This one is depressing. Steve Burns of "Blue's Clues" fame plays the victim here, an autistic child who was bruised, beaten and shocked by experimental therapies at a clinic for disabled youth run by Lawrence Pressman, playing Dr. Alan Colter. The case leads to a debate over the efficacy of the treatments - including a terrifying white noise helmet called a "buzz box" - and another, even more fascinating debate over something called "facilitated communication."
Pressman is solid as yet another rich, holier-than-thou professional whose desire for success leaves injuries and bodies in his wake (this show really hates doctors, doesn't it?), and Sheila Tousey is fantastic as the mother of the victim's mute roommate (played quite convincingly by the non-mute-in-real-life Edoardo Ballerini); she has a different view of the clinic, one that complicates things for the prosecutors, and she also delivers the last, powerful line of the episode.
Even still, there's a bit of goofiness where it is clear that Kevin, the victim, has some kind of disability and isn't just a "wacko" off his face on drugs as Briscoe, Logan and the movie theater owner where Kevin was last seen separately reiterate for the first 5-6 minutes of the episode. While silly, I guess it sorta kinda makes sense given the blunt, hard-nosed personalities of both detectives.
This one's got that classic L&O scaremongering thing going on with regards to its creepy portrayal of a clinic for persons with disabilities, but it's also well-written and has a devastating ending. Worth your time!