Narvin Lichfield (owner), brother of Robert Lichfield
(founder of WWASPS
and former Provo Canyon School staff member). Narvin Lichfield is
currently running Carolina Springs Academy in South Carolina (another
WWASPS program) and Pillars of Hope on the site of Dundee Ranch.
Closed due to child abuse and neglect allegations.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Pillars of Hope now lives in the dead zone of Dundee
Ranch.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2003
Pillars of Hope (re-opened): 2004
CASA BY THE SEA
(wwasps)
IN
MEXICO
Dace Goulding, Karr Farnsworth (also got his start at
Provo Canyon School),
and Jade Robinson were in charge of activities at this facility.
Dace Goulding is went on to work Darrington Academy (another WWASP
program in Georgia) and currently (2022) works at Crimson Cliffs Middle
School in St. George, UT. Karr Farnsworth is working at Cross Creek
Manor (another WWASP program in Utah). And, Jade Robinson is now
working at Horizon Academy (another WWASP program in Nevada).
Closed by Mexican authorities for human rights
violations against children in their care. (Dace Goulding is now
Assistant Coach for Women's Track at Dixie State University (2019-2020).
Dace Goulding reportedly no longer works for DSU.)
Owned by J. Ralph Atkins (also owns SkyWest Airlines and
is invested in WWASPS/Teen Help Inc./etc.). It was run by
Karr Farnsworth (formerly of Provo Canyon School ) who currently runs
Cross Creek, another WWASPS program. Closed
by Czech Republican authorities for torturing children.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural 1998
Death: 1998
MOUNTAIN PARK
BOARDING ACADEMY
IN
MISSOURI & FLORIDA
Owned by "Rev." Bobby R. and Betty Wills (husband and
wife). As far as we can tell, the Wills are still appealing and
fighting to re-open the program. Closed after
investigation and lawsuits prove child abuse and torture.
Owned by Cheryl and Mark Sudweeks (husband and wife).
We're uncertain of where they are now.
Let
us know! Closed after families report
numerous abuses of children at this facility.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2006
KIDS HELPING
KIDS
IN
OHIO
Kids Helping Kids began as
Straight-Midwest and over time was incorporated into Pathway
Family Center (owns/owned 4 known programs).
Pathway Family Center
was founded by Terri Nissley, a "satisfied" Straight, Inc. cult parent
who wants to continue in the the torturing and brainwashing kids for
profit industry. Kids Helping Kids (a Pathway Family Center
program) has closed or is closing according to recent
reports. Closing after years of
protesting against
fraud, abuse, and torture at the Milford, OH location.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2008
achievement
valley ranch
in
tennessee
Owned and founded by Martha Larson.
Closing after 6 years. Reason for closing
not publicized (?).
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural--2002
Death: 2008
Mountain
Brook
in
georgia
Mountain Brook in Georgia is/was affiliated with
Hidden Lake Academy.
Reasons for closure not found.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural--2007
Death: 2008
manuia
plantation
in
samoa
The CEO of Manuia Plantation is/was
Galumalemana Alema S. Fitisemanu II.
Reason for closure not found.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural--2007
Death: 2008
transitions
in
texas
David Michel of Dallas, TX is the CEO of all Solacium-owned
programs including Transitions. Reason for
closure is likely due to the hurricane devastation in Galveston, TX.
Thanks, Mother Nature!
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural--2005
Death:
2008
choteau
youth ranch
in
montana
These are the top
executives of Choteau Youth Ranch:
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural--2002
Death:
2008
mission
mountain school
in
montana
John K. Mercer and Colleen Harrington ran Mission
Mountain School. Mission Mountain claims
they closed due to "family reasons". However, we tend to think it
had more to do with the federal investigation and congressional
testimony exposing their fraud and abuse of children in their care.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural--1989
Death:
2008
betton house
in
pennsylvania
Betton House is a Family Foundation program.
Richard Reeve is the director of the Family Foundation. Michael
and Roxanne Losicco were the on-site directors of Betton House.
Reason for its closure is likely due in part to
the exposure of fraud and abuse during the 2007 and 2008 congressional
hearings on institutionalized child abuse naming Family Foundation as
one of many fraudulent and abusive programs.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth:--Unnatural--2005
Death--2008
willow creek
in
utah
Willow Creek is/was a Second Nature Wilderness Camp
program. Steve Nielsen was Admissions Director.
Reason for closing is "financial hardship".
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural-2005
Death:
2008
new dominion
in
maryland
New Dominion was a
Three Springs
program. Only staff/director we can find online for this program
is Mike Forman. Reason for program closure
was not found. But, we do know for a fact that Three Springs
Family of Programs (including New Dominion) are confirmedly abusive.
Good riddance!
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural--1981
Death:
2008
duck river
in
tennessee
Duck River was a
Three Springs
program. Only staff/director we can find online for this program
is Janna Blaine. Reason for program closure
is said to be due to "consolidation". But, we do know for a fact
that Three Springs Family of Programs (including Duck River) are
confirmedly abusive. Good riddance!
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth:
Unnatural--1990
Death: 2008
excel
academy
in
texas
Excel
Academy was a confirmedly abusive Aspen Education Group program.
Don Vardell was the Executive Director.
Reason for closure: "consolidation" in "tough economic times".
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural--1997
Death:
2008
new horizons
in
maine
Contact and only info we could find still available
online for New Horizons lists Audrey Peavey. We cannot verify her
role at New Horizons at this time. Reason
for closure not found.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural--2001
Death:
2008
abundant
life academy
in
mexico,
NEVADA, UTAH, AND VIRGINIA
Abundant Life Academy was closed in 2004. We
began the "Dead Program Files" in 2008.
Reason for closure was a raid on the facility by Mexican Authorities due
to "unsanitary
conditions".
Abundant Life Academy reopened via registration in
Nevada while operating in Utah but was subsequently shut down through a
coordinated effort by both states. Then, it moved to Virginia
where three directors were arrested and it was permanently shut down by
VA authorities. For more info, see
https://www.heal-online.org/abundant2.htm .
Birth: Unnatural
Deaths: 2004 in Mexico and
2015 (Final Chapter: VA)
bell academy
(WWASPS)
in
california
Bell Academy was a WWASP(S) program in California and
confirmedly abusive. Owners were Karr Farnsworth, Dace Goulding and Jade
Robinson. Bell Academy was closed for not
complying with California State Laws.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: Executed by California, year unconfirmed.
brightway
hospital (wwasps)
in
utah
Ken Kay , now President of WWASP(S), was the director
of Brightway Hospital. Brightway Hospital
was closed following the lawsuit against WWASP alleging torture and
abuse at its facilities.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 1998
the desisto
school
in
massachusetts
The DeSisto School in Massachusetts was run by Frank
McNear. It was closed after multiple
allegations including "failing to provide a safe environment for its
students."
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death:
2004
high impact
(Wwasps)
in
mexico
We were unable to locate the "directors" or overseers
of High Impact. It was closed by Mexican
Authorities due to human rights violations.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: Executed by Mexican Authorities
north star
expedition
in
utah
Owned by Lance and Barbara Jaggar.
North Star Expeditions was closed after torturing
Aaron
Bacon to death.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 1995
safe, inc.
in
florida
Loretta Parrish was the director of SAFE, Inc.
SAFE was closed after protesting and lawsuits
against SAFE's
torturous practices that followed the Straight Inc. model.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2002
sunrise
beach (wwasps)
in
mexico
Glenda and Steve Roach ran Sunrise Beach.
It was closed by Mexican Authorities following an investigation into
multiple reports of human rights violations and child abuse.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death:
1996
swan valley
youth academy
in
montana
The parent company, Cornerstone Programs, is run by
Joe Newman. The director of Swan Valley Youth Academy could not be
located. Swan Valley was closed by Montana
Authorities due to torture (isolation, physical and psychological abuse)
and licensing violations.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death:
2006
cedu family
of services
in
usa
CEDU
operated a number of programs throughout the US. Some have been
sold and are now continuing their abuse under new ownership. Some
remain closed. The official reason for
CEDU's collapse was financial problems. We believe this was due to
all of the reports of abuse and lawsuits.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2005
sister
soldier military academy
in
florida
We were unable to find any remaining information on
Sister Soldier Military Academy. It was
closed for abusing children in its care.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2005
three
springs of blue ridge
in
georgia
Three Springs of Blue Ridge was part of the
Three Springs
family of programs. It was
closed/consolidated into other Three Springs programs.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2005 or 2007 (contested)
rocky
mountain academy
in
idaho
Rocky Mountain Academy was a
CEDU program.
CEDU closed down due to "financial trouble" after
lawsuits and exposure of abuse at their facilities.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death:
2005
bethel girls
academy
in
mississippi
Bethel
Girls Academy was associated with the Roloff Homes. It was run
by the Herman Fountain and his family. It
was closed due
horrible abuses that led to an FBI raid on the facility.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2004
the brown
schools (cedu)
in
texas
The Brown Schools was a
CEDU program.
CEDU closed down due to "financial trouble" after
lawsuits and exposure of abuse at their facilities.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death:
2005
excel
academy (cedu)
in
texas
Excel Academy (in Houston) was a
CEDU program.
CEDU closed down due to "financial trouble" after
lawsuits and exposure of abuse at their facilities.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death:
2005
abounding
grace school for boys
in
north
carolina
In 2005 the founder and his wife - Lucinda and Stanley
Mitchell - were indicted on child abuse charges
[1].
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death:
2005
aloha youth
academy
in
samoa
The
owner was Mekeli Ieremia also named in connection with the short-lived
New Hope Academy (Samoa) The manager was Jeff Pluemacher.
The owner disapeared only weeks
after opening.
Birth: 1999
Death: 1999
alpine boys
ranch
in
washington
They closed down in 2003 after
loosing a lawsuit from the parents of a boy - Joseph D. Bolt, who 17
years of age died after leaving the ranch without supervision.
Birth: 1979
Death:
2003
72+ programs
closed/dead
See the website at:
Closed Programs Wiki Page for details on over 70 programs known to
be closed down including those listed on this site. Good info and
a lot of details!
The director of Academy at Cedar Mountain was Ms.
Charli Smith.
Academy at Cedar Mountain
reportedly closed after many families removed their children due to
fraud and abuse.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2005(?)
pathway
family center
in
in, mi, & oh
Pathway Family Center
was founded by Terri Nissley, a "satisfied" Straight, Inc. cult parent
who wants to continue in the torturing and brainwashing kids for
profit industry. Pathway Family Center in Michigan has closed or is closing according to recent
reports. Closing after years of
multiple investigative reports regarding
fraud, abuse, and torture at the Pathway facilities.
