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I think at minimum they should be held to the same standards as prisons. Now, this isn't me making a massive point, because I'm not familiar with the level of accountability prisons are required to take over prisoners....but that's where I would start the comparison, to determine my outrage level.
Regardless, it was a clumsy, thoughtless communication. The word "only" should never be used in relation to a child's death.
I know this is a little in the weeds, but I don't think prisons are the best comparison. Prisons are different in that they have long term populations that are directly responsible for the prisoners' health, legally and financially. They also have a known history, and have been through an intake process, screening, and health assessment, and are (ideally) placed in a facility that meets their physical needs. I'd actually hold them to a much higher standard.
Your point is well taken though, and I would say their accountability should be similar to jails. Jails are to these detention centers, in that they have to deal with what comes to them. They have no ability to be picky, and have little information on the people being detained, beyond what they are told by that individual. Their job is normally to hold the person, ensure their physical safety, and get them to medical care for any emergent needs. They generally don't even have medical staff for anything beyond basic first aid. With short term facilities in particular, they aren't responsible for providing healthcare at all - only providing access to health professionals when needed. It is not uncommon for people to die in jail from unrelated health issues. It's not the 'fault' of the jail, and they aren't held legally 'responsible', provided they followed appropriate polies for getting care. This should be investigated every time it happens, but a death or two in itself shouldn't raise an alarm.
In this case, it's exactly what the detention facilities provided. They acted based on the information given to them by the detainees (and their parents), and in the case of the boy, the hospital staff. We should investigate, but it doesn't make them 'responsible' or indicate that they should be 'punished'.