| "Institutional Fail" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | SVU, Episode 17.04 | → |
| Production number: 17004 First aired (US): 7 October 2015 First aired (UK): 8 November 2015 First aired (CAN): 7 October 2015 First aired (AUS): 3 March 2016 | ||
 | ||
| Teleplay By Julie Martin & Brianna Yellen Story By Samantha Corbin-Miller Directed By Martha Mitchell | ||
Summary[]
A starving toddler found wandering the streets alone leads detectives to the home of Manuela Ozuna and another child in grave condition. The police question Department of Child Services caseworker Keith Musio, whose vague and backdated reports on the family suggest he hadn't checked on the children in months. When the overworked Keith accuses his supervisor, Janette Grayson, of orchestrating the false reports, Chief Dodds promises to conduct an internal investigation. But when neglect leads to death, Barba takes matters into his own hands and arrests them for manslaughter. Meanwhile, Dodds indicates some changes coming to Benson's squad.
Plot[]
Episode summary
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Mariska Hargitay as Sergeant Olivia Benson
- Kelli Giddish as Detective Amanda Rollins
- Ice-T as Detective Odafin Tutuola
- Peter Scanavino as Detective Dominick "Sonny" Carisi, Jr.
- Raúl Esparza as A.D.A. Rafael Barba
Recurring Cast[]
- Joseph Lyle Taylor as Attorney Mickey D'Angelo
- Scott William Winters as Detective Robert "Doom" Dumas
- Yvonna Kopacz-Wright as Dr. Darby Wilder
- Michael Mastro as Judge D. Serani
- Steve Rosen as Defense Attorney Michael Guthrie
- Caris Vujcec as Detective Louise Campesi
- Josh Pais as Deputy Commissioner Hank Abraham
- Peter Gallagher as Deputy Chief William Dodds
- Marissa Matrone as Judge Maria Ana DeFeceo
Guest Cast[]
- Whoopi Goldberg as Janette Grayson
- John Magaro as Keith Musio
- Jessica Pimentel as Manuela Ozuna
- Josh Mercantel as Matt Sheridan
- Lynne Marie Rosenberg as Attorney Belitta Schwartz
- Delius Doherty as Ross
- Elijah Rivera as Tito Morales
- Latoya Edwards as Denaya
- Alexa Butler as Grandma
- Jamie Fernandez as Dario
- Christopher Roach as Frank
- Issam Mikaiki as Bruno Ozuna
References[]
- Episode references
Quotes[]
- Robert Dumas: Detective Campisi and I took this from patrol. Our sergeant suggested SVU would be better equipped to handle a lost kid.
- William Dodds: In other words, you passed the buck.
- Louise Campesi: Little boy won't talk. Not even a name. Walked in here all by himself.
[Olivia sees how young and how filthy the boy is] - Benson: Where the hell are the parents?
- Tutuola: That's why we're here.
- Rollins: We found your daughter in a cage, starving.
- Manuela Ozuna: Well, that's Keisha's fault. If she'd shut up, stop crying, maybe she'd earn herself some food.
- Rollins: Oh, so you starved her to teach her a lesson?
- Manuela Ozuna: My mother used to whip me with an electrical cord till I bled. You want I should do that?
- Barba: 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 case workers to falsify reports to meet productivity goals?
- Mickey D'Angelo: Objection! Badgering!
- Judge Maria Ana DeFeceo: I'll allow. The witness will answer.
- Barba: So which is it, Miss Grayson?
- Janette Grayson: I didn't want any of this to happen.
- Barba: You didn't want to advance your career by ignoring innocent children's pain and death, or you didn't wanna get caught?
- Mickey D'Angelo: Objection!
- Janette Grayson: I'm asked to do what the courts can't do. What the cops can't do.
- Barba: You are asked to do your job!
- Janette Grayson: Oh! GOD himself could not do this job!
- Mickey D'Angelo: We need a recess, your honor.
- Janette Grayson: You wanna judge me? You wouldn't last an hour in my world. And if I go, who's gonna be on the front lines? [points at Barba] You?! [points at the judge] You?!
- Mickey D'Angelo: Your honor!
- Janette Grayson: 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 ya ever stop to think: "Gee, what happened before that?"?
- Judge DeFeceo: Miss Grayson, do you need a break?
- Janette Grayson: Oh! Now you wanna gimme a break? After 25 years of "Make your quota, Janette!" "Push that paper!" "Hit those numbers!" Right, Matt? Right? It's impossible! And everybody knows it. You all know it. But you wanna scapegoat me. You wanna make me feel bad. You wanna take me down so you can feel better about yourselves. See? 'Cause you pretended like you don't know that there are poor people out there in the city. Broken people. You don't turn away from the homeless guy on the subway? 'Course you do. Everybody does, 'cause it's too much. You wanna put me in jail for this? Look in the mirror, my friend. Look in the damn mirror.
Background information and notes[]
- Benson is promoted to the rank of Lieutenant after Tucker tells her to take the exam in "Parents' Nightmare".
- When Olivia enters Bruno's apartment, the number on the door is 9D, but when they find his sister inside, Carisi calls for an ambulance for apartment 9J.
Episode scene cards[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Conyers Houses |
Department of |
3169 Broadway |
Office of |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Office of |
St. Michael's Hospital |
Supreme Court |
Rikers Island |
| Previous episode: "Transgender Bridge" |
"Institutional Fail" Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 17 |
Next episode: "Community Policing" |