If you have more information
regarding these people or this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death:
2009
THE
2009 ECONOMIC CREMATORIUM
Tranquility Bay--WWASPS Program in
Jamaica--CLOSED!
Spring Creek Lodge
Academy--WWASPS Program in Montana--CLOSED!
Pathway Family Center--Portage, IN
CLOSED! (Thanks to the efforts of
HEAL,
ISAC, and multiple individuals and
families defrauded and abused by the Pathway Family Center cult.)
UPDATE--Pathway Family Center--Indianapolis, IN
CLOSED! All Pathway Family Center programs are now
CLOSED!!!
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2009
Sarasota Community School (a.k.a.
Palmetto Youth Academy) in Sarasota, FL is
closing.
We have received unconfirmed
reports of fraud and abuse from parent(s) regarding this program.
One mother said:
"I would like to 'report' the above school
to your web site. This school is being run by a DeSisto
graduate. I am currently filing suit in order to get my money
back - $45,000 - son left after 12 weeks - do to lack of
supervision, counseling, educational opportunities, and a
rude/degrading owner. They really did not like me because I was
local and my son's advocate. I would like to help ensure
that no other child/parent be scammed by these people. Thank you for your help."
Devereux
House (the Devereux link to the left will take you to the site on
Devereux Glenholme School in Connecticut, it is another Devereux program
and also confirmedly abusive) in Tallahasee, FL is
CLOSED!
Zumbro House--Located
in Centerville, MN.
This program never
got off the ground. This program was to be run by Christopher
Onken. When they refused a program for teens, he switched to
opening a home for disabled adults. That was shut down too.
Blue Mountain Wilderness Program
was closed in 2005. The owners are trying to
re-open.
Birth: Unnatural (2001)
Death: 2005
DRILL
Academy
in
maryland
FBI Says DRILL
Academy Probe Complete
SALISBURY, Md. (AP) ―
Salisbury Mayor
Barrie Parsons Tilghman wants federal
authorities to expedite an investigation of
alleged abuse at a now-closed boot camp
academy for juvenile offenders.
She sent a letter to FBI Director Robert
Mueller on July 28. The FBI says it has
completed its investigation and has
forwarded its results to the U.S. Department
of Justice.
The former DRILL Academy closed in November
2004, after operating about a year. Critics
say guards used used discipline methods that
were excessive.
Surveillance videos showed juveniles being
forced to drink water until at least one of
them vomited. Another video shows an officer
dragging a youth on a wet floor as if the
youth were a mop.
Previous investigations have cleared
employees of criminal misconduct.
High Peaks Wilderness Program was reportedly
closed in 2002. HEAL is unable to locate any current information
on this program and believes it is closed. Please
contact us if High Peaks Wilderness is still open. We believe
it was closed as a result of the death of Ian August, a teen boy killed
by High Peaks.
UNABLE
TO VERIFY STATUS ON THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS, PLEASE
CONTACT US IF YOU CAN CONFIRM THE PROGRAM IS CLOSED:
Kids Education & Karelocated in Spokane,
WA is an abusive behavior modification facility.Posted on the
http://www.teenprogram.info/schools/view/1182
website as of 8/24/03 and up until the last review of the site by this
web-author on February 9th, 2004 is/was the following:
“I am a teen that previously attended the Kids
Education and Kare Program in Spokane, Washington. And I highly
recommend that you DO NOT send your teen to this program. While I
was attending the program not only was I lied to, my parents as
well. My parents were not informed of all the problems in the
program and I was not allowed to discuss them with my parents when I
spoke to them. I was told that my parents knew everything and for me
not to worry because my parents supported the program fully. When I
finally went to see my mother outside of the program, we both
realized what was really going on. These people will lie to you and
your child. And I can tell you from experience this program does NOT
work. These people will lie to you when you child does try to tell
you what is going on. They will probably lie to you and tell you
that I don't know what I am talking about. But you have to believe
me. Don't put yourself or your teen through what my mother and I
have been through. I got out before something happened to me, save
your child before it is to late, and don't put them in this
program.”
The last tax return for this facility was filed
in 2000.
challenger
foundation
in
samoa
Challenger
Foundation--Located in Samoa. Don't send your kid
out of the country. Abuse? See:
http://www.teenliberty.org/Samoan.htm This program
only lasted 63 days. It was
run by Steve Cartisano.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 1996
cold spring
academy
in
florida
This program was also known as The DeSisto School and Stockbridge
School. These programs were founded by Michael DeSisto. For
more information,
click here.
HEAL believes this program is closed
because the phone number is disconnected, the building is for
sale, and the website is offline and the domain name is for
sale.
The Academy--(a.k.a.
Coral Island Academy) Myrtle Point,
OR (and Fiji) was confirmedly abusive. The Academy's rules and
codes of conduct are known to be harmful and violative of the civil
rights of children at the facility. Please
click here to
read more about the cult program at The Academy. Former
clients/survivors, please
contact us and we will post your storyhere . For staff and background info,
click here.
HEAL
believes that updated regulations and the economy contributed to
the closing of this abusive program. The official reasons
given for the closure was lack of funds to continue the
programs.
Appalachian Wilderness Camp
operated in the North Georgia Mountains, GA is confirmedly abusive.On April 20th, 2005 Appalachian Wilderness Camp
staff restrained Travis Parker, an asthmatic, denied him proper
medical care (refused to give his inhaler), and as a result he died.This program is no place for children.For more on this story,
click
here. The staff are poorly trained and out of control.No child should die or be tortured in the name of treatment.If you were abused at Appalachian Wilderness Camp, please
contact us
and we’ll add your online testimony to this website.
For staff and background information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: November, 2009
ASCENT
WILDERNESS INTERVENTION
IN
IDAHO
This program was purchased by Universal
Health Services (UHS) and appears to be closed. We do know
that
Northwest Academy is using the same website and phone number
as Ascent Wilderness.
Ascent Wilderness Intervention: (a.k.a. Ascent, Inc.-- in Idaho was (when owned by CEDU) a confirmedly
abusive behavior modification program.
It was most recently owned by Universal Health Services (UHS) also owns
many other programs including the notoriously abusive Provo Canyon
School (see:
www.heal-online.org/provocases.htm,
www.heal-online.org/sign.htm, &
www.beyondbusiness.net/provotruth.htm, ) According to a
CEDU program survivor, “I
attended Ascent and CEDU in CA. If you love your child STAY AWAY
FROM THIS SCHOOL. I can tell you stories that will make you sick. I
have also heard alot of horror stories from students who attended
some of the other schools on this site. Please - do your research
before sending your child into the care of strangers.If you want more information please contact me at
ArtemBiz@yahoo.com.”If you would like to read
about other survivor stories that have firsthand experience of the
abuses at Ascent, please click here.
If you were abused or had your rights violated at Ascent, please
contact us and we will post your online statement here as
a warning to others. For staff and background
information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
glacier
mountain academy
in
idaho
This program is
reportedly closed. The owners, John Baisden and Larry
Bauer went on to open Turning Winds in Idaho which later moved
to Montana. Both Baisden and Bauer worked for the CEDU
cult prior to venturing out "on their own". For more
information on Turning Winds and the history of Glacier Mountain
Academy, click
here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010 (?)
blue hills
academy
in
arizona
Blue Hills Academy appears to be closed. Their website is
no longer active. The phone number for the program now
belongs to an apartment/condo rental agency. HEAL believes
this program is closed. For staff and background
information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010 (possibly earlier)
eagle
academy
in
florida
This program was closed due to loss of
funding. For more information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: September, 2010
carolina
springs academy
in
south
carolina
This program was closed in June, 2010
according to South Carolina authorities.
Carolina Springs Academy
in Due West, South Carolina was a World Wide Association of Specialty
Programs and Schools program.Representative George Miller of California demanded in
investigation into all World Wide Association of Specialty Programs
and Schools after receiving hundreds of complaints from his
constituents about the torture and abuse suffered by them and/or
their children.You may read the correspondence between John Ashcroft and George Miller by
visiting:
http://nospank.net/ashcroft.htm.
As of January 9th, 2004, California Representative George Miller
demanded, and was denied by John Ashcroft, an investigation into
WWASPS.According to Representative Miller of California,
“There is a
laundry list of abuse of children at WWASPS schools: deprivation of
food, deprivation of contact with their peers, physical abuse,
mental abuse, sexual abuse, and parents are paying big money for
services not rendered," Miller added in a Nov. 6 news release.”Another point, the slogan reads, “Teaching respect, honor, and
integrity in the traditions of the Old South.”Would that be the Old South that refused to give the up the
dehumanizing institution of enslaving African Americans and is known
for lynchings, murder, and the most heinous disregard for human and
civil rights?We think
so.At least that’s a
taste of truth in advertising.For more
information on WWASP, visit:
www.heal-online.org/wwasp.htm
If you were abused at Carolina Springs Academy, please
contact us and will post your experience here as a
warning to others.
For staff information and background,
click here.
Click here
for survivor feedback.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: June, 2010
Re-animation: 2011 (?)
Renamed under same ownership/leadership. New name is Magnolia
Christian School. Same location.
cedar breaks
academy
in
utah
Cedar Breaks Academy
is closed. HEAL telephoned their offices today (September
29th, 2010) and the line was disconnected.
Corpus Christi State School--Located in Corpus
Christi, TX. Many allegations of abuse at this program.
See:
http://www.kristv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7032431&nav=menu192_2_7
"Eleven staff members were
identified in the videos. Six were charged. The videos showed that
residents were forced to fight each other for the staff’s entertainment.
Residents locked each other in choke holds, tumbled to the floor and
were kicked and prodded by school employees."--Associated Press,
August 10th, 2009
For more on this story,
click here.
If you were abused or had your rights violated at Corpus Christi State
School, please
contact us and we will post your statement here as a warning to
others. For staff and background info,
click here.
This program appears to have been closed after Gov. Rick Perry
suspended its license to operate in 2009.
Birth: Unnatural (1970)
Death: 2009
Re-Animation: 2009, Changed
its name to Corpus Christi State Supported Living Center
cramer creek
school
in
montana
Cramer Creek
School appears to be closed. The last tax return we found
for this program was filed in 2008. There is no answer at
their phone number and their website is offline. If Cramer
Creek School is still open, please
let us know.
