseworker

to make as many home visits
as you had assigned him?

According to Keith's reports,
he did make those visits.

But you knew he didn't,

which is why after her death you
ordered Mr. Musio to backdate

and file case reports on Keisha,
isn't that right?

When I realized
how behind how behind he was

- in his paperwork...
- Uhhuh.

I asked him to come in
so we could walk

through the chain of events.

Just Keith or...
did any of the other caseworkers

come in
on that Saturday morning?

No, just Keith.

Huh. Then how did
130 home visit reports

from eight
different caseworkers

get scanned in on August 8th?

- I have no knowledge of that.
- Uh-huh.

You have no knowledge
of case number 30632?

People's exhibit
16 through 28, Your Honor.

This boy's caseworker
visited every week

even though his family had moved
back to El Salvador a year ago.

Or about case number 20185,

a four-year-old girl, given the
all clear by you on the very day

that she was admitted to the ER

with cigarette burns
all over her body.

Or, how about
an eight-year-old boy,

case number 54624.

Another success story on paper,

when the reality was

his mother was forcing him
to drink bleach.

You didn't know
about any of these?

No, how could I?

How could you not?

Are you the most
incompetent manager in the world

who can't tell the difference
between a false report

and a legitimate one?

Or did you instruct caseworkers

to falsify reports
to meet productivity goals?

Objection.
Badgering.

I'll allow.
Witness will answer.

So which one is it,
Ms. Grayson?

I didn't want
any of this to happen.

You didn't want
to advance your career

by ignoring innocent children's
pain and death,

or you didn't want
to get caught?

Objection.

I'm asked to do
what the courts can't do,

what the cops can't do.

You are asked to do your job.

Oh! God himself
could not do this job!

We need a recess, Your Honor.

You want to judge me?

You wouldn't last an hour
in my world.

And if I go, who's gonna be
on the front lines?

You? You?

Your Honor?

I mean, you dump
the most hapless cases

in the world on us every day.

More and more.

We get the dregs of humanity...

children raised by wolves!

And you see them come
in this court,

in and out,
week in and week out.

They come to you as criminals.

Do you ever stop to think,

"Gee, what happened
before that?"

Ms. Grayson,
do you need a break?

Oh, now you want
to give me a break?

After 25 years of,
"Make your quota, Jeanette.

Push that paper.
Hit those numbers."

Right, Matt?
Right?

It's impossible,
and everybody knows it.

You all know it,

but you want to scapegoat me.

You want to make me feel bad.
You want to take me down

so you can feel better
about yourselves, see?

'Cause you pretended like you...
you don't know

there are poor people
out there in the city.

Broken people.

You don't turn away

from the homeless guy
on the subway?

Of course you do.

Everybody does,
'cause it's too much.

Now you want to put me
in jail for this?

Look in the mirror, my friend.

Look in the damn mirror.
Okay?

_

Jeanette
had a complete breakdown.

Is she okay?

She's in Belleview.

She can't continue
with the trial,

but her lawyer is
gonna plead guilty

to the manslaughter charge.

- And Matt?
- He'll do a year.

And while admitting
no wrongdoing,

the DCS Commissioner
is also gonna step down.

The city's appointing an outside
administrative board

with a mandate
to change the culture of DCS.

Right,
until the cameras go away.

I mean, what am I gonna do
when I get out?

No one's gonna let me
work with kids again.

You'll find your way.

[knocking on door]

Chief.

Tell it to me straight.

Congratulations.

Your efforts
to reform Child Services

have not gone unnoticed
at 1PP or City Hall.

So my promotion's
not happening.

I had to cut a deal.

They want a sergeant
under you they can trust.

You mean a spy.

I found someone
they like who will work for you.

Motivated, smart.

He just finished up
a stint in Anti-Crime.

Great.
When can I interview him?

Oh, there's no need.

He's my son.

Good night, Lieutenant.

[door closes]

Detective Rollins,
how are you feeling?

I'm okay.

- That was a tough case.
- Yeah.

Well, you can't save them all.

Yeah, I know.

[dramatic music]

♪