Cramer Creek School--in
Clinton/Missoula, MT. Opened in 2008. John McKay who directs
the program also was involved with Rancho Valmora in New Mexico.
Rancho
Valmora is confirmedly abusive. Cramer Creek uses
"positive peer culture" (a.k.a.
confrontational "therapy") which is ineffective and
harmful. For these reasons, we suspect Cramer Creek School of
being an abusive facility. If you were abused or had your rights
violated at Cramer Creek School,
contact us and we will post your statement here as a warning to
others. For staff and background info,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010 (?)
crossroads
youth ranch
in
louisiana
Crossroads Youth
Ranch appears to be closed. HEAL representatives
telephoned the program and it goes to a private voice-mail for a
woman with no mention of Crossroads in the outgoing message.
In addition, Crossroads website appears to have been disabled
and/or no longer operational. If we are mistaken, and
Crossroads is still open, please
let us know.
Crossroads Youth Ranch in Roseland,
LA is confirmedly abusive. We've received reports from parents
describing fraud, abuse, and enslavement of their children by
"Pastor Gary". Please do not send your child to Crossroads
Youth Ranch. If you'd like to submit your survivor report
regarding Crossroads, please
contact us and we'll post it here as a warning to others. For
staff and background information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?)
CANYON VIEW
PARK
(WWASPS)
in
montana
Canyon View Park--Located
in Thompson Falls/Trout Creek, Montana. Part of the WWASPS family of programs.
Just say "no" to
WWASPS!
WWASPS tortures and kills children. If you were abused or had your
rights violated at Canyon View Park, please
contact us and we will post your
statement
here
as a warning to others. For staff and background info, click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2009
emily
griffith center
in
colorado
Emily Griffith Center
appears to be closed. The online ads that remain are
out-dated and the phone number associated with the programs
belongs to a private/unrelated individual.
Emily Griffith Center
(aka Griffith Centers for Children) in Denver, CO is confirmedly
abusive.They claim to treat “pre-delinquent” boys ages 15-19.That is a word for preventative psychiatric care, which is also
know historically as neurological programming or brainwashing.In fact, in their literature they refer to the “programming” of
youth.They also
call their doors “escape delay perimeter doors” which leads one
to believe that boys in this program seek to escape.If this were a loving, nurturing, constructive program we
believe they wouldn’t be focused on boys inability to escape as
a selling point.If
you have more detailed information or were abused in this
program please
contact us
and we will add your experience to this website.
For staff and background information, click here.
In July, 2015 we followed up to see if Emily Griffith Center was
still operating or operating again. We found a website
calling the program Griffith Centers for Children Chins Up.
It has both residential, foster care, and other services.
We are investigating.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?)
Re-Animation: 2015 (?)
eagle valley
youth ranch
in
utah
Eagle Valley Youth
Ranch appears to be closed. The phone number is
disconnected and the address is now associated with Bryce
Pioneer Village (80 S. Main St, SLC, Utah). If you have
any new information on this program, please
contact us.
Eagle Valley Youth Ranch, Inc.--Located
in Tropic, UT. Eagle Valley Youth Ranch, Inc. uses a
level system. There is no "therapy" or privileges until a teen
finishes the orientation phase. This program uses a level system.
It also denies direct contact between parent and young adult without
staff involvement. If the young adult needs to speak with his/her
family privately, this will be denied by the program. These are
major red flags. This program is affiliated with confirmedly
abusive Sorenson's
Ranch School.
If you were abused or had your rights violated by Eagle Valley
Youth Ranch, Inc./Eagle Valley Ranch, please contact us and we will post your statement here as a warning to
others. For staff and background info,
click here. Click here for vital
information you should know about programs in Utah!
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?)
Family
solutions foundation
in
arizona
This program is
closed for failure to comply with Arizona laws and providing
false information to the state of Arizona (invalid mailing
address).
Family Solutions
Foundation--Located in Taylor/Snowflake, Arizona.
This program is modeling itself after Teen Challenge and uses
fear instead of reason and love to "sell" parents on its
approach. We recommend you avoid any program that models
itself after a confirmedly abusive program. This program
is not operational at this time (August 29th, 2009). They
are luring people to give money so they can profit and build
their cult. Please do not donate to this scam/cult.
On their website, they do not list one name as an individual to
contact. This is a scam. Do not participate or
support it. We hope it never gets off the ground, but, if
it does, you will find their staff information if you
click here
in the future.
Birth: 2008
Death: 2009(?)
growing
together
in
florida
The Florida Straight
descendant, Growing Together, finally folded last year [2006]
after a 2004
exposé
detailed bizarre sexual molestation of
teens in host homes going back to 1997. And the reports out of
Canada's Alberta Adolescent Recovery Center, which also uses the
Straight host-home model, are just as horrifying. (Source:
http://www.pfctruth.com/privateprisons.htm)
Growing Together in Palm Beach, FL is
confirmedly abusive. One family member reports, "My sibling
was abused at Growing Together... It uses the
Straight "treatment" model." If you were abused or had
your rights violated at Growing Together, please
contact us and we will post your experience here as a warning to
others. For staff and background information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2006
house of
hope
in
san diego,
ca
House of Hope
in California a confirmedly abusive behavior modification program.They openly use the phrasing “behavior modification” which
has been described by Dr. Weiss of the Federal Prison System as a
system of brainwashing people into submission using violence,
torture, and cruelty.
They also claim to help cure ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder), a
“disorder” that is currently being eradicated from all respectable
medical and psychiatric databases because it defines normal teenage
behavior as a mental disease.In 1992, House of Hope lost a lawsuit against the San Diego
Department of Social Services after the findings of abuse as alleged
by Social Worker Smith were deemed to be well founded and thereby
her actions against House of Hope were justified.(San Diego House of Hope v. San Diego Department of Social
Services)If you were
abused at House of Hope, please
contact us and we will add your online statement here as
a warning to others. For staff and background
information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010 (?)
hope
ranch/star meadows academy
in
montana
Hope Ranch/Star
Meadows Academy appears to be closed. Both websites
associated with the program are gone/for sale. And, the
phone has been disconnected. This leads us to believe Hope
Ranch is closed. If you have other information, please
let us know.
Hope Ranch
(a.k.a. Star Meadows Academy)
in Whitefish, MT is suspected of being an abusive behavior
modification facility.
Their number one goal is to get girls to be “obedient”.This means never questioning those who claim authority.This is a very dangerous goal because often authority does need
questioning and no individual should be given complete authority
over another for this denies the principles of free-will and the
right to learn or use analytic thought.
Without analysis we would not have rules, we would not have healing
medicines, we would not have a number of things that are vital to
human understanding and life.
Because of this and many of the other questionable goals and the
disturbing signing away of certain civil liberties within the
contract itself we believe that Hope Ranch is a place with no hope
for your child.Please do not send your child to this institution.If you have been abused at Hope Ranch or had your rights
violated while in their care, please
contact us so we can place your online statement here to
warn others.Thank you.
For staff and background information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
jackson
academy
(aka bilandy
academy)
in
tennessee
Jackson Academy/Bilandy
Academy was closed in 2005 by TN authorities.
Jackson Academy (a.k.a.
Bilandy Academy) in Dickson County, TN is a
confirmedly abusive program. To read a full report of abuse
allegations visit:
http://www.newschannel5.com/content/news/12599.asp
According to this report, Connie Frost's grandson is being beaten by
staff at the academy. If you were abused by Jackson Academy,
please
contact us and we
will post your statement here as a warning to others.
For staff and background info,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2005
magnolia
christian center
in
mississippi
Magnolia
Christian Center is closed. Their phone has been
disconnected.
Magnolia Christian Center in Lucedale, MS is
highly suspected of being an abusive program. Magnolia is not
an accredited school and is not approved by the state to grant
diplomas. They use physical/corporal punishment on the
children in their program. And, have hired multiple former
employees of the confirmedly abusive
Bethel Boys Academy/Eagle Point Christian Academy. Please
do not subject your child to this program. If you were abused
or had your rights violated at Magnolia Christian Center, please
contact HEAL so we can place your statement here as a warning to
others. For staff and background information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
magnolia
academy
in
tennessee
Magnolia Academy is
closed. Their phone has been disconnected.
Mount Bachelor
Academy is closed and Aspen has no intention to open a new
program at the same location (Oct, 2010)
Mount Bachelor Academyin
Prineville, OR is confirmedly an abusive behavior modification
program. Please see news
reports
here and here. They are also a part of the Aspen Education Group which, includes
Academy at Swift River.
They also claim to treat Oppositional Defiance Disorder, a
“disorder” that is currently being eradicated by respected medical
and psychiatric associations for being as poorly assessed as
“hysteria” was during the early part of the 20th century.There is no such thing as Oppositional Defiance Disorder.There is such a thing as normal hormonal fluctuation that
occurs during puberty that causes mood changes.We all went through it and it is a normal part of growing up.Beyond that, Mount Bachelor Academy treats “sexual identity
issues” which often means “curing” people of “homosexuality”.Homosexuality is not a mental disease.It was removed from the category of mental illness by the
American Psychiatric Association in 1973.Mount Bachelor Academy, in our opinion, seeks to brainwash and
brow-beat children into submitting to a conservative autocracy where
their individuality is not respected and their natural curiosities
are exploited and crippled.
If you were abused at Mount Bachelor Academy, please
contact us and we will post your experience here as a
warning to others. For staff and background info,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
colorado
mountain camps
in
colorado
Colorado Mountain
Camps appears to no longer exist. We believe it likely
closed in 2005. If you have information on this program,
please
contact us.
Colorado Mountain Camps
(Wilderness Program) in Boulder, CO is suspect because of the
contractual requirement that a parent or anyone acting on behalf of
a parent will not sue Colorado Mountain Camps if their child is
lost, injured, or killed while in the care of Colorado Mountain
Camps.There is also limited communication between child and family,
postcards only.
Postcards are a great way to avoid breaking federal laws in reading
incoming and outgoing mail.You may call immediate family (parents) once every two weeks.There is no specification whether or not these calls are
monitored.The links on
the page to Communications with Your Child was not working at the
time this was written, Saturday, February 14th, 2004.As of May 31st, 2005 the website had moved or been
shut down for this program.
We believe that this program is suspect.If you have more detailed information or were abused in this
program, please
contact us and we will add your experience to this
website. For staff and background
information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2005(?)
bethel
baptist boys' home
aka
bethel boys
academy
aka
eagle point
christian academy
aka
pine view
academy
aka
gulf coast
academy
(originally
a roloff home and later owned by wwasps)
in
mississippi
HEAL called Gulf Coast
Academy and the phone is disconnected. The website url is for
sale and no longer operational. HEAL believes this program is
closed. If you have information on this program, please
contact us.
Bethel Baptist Boys Academy
(aka Eagle Point Christian Academy) in Lucedale,
MS is
confirmedly abusing children.Also, just reading a quote from their own advertising on Sunday,
Feb. 15th, 2004 suggests they are intolerant and cruel
minded, “Ignorance and stupidity plague so many teens because
they simply will not submit to parents or guardians and receive
instruction.”This is
certainly not a loving, trust-building environment for young people
to explore their frustrations and learn constructive as opposed to
destructive ways to deal with the stresses of their lives.It’s a place that hates children and wants to aid parents in
creating children who lack the educational skills of curiosity and
analytical thought.We
recommend whole-heartedly that you do not send your child to Bethel
Baptist Boys Academy.If you were abused or had your rights violated at Bethel
Baptist Boys Academy, please
contact us and we will post your experience on this
website as an online statement and warning to others about this
program. For staff and background information,
click here.
Gulf Coast Academy in Lucedale, MS is confirmedly abusive.
And,
is a World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
program.Representative George Miller of California demanded in
investigation into all World Wide Association of Specialty Programs
and Schools after receiving hundreds of complaints from his
constituents about the torture and abuse suffered by them and/or
their children.You may read the correspondence between John Ashcroft and George Miller by
visiting:
http://nospank.net/ashcroft.htm.
As of January 9th, 2004, California Representative George Miller
demanded, and was denied by John Ashcroft, an investigation into
WWASPS.According to Representative Miller of California,
“There is a
laundry list of abuse of children at WWASPS schools: deprivation of
food, deprivation of contact with their peers, physical abuse,
mental abuse, sexual abuse, and parents are paying big money for
services not rendered," Miller added in a Nov. 6 news release.”"Barbara
Ramirez of Chicago wants a Lucedale home for troubled youth shut
down because of poor living conditions, student abuse and the
inability of the school's officials to prevent students from
escaping. Ramirez said she began the campaign to shut down the
Gulf Coast Academy after a recent visit to the school where her
daughter, Tianna, 17, is enrolled. Ramirez attended a seminar
at the school but found what she considers intolerable conditions.
"I was appalled," Ramirez said. "The seminar was held in the chapel.
I went into the bathroom and it was filthy. Three roaches were
crawling up the wall. I almost got sick." That was just the
beginning. Her daughter told her stories about poor food,
abusive discipline, student fights and escapes."
For
more information on WWASP, visit:
www.heal-online.org/wwasp.htm
If you were abused or had your rights violated by Gulf Coast
Academy, please
contact us
and we will post your statement here as a warning to others. For staff and background information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
northwest
passages
in
montana
HEAL telephoned Northwest
Passages and the phones are disconnected. The website(s) are
gone. And, this program appears to be closed. If you
have any information,
please let us know.
Northwest Passagesis run
by the former director of Hope Ranch who proudly claims this
association.Northwest
Passages is an extension of residential treatment center living and
we believe is suspect due to the very reasons Hope Ranch is suspect
(scroll up to see description of Hope Ranch).We recommend you do not attend Northwest Passages and that you
do not submit your child to a lifetime of blind obedience.Without curiosity there are no questions.Without questions there are no answers.Without answers there is no knowledge.Without knowledge there is no wisdom.Do not subject your child to a life without wonder.If you were abused at
Hope Ranch or Northwest Passages, please
contact us and we will post your online statement as a
warning to others on this site and will upgrade Hope Ranch and
Northwest Passages from suspect to confirmed.
For staff and background info,
click here.
(Northwest Passages is not accepting any new "clients" as of July
24th, 2009--possibly closing?)
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
our father's
house
in
florida
HEAL verified that the
address at which Our Father's House was located (5362 Taf Lane,
Milton, FL) now belongs to Red Ribbon Charitable Foundation.
Red Ribbon Charitable Foundations raises funds for AIDS/HIV
Awareness and Prevention and is completely unrelated to Burt or Our
Father's House. We telephoned the number listed for this
program and there was no answer. It likely belongs to someone
other than this program. If you have additional information,
let us know.
Our Father’s Housein Milton, FL
owned and operated by former Ku Klux Klansman John Burt is
confirmedly abusive.In
2004, Burt was convicted of sexually molesting a 15-year old girl.He is presently out on bond pending his appeal.Our Father’s House remains operational.Please do not subject your child to Our Father’s House.Detailed report provided by Children’s Healthcare Is a Legal Duty, Inc.
Nov. 4th, 2004 newsletter.If you were abused or had your rights violated at Our Father’s
House, please
contact us and
we will post your experience here as a warning to others.
For staff and background information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2005 (?)
sagewalk
in
oregon
SageWalk is closed.
In September, 2009 they suspended operations after another death in
the program. HEAL telephoned SageWalk on October 15th and
their line is disconnected. We believe this program is closed.
If you have additional information,
please let us know.
SageWalk in Redmond, OR is suspected of being an abusive
behavior modification program.
In the advertisements for “Brat Camp” (a new television series on
abc that follows the SageWalk experience of multiple teens) children
are shown carrying backpacks too heavy for their frames.A young man on the commercial states that he can’t breathe
because of the pressure on his developing chest applied by the
physically debilitating backpack.In addition, SageWalk disallows communications between children
and their parents at points in the program.And, the program follows a regimen of levels or “passages” that
are used to reward and/or punish children in the program.On the SageWalk website at
http://www.sagewalk.com/disclaimer.htm
they do a great job of removing any responsibility they have in the
safety and welfare of children in their program.
Please also visit:
We
recommend you do not subject your child to SageWalk.
SageWalk is now owned by Aspen Education Group, an umbrella
corporation that owns multiple programs many of which are
confirmedly abusive. If you were abused or had your
rights violated in any way by Sage Walk, please
contact us and we will post your statement here as a warning to
others. For staff and background info,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2009
sky view
academy
aka
sky view
christian academy
in
nevada
Sky View Academy appears
to be closed. Their license was revoked in 2007. And,
even with the name change, the phone number listed for the program
is disconnected. Please
contact us if you have additional information.
Sky View Academy (a.k.a. Sky View Christian
Academy) in Hawthorne, NV is a confirmedly abusive facility. Sky
View Academy had its license revoked by Nevada officials in 2007.
Sky View Academy is a World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
program.Representative George Miller of California demanded in
investigation into all World Wide Association of Specialty Programs
and Schools after receiving hundreds of complaints from his
constituents about the torture and abuse suffered by them and/or
their children.You may read the correspondence between John Ashcroft and George Miller by
visiting:
http://nospank.net/ashcroft.htm.
As of January 9th, 2004, California Representative George Miller
demanded, and was denied by John Ashcroft, an investigation into
WWASPS.According to Representative Miller of California,
“There is a
laundry list of abuse of children at WWASPS schools: deprivation of
food, deprivation of contact with their peers, physical abuse,
mental abuse, sexual abuse, and parents are paying big money for
services not rendered," Miller added in a Nov. 6 news release.”For more
information on WWASP, visit:
www.heal-online.org/wwasp.htmIf you were abused at Sky View Academy, please
contact us so we can post your online statement here as a
warning to others.
For staff and background info,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2007(?) or 2010
star ranch
in
texas
HEAL believes Star Ranch
is closed. Their website is offline and their phones have been
disconnected. If you have additional information, please
contact us.
Star Ranch in Ingram, TX is confirmedly abusive. A
child has been suffocated by staff. Please do not send your
child to Star Ranch. If you have been abused or have had your
rights violated in any way by Star Ranch, please
contact us and we will post your statement here as a warning to
others. For staff and background info,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2006(?) or 2010
Straight
arrow apex
in
washington
Straight Arrow Apex is
closed. Their website is down and their phone is disconnected.
If you have additional information, please
contact us.
STRAIGHT ARROW APEXlocated in Northport, WA.At age 18 in the United States you have reached majority.If your parents have extended guardianship of you, then you may
end up being sent to Straight Arrow Apex.HEAL believes that Straight Arrow Apex is a suspect behavior
modification program.Their descriptions of boys “in need of help” include:
manipulative behaviors, needs to develop work ethic, and has poor
family relationships.
So, if you are an 18 year old who is having difficulty finding work
in the current economy, fighting with folks because you don’t want
to end up on the street, and asking for patience and compassion as
you enter adulthood, then you are “troubled” and in need of Straight
Arrow Apex.The use of
the word “manipulative” is disturbing to HEAL because in our
experience behavior modification programs use the word
“manipulative” to describe honest thoughts and emotion that bind
family members to each other and express reality.
The use of the word feedback on the Straight Arrow Apex site also
raises our suspicion because it is a term that is used primarily to
describe verbal abuse by an “authority” in the TASKS program in
relating to a “student” who is being modified.We highly recommend you do not send your child and/or do not
voluntarily submit yourself to the “treatment” at Straight Arrow
Apex.If you were
abused or had your rights violated at Straight Arrow Apex, please
contact us so we can post your experience here as a
warning to others.
For staff and background info,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?)
Re-Animation: 2012(?)
Operating under new name(s) and original name. New names include:
Bald Eagle Creek Boys' Academy, Crossings NW, and Straight Arrow Apex.
This program has been placed back on our active
watchlist.
seven
mountains academy
in
pennsylvania
Seven Mountains Academy was a ViaQuest
Behavioral Health program. It is closed. It was a sister
program to SummitQuest Academy (closed in 2009). The York
Homes, also operated by ViaQuest Behavioral Health appear to remain
open. If you have additional information, please
let us know. For staff and background information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
Tampa Marine
Institute
in
florida
The Tampa Marine Institute website is offline and the phone is
disconnected. If you have additional information, please
contact us.
The Tampa Marine Institutein St.
Petersburg, FL is suspected of being an abusive behavior
modification facility. Tampa Marine Institute and all of it's
affiliated programs are very vaguely described in their literature
or on their website. They claim that "what they do works", but
do not explain exactly what they do. They hint at practices
that deny persons in their program life, liberty, and property
without due process of law and are located in the founding city of
Straight, Inc. and other notoriously unregulated and abusive
facilities. Since Florida does not regulate this industry we
recommend you do not send your child to any program in Florida
including this one. If you were abused or had your rights
violated by Tampa Marine Institute or any of its affiliated
programs, please
contact us
so we can post your statement here as a warning to others.
For staff and background information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
Teen
challenge of alaska
in
alaska
Teen Challenge of Alaska
appears to be closed. Their phone now belongs to a family and
when asked about Teen Challenge, they said it was the wrong number.
So, based on this we believe this program is closed. If you
have additional information, please
let us know.
Teen Challenge of Alaskain Anchorage, AK is
highly suspected of being a teen torture facility.Teen Challenge is the only group of programs endorsed by the
Drug Free America Foundation (DFAF).DFAF was founded by Mel Sembler, former owner and director of
Straight, Inc. a confirmedly torturous group of institutions for
teens.Straight,
Inc. was endorsed by former US presidents Ronald Reagan and George
H.W. Bush.In George W.
Bush’s first term (2000-2004) he appointed Mel Sembler as US
ambassador to Italy.
George W. Bush instituted the “New Freedom Commission” in 2000.The “New Freedom Commission” is a group of psychiatrists and
pharmaceutical lobbyists working to insure that every child in
America is drugged and virtually enslaved through behavior
modification.Please do
not sent your child to any Teen Challenge program. If you were
abused or had your rights violated by Teen Challenge, please
contact us and we will post your story here as a warning to
others.To view confirmed statements regarding abuse at other Teen
Challenge programs, click here. To visit a survivor site for Teen Challenge survivors,
click here. To read about Straight, Inc. and the Semblers,
please click here.
For a look at the staff list and/or links to other programs,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?) --phone is reassigned so it may
have closed much earlier. Please e-mail
info@heal-online.org if you
have more information.
teen
challenge
in
washington,
dc
This program is closed.
There are many Teen Challenges throughout the country that still
need our attention. But, there is no Teen Challenge in
Washington, D.C. at this time. There are Teen Challenges in
Maryland and Virginia.
Teen
Challenge—DCin Washington D.C.
is highly suspected of being a teen torture facility.Teen Challenge is the only group of programs endorsed by the
Drug Free America Foundation (DFAF).DFAF was founded by Mel Sembler, former owner and director of
Straight, Inc. a confirmedly torturous group of institutions for
teens.Straight,
Inc. was endorsed by former US presidents Ronald Reagan and George
H.W. Bush.In George W.
Bush’s first term (2000-2004) he appointed Mel Sembler as US
ambassador to Italy.
George W. Bush instituted the “New Freedom Commission” in 2000.The “New Freedom Commission” is a group of psychiatrists and
pharmaceutical lobbyists working to insure that every child in
America is drugged and virtually enslaved through behavior
modification.Please do
not sent your child to any Teen Challenge program. If you were
abused or had your rights violated by Teen Challenge, please
contact us and we will post your story here as a warning to
others.To view confirmed statements regarding abuse at other Teen
Challenge programs,
click here. To visit a survivor site for Teen Challenge survivors,
click here. To read about Straight, Inc. and the Semblers,
please click here.
For staff and background information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?) There are Teen Challenge
programs in Maryland and Virginia. However, there is no Teen
Challenge in Washington, DC in 2010.
teen
challenge
in
Arcadia, FL
tarpon
springs, fl
&
oviedo, fl
These programs are closed
and their phones disconnected. This was verified by calling
their listed numbers on October 18th, 2010. The Tarpon Springs
property appears to be for sale. And, if you have additional
information, please
let us know.
Teen
Transformation Ministriesin Oveido, FL is
confirmedly abusive.In
2003, a 13-year old boy suffered a broken shoulder and fire ant
bites there.The
Seminole County sheriff reported that he complained of the shoulder
injury, but was not given medical attention.The boy was forced to pull down his pants and sit on a fire ant
mound at the group home, the sheriff said.The sheriff’s office returned all the boys in the program to
their parents while the abuse allegations were investigated, but,
the school had five boys enrolled again the next year.The state does not have the authority to close the school
down.Detailed
report provided by Children’s Healthcare Is a Legal Duty, Inc. Nov. 4th,
2004 newsletter.If you
were abused at Teen Transformation Ministries, please
contact us and we will post your experience here as a
warning to others. For staff and background
information,click here.
Teen
Challenge—FL, Inc.in Arcadia, FL is
highly suspected of being a teen torture facility.Teen Challenge is the only group of programs endorsed by the
Drug Free America Foundation (DFAF).DFAF was founded by Mel Sembler, former owner and director of
Straight, Inc. a confirmedly torturous group of institutions for
teens.Straight,
Inc. was endorsed by former US presidents Ronald Reagan and George
H.W. Bush.In George W.
Bush’s first term (2000-2004) he appointed Mel Sembler as US
ambassador to Italy.
George W. Bush instituted the “New Freedom Commission” in 2000.The “New Freedom Commission” is a group of psychiatrists and
pharmaceutical lobbyists working to insure that every child in
America is drugged and virtually enslaved through behavior
modification.Please do
not sent your child to any Teen Challenge program. If you were
abused or had your rights violated by Teen Challenge, please
contact us and we will post your story here as a warning to
others.To view confirmed statements regarding abuse at other Teen
Challenge programs, click here. To visit a survivor site for Teen Challenge survivors,
click here. To read about Straight, Inc. and the Semblers,
please click here.
For staff and background information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
teen
challenge
in
Athens, GA
Lithonia, ga
stone
mountain, ga
Carrollton,
ga
bremen, ga
augusta, ga
&
douglasville,
ga
HEAL telephoned the Teen
Challenge programs listed to the left on October 18th, 2010 and all
lines were disconnected. Their website(s) are down. And,
the programs appear to be closed. If you have additional
information, please
contact us.
Teen
Challenge—Athenslocated in Athens,
GA is highly suspected of being a teen torture facility.Teen Challenge is the only group of programs endorsed by the
Drug Free America Foundation (DFAF).DFAF was founded by Mel Sembler, former owner and director of
Straight, Inc. a confirmedly torturous group of institutions for
teens.Straight,
Inc. was endorsed by former US presidents Ronald Reagan and George
H.W. Bush.In George W.
Bush’s first term (2000-2004) he appointed Mel Sembler as US
ambassador to Italy.
George W. Bush instituted the “New Freedom Commission” in 2000.The “New Freedom Commission” is a group of psychiatrists and
pharmaceutical lobbyists working to insure that every child in
America is drugged and virtually enslaved through behavior
modification.Please do
not sent your child to any Teen Challenge program. If you were
abused or had your rights violated by Teen Challenge, please
contact us and we will post your story here as a warning to
others.To view confirmed statements regarding abuse at other Teen
Challenge programs, click here. To visit a survivor site for Teen Challenge survivors,
click here. To read about Straight, Inc. and the Semblers,
please click here.
For staff and background info,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
teen
challenge home for girls
aka
grace
christian home & academy for girls
in
louisiana
This program is no longer
listed anywhere online and the phone has been disconnected. If
you have additional information, please
let us know.
Teen Challenge Home for Girls
(a.k.a. Grace
Christian Home & Academy for Girls)in Shreveport, LA is
highly suspected of being a teen torture facility.Teen Challenge is the only group of programs endorsed by the
Drug Free America Foundation (DFAF).DFAF was founded by Mel Sembler, former owner and director of
Straight, Inc. a confirmedly torturous group of institutions for
teens.Straight,
Inc. was endorsed by former US presidents Ronald Reagan and George
H.W. Bush.In George W.
Bush’s first term (2000-2004) he appointed Mel Sembler as US
ambassador to Italy.
George W. Bush instituted the “New Freedom Commission” in 2000.The “New Freedom Commission” is a group of psychiatrists and
pharmaceutical lobbyists working to insure that every child in
America is drugged and virtually enslaved through behavior
modification.Please do
not sent your child to any Teen Challenge program. If you were
abused or had your rights violated by Teen Challenge, please
contact us and we will post your story here as a warning to
others.To view confirmed statements regarding abuse at other Teen
Challenge programs, click here. To visit a survivor site for Teen Challenge survivors,
click here. To read about Straight, Inc. and the Semblers,
please click here.
For staff and background information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?)
Teen
Challenge
in
rockaway, nj
Teen Challenge in
Rockaway has no website and their phone is disconnected. HEAL
believes this program is closed. If you have additional
information,
contact us.
Teen
Challenge—New Jersey
in Rockaway, NJ is highly suspected of being a teen torture
facility.Teen Challenge is the only group of programs endorsed by the
Drug Free America Foundation (DFAF).DFAF was founded by Mel Sembler, former owner and director of
Straight, Inc. a confirmedly torturous group of institutions for
teens.Straight,
Inc. was endorsed by former US presidents Ronald Reagan and George
H.W. Bush.In George W.
Bush’s first term (2000-2004) he appointed Mel Sembler as US
ambassador to Italy.
George W. Bush instituted the “New Freedom Commission” in 2000.The “New Freedom Commission” is a group of psychiatrists and
pharmaceutical lobbyists working to insure that every child in
America is drugged and virtually enslaved through behavior
modification.Please do
not sent your child to any Teen Challenge program. If you were
abused or had your rights violated by Teen Challenge, please contact us
and we will post your story here as a warning to others.To view confirmed statements regarding abuse at other Teen
Challenge programs,
click here.To read about Straight, Inc. and the Semblers,
please click here. To visit a survivor site for Teen
Challenge survivors,
click here.
For staff and background information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
Teen
Challenge int'l
in
hendersonville, tn
The phone for this
program is disconnected and we believe it is closed. Please
contact us with additional information at
info@heal-online.org.
Thanks.
Teen Challenge Int’l—Hendersonville
in Hendersonville, TN
is highly suspected of being a teen torture facility.Teen Challenge is the only group of programs endorsed by the
Drug Free America Foundation (DFAF).DFAF was founded by Mel Sembler, former owner and director of
Straight, Inc. a confirmedly torturous group of institutions for
teens.Straight,
Inc. was endorsed by former US presidents Ronald Reagan and George
H.W. Bush.In George W.
Bush’s first term (2000-2004) he appointed Mel Sembler as US
ambassador to Italy.
George W. Bush instituted the “New Freedom Commission” in 2000. The “New Freedom Commission” is a group of psychiatrists and
pharmaceutical lobbyists working to insure that every child in
America is drugged and virtually enslaved through behavior
modification.Please do
not sent your child to any Teen Challenge program. If you were
abused or had your rights violated by Teen Challenge, please
contact us
and we will post your story here as a warning to
others.To view confirmed statements regarding abuse at other Teen
Challenge programs, click here. To read about Straight, Inc. and the Semblers,
please click here. To visit a survivor site for Teen
Challenge survivors,
click here.
For staff and background info,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
teen
challenge
in
rudolph, wi
This program appears to be closed. Their
phones are disconnected and no longer in service. If you have
additional information regarding Teen Challenge in Rudolph, WI,
please
let us know.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
triple l
youth ranch
in
indiana
This program is offline
and the phone is disconnected. The sister program is still
operating in KY. But, this location is closed. If you
have additional information, please
contact us.
Triple
L Youth Ranch
in Anderson,
IN is suspected of being an abusive behavior modification program.They use a “four phase” (aka four level) system that begins
with orientation.
Orientation can last a very long time depending on how quickly the
child succumbs to being controlled completely by the Triple L Youth
Ranch staff.Level systems are known to be red flags for those investigating
and who have survived such programs.We recommend you do not send your child to Triple L Youth
Ranch.If you were
abused at Triple L Youth Ranch, please
contact us with your experience and we’ll add it to the
website as an online statement. For staff and
background information,
click here.
The sister program for this facility, Hope Hill Children's Home is
still open in Kentucky.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
turning
point at granita park
in
utah
Turning Point is closed.
Their phone is disconnected. And, their is no website online
for this program. If you have additional information, please
contact us.
Turning Point in Granita Park, UT is confirmedly abusive.
Allegations against the facility include multiple counts of
sexual
abuse.
In the description of their program as found by clicking on the
title of this passage as of 3/19/04 they describe using the child’s
“strengths” to “crush” and “cripple” unproductive thought patterns.
These are very violent terms and suggest that they use destructive
and abusive behavior modification in their program.If you were abused or had your rights violated at Turning
Point, please
contact us and we will post your online statement here as
a warning to others. For staff and background info,
click here.
Tyler Ranch appears to be
closed. Their website is gone/for sale and there is no answer
when telephoned during business hours. The voice-mail box is
full and can't accept new messages. If you have additional
information, please
let us know.
TYLER RANCHlocated at 4921 West
Rosewood, Spokane, WA 99223 is suspected to be an abusive behavior
modification facility.
This was taken from their website at
http://www.tylerranch.com/Frameset.htm
on Tuesday, February 10th, 2004:“A
structured home environment facilitates a system of immediate,
daily, and weekly feedback for residents. They earn daily points
that, depending on the totals and averages, lead to privileges.
Staff provides regular feedback and on-the-spot training each time a
deviation from the rules occurs.”
In other words, they use a point system for privileges, which is the
same type of system used in the WWASPS and Provo Canyon School
programs.They provide “feedback” which is a term used in common
vernacular but which also has a disturbing meaning when one reflects
on the Resource Realizations/TASKS definition of the word.TASKS uses the word to mean verbal abuse by an “authority
figure” in order to shame someone into hiding their true thoughts
and feelings in order to conform with the desires of the
“authority.”Perhaps
parents feel conformity and lack of independent thought is a good
thing.HEAL does not.Neither does the Constitution of the United States. On Friday, February, 6th, 2004 a HEAL member
telephoned Tyler Ranch.
The answering voice at Tyler Ranch briskly said “Hello” and refused
to identify himself.
This type of guarded behavior and unprofessionalism further lead
HEAL to believe that Tyler Ranch is hiding something.We highly recommend you do not send your child to Tyler Ranch.If you were abused at Tyler Ranch, please
contact us so we can post your experience here as a
warning to others.
For staff and background info,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?)
arlc
in
w. palm
beach, florida
HEAL received a
survivor report regarding this facility in 2006. The report
claimed that a child was killed in this program and it was ruled a
negligent homicide in 1998. Tom Christianson was the man in
charge at this facility at that time. HEAL can find no current
record of this facility in West Palm Beach, FL or elsewhere and we
believe it is closed. Please
contact us with any information.
ARLC in
Florida. This facility is reportedly abusive. Please
contact us with any info on this program.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 1998 (?)
edgemeade-raymond a rogers jr. school
in
maryland
This program is closed.
The phone is disconnected and there is no other information
available through public sources. If you have additional
information,
contact us.
Edgemeade-Raymond
A. Rogers Jr. School--Reportedly
abusive and deadly. See:
http://www.nospank.net/n-i04.htm This program may be
closed or operating under a new name. If you have any
information on this program, please
contact us.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?)
gerard of
iowa
in
iowa
This program appears
to be closed and/or renamed as Four Oaks. Four Oaks
appears to claim the same history as Gerard, without naming
itself as Gerard. So, it may be operating under this name
now. HEAL is investigating.
Gerard of Iowa care facility--Reportedly closed
following the death of an 11-year old boy. See:
Grace Christian Home
& Academy for Girls is closed. Their phones are
disconnected. If you have additional information,
contact us.
Grace Christian Home & Academy for Girls--Located
in Shreveport, LA. Please
contact us
with any info on this program
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
grace house
in
montana
Grace House is
closed. Their website is down and phone is disconnected.
Grace House--Located
in Montana. Please
contact us with any info on this program.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?)
heart of
florida behavioral center
in
florida
Heart of Florida
Behavioral Center appears to be closed. There is no
website for this program and the phone number is disconnected.
Heart of Florida
Behavioral Center--Located in Lakeland, FL. This
facility is reportedly abusive. Please
contact us with any info on this program.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?)
homelines
in
idaho
Homelines is
closed. Their website is gone and their phone is
disconnected. If you have additional information,
let us know.
Homelines--Located
in Moyie Springs, ID is owned and operated by Richard Armstrong.
Armstrong formerly worked for the
CEDU cult in
the Rocky Mountain Academy program. He was
found guilty
of drugging and raping a co-worker named Twila Stephenson in
1996. Please
contact us with any info on this program.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
kanner
school
aka
kanner
academy
in
florida
Kanner School/Kanner
Academy appears to be closed. The phone is disconnected
and no other current information is available.
Kanner School--Located
in Sarasota, FL. Please
contact us with any info on this program.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010 (?)
kiatou
wilderness and therapeutic centre
in
quebec,
canada
Kiatou Wilderness and
Therapeutic Centre appears to be closed. The website is
for sale and the phone is disconnected. Please contact us
with any additional information.
Kiatou Wilderness & Therapeutic Centre--Located
in Canada. Do not send your children out of the country.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
lorenzo benn
youth development camp
in
georgia
Lorenzo Benn Youth
Development Center, a private juvenile offenders program, is
reportedly closed.
Lorenzo Benn Youth Development Camp--Located
in Atlanta, GA. There has been violence at this program.
We need more information. Please
contact us with any info on this program.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 1999
Lost and
found youth academy
in
utah
This program appears
to be closed. There are many dead links on their website,
no staff or director information, and the phone number on the
site is disconnected.
Lost and
Found Youth Academy--Located
in Milford, Utah. HEAL recommends no parent subject any
child to any program in Utah as Utah is corrupt and refuses to
regulate or take action against confirmedly abusive programs
such as WWASPS, Provo Canyon School, Sorenson's Ranch, etc...
Don't send your kid to UT! Click here for
vital information you should know about programs in Utah!
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?)
lott's
legacy boarding school
in
utah
Lott's Legacy
Boarding School in Escalante, UT has closed its doors.
This program is closed. HEAL verified this by telephoning
the number that used to belong to this program. A woman
answered "hello", we asked "is this Lott's Legacy Boarding
School", she said Lott's Legacy is closed and has closed its
doors and that the number was no longer valid for that program.
Lott's Legacy Boarding School--Located in Utah. HEAL recommends no parent subject any
child to any program in Utah as Utah is corrupt and refuses to
regulate or take action against confirmedly abusive programs
such as WWASPS, Provo Canyon School, Sorenson's Ranch, etc...
Don't send your kid to UT! Click here for
vital information you should know about programs in Utah!
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010 (?)
love
demonstrated ministries christian boot camp
in
texas
Love Demonstrated
Ministries Christian Boot Camp appears to be closed.
However, Charles Flowers now appears to be operating Faith
Outreach Center International in Texas. There appear to be
youth programs, but, unnamed associated with this "church".
This is a concern and we are keeping an eye on it.
Contact us with any information.
Re-Animation: Watching Faith Outreach Center International,
"Pastor Flowers" new endeavor.
midnight
mountain
in
washington
Midnight Mountain
appears to be closed. Their website is gone and their
phones are disconnected. Please
contact us with any additional information. This
program was owned/operated by Randy and Kim Krohn.
Midnight
Mountain--Located
in Boyds, WA. It's a transitional program for young adults
(18-24). Please
contact us
with any info on this program.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?)
obsidian
trails
in
oregon
Obsidian Trails
appears to be closed. Their website is gone and when the
number is called that reportedly belonged to them, there is no
answer, night or day. There was a death at this program
and the program was closed by Oregon authorities. However,
upon reaching settlement with Oregon Authorities, Obsidian
Trails was told it could resume operations in 2002.
However, HEAL can find no evidence that Obsidian Trails
continued to operate. If you have additional information,
please
contact us.
Obsidian Trails--Bend, OR. Confirmedly abusive
and deadly.
This program may be closed. The website for the program is
gone and there is no answer when the phone number is called.
HEAL is investigating.
See:
Pacific
Coast Academy--Located
in Samoa. WWASP/WWASPS program now closed due to abuse.
Please
contact us if you have additional information.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2002
pinnacle
foundation
in
utah
This
program appears to be closed. The location now belongs to
a physical therapy out-patient hospital treatment facility
unrelated to Pinnacle. Also, the phone appears to be
disconnected and the website is gone. If you have
additional information, please
let us know.
Pinnacle Foundation--Located in
Richfield, Utah. HEAL recommends no parent subject any
child to any program in Utah as Utah is corrupt and refuses to
regulate or take action against confirmedly abusive programs
such as WWASPS, Provo Canyon School, Sorenson's Ranch, etc...
Don't send your kid to UT! Click here for
vital information you should know about programs in Utah!
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010 (?)
positive
impact
in
mexico
This program was
closed in 2005 because of faulty "design" according to
online reports.
Contact us with additional information.
Positive Impact Bahia de Kino--Located in Mexico.
Don't send your kid out of the country!
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2005
rancho
valmora
in
new mexico
According to
ranchovalmora.org, this program is closed. This was
verified on Nov. 4th, 2010.
Rancho Valmora--Located in Valmora, NM. Please
contact us
with any info on this program.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2009
renaissance
adolescent services, inc.
in
utah
Renaissance
Adolescent Services, Inc. appears to be closed. Their
website is down and the phone number now goes to a private
individual's voice-mail. If you have additional
information, please
contact us.
Renaissance Adolescent Services, Inc.--Located
in Clearfield, UT. Please
contact us
with any info on this program.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?)
renovo boys
academy
in
missouri
Renovo Boys Academy
is closed. This was reported at
www.strugglingteens.com/artman/publish/RenovoBoysAcademyNP_080306.shtml
on November 5th, 2010.
Renovo Boys Academy--Located
in Missouri. Please
contact us with any info on this program.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
royal gorge
academy
in
colorado
Royal Gorge
Academy appears to be closed. The website is down and the
phone is disconnected. The last update on either appears
to have been in 2009. Please
contact us with any additional information.
Stepping Stones for
Success appears to be closed. The number now belongs to a
private individual/family residence. And, there is no
recent information about this program anywhere online. If
you have additional information, please
contact us.
Stepping Stones for Success, LLC--Located in Trout
Creek, MT. Please
contact us
with any info on this program.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010 (?)
summit quest
academy
in
pennsylvania
Summit Quest
Academy appears to be closed. The most recent
information on the program includes a publicized sexual
assault and lawsuit. The phone is disconnected.
If you have additional information, please
let us know.
Summit Quest Academy--Located in Ephrata, PA.
Confirmedly abusive and deadly. See:
http://www.isaccorp.org/summitquest/summit-quest.02.09.06.html
(isaccorp.org is no longer active. HEAL is working to
obtain the data once available at this site. We will
update as soon as possible.)
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?)
temagami
academy
in
canada
Temagami Academy
appears to be closed. The website is for sale and there is
no answer at the phone believed to belong to the program.
There is no other recent information on this program. If
you have additional information,
contact us.
Temagami Academy--Located
in Ontario, Canada. Don't send your child out of the
country.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010(?)
top flight
academy
in
utah
Top Flight Academy
appears to be closed. The website is down and the phone is
disconnected. If you have additional information, please
contact us.
Top
Flight Academy--Located
in Utah. HEAL recommends no parent subject any
child to any program in Utah as Utah is corrupt and refuses to
regulate or take action against confirmedly abusive programs
such as WWASPS, Provo Canyon School, Sorenson's Ranch, etc...
Don't send your kid to UT! Click here for
vital information you should know about programs in Utah!
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
wellspring
academy
in
virginia
Wellspring
Academy is closed. There phones are disconnected.
If you have additional information, please
let us know.
Survivor Reported Closure--From E-mail
Message Received on December 21st, 2010:
"Oasis
Academy
Provo, Utah
Closed in 1995, reported that all remaining children placed
in foster care at time of closure
Staff worked without pay prior to closure
Richard (Rick) Otvos, co owner, claimed bogus "PhD" in
Clinical Psychology from Columbia Pacific University (a
defunct "University" which lost its accreditation by the
State of California).
Bruce Guernsey, other co-owner, former staff psychiatrist at
Utah State Hospital FLED THE COUNTRY after being arrested
for possession of child pornography. He committed suicide in
a Dominican Republic jail in 1996*, according to the Deseret
News.
No education provided to youth. I did not receive high
school credit for my time in the program and almost did not
graduate from high school as a result.
A lot of abuse/maltreatment in the program."
*Survivor corrected report on Guernsey. Year of
suicide is reportedly 2006.
The Founders of
New Haven
RTC in Utah are business partners with the founder of
Oasis Academy.
Birth: 1994
Death: 1995
sky ranch
for boys
in
south dakota
Officials at Sky Ranch for Boys
announced Wednesday that the
group care center for troubled
teens will cease operations in
the next few months.
A
statement issued by the center's
executive director Jodi
Duttenhoffer cites an industry
shift away from the center's
style of residential treatment
and toward a less expensive
community-based alternative as
the reason for the closure.
"The Ranch is currently
caring for less than 20 boys
(down from 40 a few years ago)
and that number is expected to
decline sharply in the weeks
ahead as states implement new
budget policies. Although
exacerbated by the recession,
this does not appear to be a
short-term trend," according to
the statement.
Located in Harding County
near Camp Crook, Sky Ranch for
Boys is a more than 3,000-acre
facility licensed by the South
Dakota Department of Social
Services to take boys aged 10 to
18. The state also recognizes
the on-site school as an
educational provider that
focuses on behavioral problems,
according to the center's
website.
The center began in 1960
under the guidance of Rev. Don
Murray, a Catholic priest, who
died in a plane crash with one
of the boys in 1975. In the
early 1980s, the center was run
by its first lay executive
director, Scott Louks, according
to the Sky Ranch Foundation
website.
Teen Mentor was closed in March, 2011 by Costa Rican
authorities for violating the children's rights and other
child abuse allegations. Source:
www.heal-online.org/tico032211.pdf.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2011
the
elan school
in
maine
The Elan School
in Maine is closing due to lack of
enrollment and the economy. The director claims it is
also due to the efforts of those who have worked tirelessly
to expose the abuse at Elan. Of course, she worded it
differently. See
www.heal-online.org/elan032311.pdf for more information.
Elan Schoolin Poland, ME is a confirmedly
abusive behavior modification program. If you were abused or had
your rights violated at Elan School, please
contact us
and we will post your story here as a warning to
others. For staff and background information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2011
hidden lake
academy
aka
ridge creek
school
in
georgia
Hidden Lake Academy (a.k.a. Ridge Creek
School, Ridge Creek Wilderness)
is located in Dahlonega, GA.
Hidden Lake Academy is a confirmedly abusive program.According to reports to our site they are guilty of numerous
offenses including: violation of constitutional rights, medical
malpractice, and more.
If you would like to read more on the evidence against Hidden lake
Academy,click
here.If you attended Hidden Lake Academy and
were abused while in their care, please
contact us and we’ll add your online testimony to this
website.
For staff and background information,
click here.
New Leaf
Academy in Hendersonville, NC
is scheduled to
close June 25th, 2010.
Aspen will be replacing it with "The Talisman School" in August,
2010.
It is also an Aspen Education Group program (see
Aspen Achievement Academy)
According to one survivor of the program, “As a former student to have completed all the
required work in sun, moon, and star clan, I want to let the public
know what NLA is really like. I went to Green Ridge for 22 months
and Marci was our headmistress...I did not truly improve emotionally
because the program is a scam...When I graduated, I was utterly
vulnerable to the real world. There is no preparation for being
reintroduced to old friends and possible situations. My fellow
sisters...did not truly get any better. Of course, for parents who
are willing to do anything to help their daughter, make sure she's
placed at the Rock Mesa campus because Green Ridge can be very
emotionally draining and depressing.” This is taken from the review
athttp://www.teenprogram.info/schools/view/622.They also use a level-system similar to those used in WWASPS
programs.Beware! If you were abused at New Leaf Academy,
contact us and we will post your online statement here as
a warning to others.
For staff and background info,click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2010
Re-Animation: 2010 -- Re-opened as
The Talisman Academy--still
under Aspen/CRC ownership.
aspen ranch
in
utah
Aspen Ranch
(Scheduled to
Close by July, 2011) in Loa, UT is a
confirmedly abusive program.
They use a 6-tiered level system similar to those used by Provo
Canyon School and the WWASPS programs.
It is our recommendation that unless you live in UT and can monitor
your child’s welfare on at least a weekly basis in person, that you
avoid all Utah-based programs.
If you'd like to read firsthand accounts of abuse at Aspen Ranch,
please click
here. If you were abused or had your rights
violated by Aspen Ranch, please
contact us and we will post your experience here as a
warning to others.
For staff and background info,click here. Click here for vital
information you should know about programs in Utah!
Birth: Unnatural
Death: July, 2011
sunhawk
academy
in
utah
Sunhawk Academy(aka Sunhawk Adolescent Recover Center)
(Scheduled to
Close by July, 2011) in St. George, UT is suspected of being an
abusive behavior modification facility.They are a member of the Aspen Education Group which also runsStone Mountain Academy, a confirmedly abusive program.On top of this, they are located in St. George, notorious home
of the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools.We recommend you do not send your child to this program.If you were abused or had your rights violated at Sunhawk
Academy, pleasecontact us and we will post your experience here as a
warning to others. For staff and background info,click here. Click here for vital
information you should know about programs in Utah!
Birth: Unnatural
Death: July, 2011
bromley
brook school
in
vermont
Bromley Brook School (Scheduled to
Close by
July, 2011)
in Manchester Center, VT is an Aspen
Education Group (AEG) program. In the past few years, there
have been at least 3 reported deaths at Aspen Education Group
programs.
AEG ownsStone Mountain
School, a confirmedly abusive program.They use a level system similar to WWASPS and Provo Canyon
School and are breaking federal laws by censoring/monitoring the
mail of children in their program.
Bromley Brook School is confirmedly abusive. On September
10th, 2009, HEAL received the following report from a mother
regarding her daughter's experience: "I
am a parent of a former student at Bromley Brook. My daughter’s
stay at Bromley Brook was very damaging to her. The program is an
outrageous fraud. My daughter was not provided with the education,
nurture, counseling, support, activities and help she needed as
promised. Moreover, the experience my daughter had at Bromley Brook
set her back emotionally. I am thankful that we finally became
convinced that it was abusive and took her out. I am considering
taking legal action against the school and my daughter may do so on
her own if I don’t. It was an abusive place that they called a
school. I only wish I had investigated the school further. Despite
our efforts, (contacting parents, counselors, so-called experts), we
were terribly misled to put it mildly."
If you were abused at Bromley Brook School, pleasecontact usand we will post your experience here as a
warning to others.
For staff and background info,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: July, 2011
king george
school
in
vermont
King George School
(CLOSED 3/25/05--Reportedly
closing in June, 2011):
in Vermont was formerly aCEDU Family of Services
program.CEDU programs are confirmedly abusive behavior modification
programs. We highly suspect
that while the ownership changed, the methods did not.
If you were abused or had your rights violated at King George
School, pleasecontact us
and we will post your online statement here as
a warning to others. For staff and background info,click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2011
blue peak
academy
in
utah
Blue Peak Academy
in Koosharem, UT. This program was operated by the Sorenson
family. The Sorenson's programs are confirmedly abusive.
Click here for
vital information you should know about programs in Utah!
Please
contact us with any information on this program.
HEAL Coordinator confirmed this program is closed by phone
on August 24th, 2011.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2011
renewing
hope academy
in
utah
Renewing Hope Academy--
in Apple Valley, UT. This program was co-founded by
John Walters, formerly with
Cinnamon
Hills Youth Crisis Center and
Sunhawk
Academy. This program is located in Utah and due to
the corruption in
Utah and problems with programs currently operating in this
state, we advise against it. Please
contact us with any information on this program. Thank
you. The office address for this start-up was 40 N 300 E,
Ste 101, St. George, UT 84770. In looking up this address
on August 31st, 2011, it appears to belong to Prestige Title
Insurance Agency. The physical location planned for
Renewing Hope Academy was reportedly 1428 S. Canyon Dr., Apple
Valley, UT.
That
property is currently listed for sale at a selling price of over
$500,000. Based on the information available, we
believe this program never opened and/or has subsequently
closed. We were unable to find any phone number for this
program and the addresses affiliated with it are no longer
listed as belonging to Renewing Hope Academy. Please
contact us with any information.
Birth: Still-born?
Death: DOA?
woodland
hills academy
aka
woodland
hills maternity home
in
utah
Woodland Hills Maternity Home (aka Woodland Hills,
Woodland Hills Academy)--Located in Woodland Hills/Salem, Utah. Reportedly affiliated with notoriously abusive WWASP/WWASPS
programs. See:
http://www.isaccorp.org/wwaspspf.html (isaccorp.org
is no longer active. HEAL is working to obtain the
data once available at this site. We will update as
soon as possible.) Click here for
vital information you should know about programs in Utah!This
program There is no recent information available
online about this program. It is/was opened and run by
Jim and Helen Kemp. Please
contact us with additional information, including
evidence the program is closed. Thank you. (Nov. 7th,
2010) Based on the information available, we believe
this program is closed. Woodland Hills Academy's phone
number was (801)423-2221 and that number is disconnected.
Their website was woodlandhillsacademy.com and it is off-line.
And, the Utah Department of Human Services, Office of Licensing
has no available records on this program as of September 30th,
2011. Therefore, HEAL believes this program is closed.
The website appears to have gone off-line in 2009 according to
the records found at archive.org. This is the year we
believe the program may have closed.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2009 (?)
tipton
academy & meadowlark Academy
in
kansas
Tipton
Academy/Meadowlark Academy--Located
in Tipton/Delphos, KS. This program used "Positive
Peer Culture" (a.k.a. Confrontational "Therapy") which has
been
proven to be ineffective and psychologically harmful.
The president of Tipton/Meadowlark Academy is Kevin Richey.
The principal is "JR" Richey. Danielle McClendon is
the program administrator. (As of November 22nd, 2009,
according to the Better Business Bureau). If you know
anything about this program, pleasecontact us.
Tipton is the
boy's campus and Meadowlark is the girl's campus. The
two programs are related and their online promotional
materials nearly identical to each other. For staff, background information,
and closing details
click here.
Academy of Eastern
Arizona was reportedly closed due to failure to meet minimum
safety standards. HEAL verified that this program is
closed by checking it's website and seeing that the url (web
adddress) is for sale. Academy of Eastern Arizona's
sister program, Integrity House, is still operating in Utah.
See
www.heal-online.org/integ.htm for more information.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2011
NEW HORIZONS
YOUTH MINISTRIES
IN
INDIANA
New Horizons Youth Ministries in Marion,
IN (as well as Ontario Canada and the Dominican Republic) is a
confirmedly abusive program. Please visit:
http://nhym-alumni.org/
for detailed allegations of abuse at these programs. To read
survivor testimony,
click here. If you were abused or had your rights violated
by New Horizons Youth Ministries, we ask that you
contact us with your story so we can post it here as a warning
to others. For staff and background information,
click here.
HEAL received evidence that the Marion, IN location had been
sold. The website for NHYM is off-line and the phone
number appears to belong to a business called Cross Wind(s)
now. This is the basis of our believing this program
is closed.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2011
Re-Animation: 2011
(NHYM appears to have simply changed CEOs and operating names, but
the "new" programs are in the same location with the same staff.
Click here for more
info.)
ESCUELA
CARIBE
IN
DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC
Escuala
Caribe--Located
in the Dominican Republic. Don't send your kid out of the
country. HEAL has received multiple reports of torture at
this facility including the mangling of children's hands in
pick-axe "accidents". Please do not send your child to
this program! For staff and background information,
click here.
HEAL received evidence that this location was sold and
closed. The website is down and the phone number is a
recorded message that has no working extensions. This
is the basis of our believing this program is closed.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2011
Re-Animation: Caribbean Mountain Academy (?)
GATEHOUSE
ACADEMY
IN
ARIZONA
Gatehouse Academy--Located
in Wickenburg, AZ (and Sarasota Springs, NY). THIS PROGRAM
IS CLOSED.
It's
application states that it is not a "treatment center" or a
"medical center". In addition, all communications are
monitored by staff and visits are also monitored and scheduled.
Any program that denies contact between parent and child at any
time during their stay is likely abusive. Also, parents
are not allowed to spontaneously visit or interact with their
children privately. This is also a red flag. Please
review the warning signs list at
www.heal-online.org/warn.htm for more information regarding what practices
imply an overly restrictive and/or abusive atmosphere.
Also, Gatehouse allows "distance learning" and is partnered with
Brigham Young University (BYU) for this purpose. BYU is
the birthplace of abusive "treatment" models and this
association suggests that Gatehouse is using an abusive
treatment model. In addition, Gatehouse Academy touts its
affiliation with NATSAP (an accreditation agency created by
abusive behavior modification program owners to give the
appearance of legitimacy to themselves and others in this
industry) and the Woodbury Reports as proof of effectiveness.
Please see our website at
www.heal-online.org/accreditation.htm
for information on how/why these accreditation agencies are
untrustworthy. Woodbury Reports rewards bad behavior and
aids in covering up abuse at many facilities. Also,
Gatehouse is hiring and to work with the patients, all is
required is a "high school diploma" or "equivalent". They
are not providing qualified and trained addiction specialists or
mental health professionals to their clients and allowing
uneducated and inexperienced people to be in unsupervised
positions of power over residents in their care. This is a
serious issue. We recommend you do not subject yourself or
your young adults (17-25 years old) to this facility. If
you have been defrauded, abused, or had your rights violated by
Gatehouse Academy, please
contact us and we will post your story here as a warning to
others. To learn more about the staff and cult
associations of Gatehouse Academy,
click here. Gatehouse Academy
closed all locations on March 19th, 2012. (Source:
gatehouseacademy.com, March 20th, 2012)
Birth: Unnatural
Death: March, 2012
keystone
marion youth center
in
virginia
US: Va. treatment center operators to pay $6.85m
By: |Associated
Press
Published: March 28, 2012
MARION, Va. (AP) The operators of
a now-closed residential treatment center in southwest
Virginia have agreed to a $6.85 million settlement with
the state and federal governments over alleged
substandard psychiatric treatment for adolescents.
The Justice Department announced
the settlement Wednesday involving the former Keystone
Marion Youth Center in Smyth (smith) County. The
settlement involves Universal Health Services Inc. and
two subsidiaries.
The government says the settlement
resolves a whistleblower lawsuit filed by three former
therapists at the closed center.
Justice officials say the
"disturbing allegations" against Universal Health
Services and its subsidiaries involved false records and
claims to Virginia Medicaid in connection with shoddy
care to emotionally troubled youth at the treatment
center in Marion.
The government says the three
therapists settled a separate discrimination claim with
Universal.
Passages to Recovery in Loa, UT and was suspected of being an abusive behavior
modification program.
It was an Aspen Education Group program.We’ve received reports of abuse at multiple Aspen Education
Group programs including New Leaf Academy,
Excel Academy,
Stone Mountain School,
and
Aspen Achievement Academy. Based on the fact that they used a level system and are owned by
Aspen Education Group, we determined that Passages to Recovery was
suspect and to be avoided.
If you were abused by Passages to Recovery or they violated your
rights in anyway (if at any time you had your mail read or censored
they violated your civil rights, for example), please
e-mail us and we will post your experience
here as a warning to
others.
For staff and background info,
click here. Click here for vital
information you should know about programs in Utah!
This program is reportedly closed and/or has been "integrated"
into SUWS in Idaho. For more information on this program,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2011/2012
AXIOS YOUTH
COMMUNITY
IN
COLORADO
Axios Youth Community--Located
in Green Mountain Falls, CO. This program is highly
suspect and in recent news reports allegations of sexual assault
have forced Axios to shut down their program for young girls.
(Source:
http://www.kktv.com/news/headlines/Allegations_against_Axios
Catherine Freer Wilderness Program
located in Albany, OR is a confirmedly abusive behavior modification
program and is closed. A fifteen year-old
girl was killed in the program in May of 2002.Do not send your child to a program known to be responsible for
the death of other children.
If you were abused in the Catherine Freer Wilderness Program,
contact us and we will post your online statement here as a
warning to others. For the staff list and history,
click here.
Santiam Crossing
School--located in Albany, OR. This program is a
Catherine Freer Wilderness program. Freer is
confirmedly abusive and deadly.
Contact us with any info on this program.
For the staff list and history,
click here. No word yet on whether or not Oregon Transition Homes
(the third arm of the Freer programs) is closing/closed.
It appears to be incorporated into Catherine Freer overall, so,
it is likely closed as well. It is not specifically
mentioned in the article linked below as closing, so, we are
waiting on final confirmation before moving it here.
Victory Christian
Academy(aka
Lighthouse of Northwest Florida) in Jay, FL is confirmedly abusive.
It is the sister program of Genesis by the Sea, a program recently
closed down in Mexico for gross human rights violations of the children
in their care. To read survivor accounts of life at Victory Christian
Academy,
click here.
Michele Ulriksen has written an expose' on Victory Christian Academy,
see: www.ReformAtVictory.com
If you were abused or had your rights violated at Victory Christian
Academy, please
contact us
and we will post your experience here as a warning to others.
For staff and background information, click
here.
Austin
Sendero Eating Disorder--Located
in Granger (near Austin), Texas. This was an CRC Health/Aspen
Education Group
affiliated program. If you have been abused or had your rights violated
by Austin Sendero, please
contact us
and we will post your statement here as a warning to others. Its
accreditation comes from
JCAHO and CARF,
neither of which do any type of inspection or investigation regarding
child abuse allegations or methods of "treatment". For staff and
background info,
click here. On June
9th, 2013, HEAL volunteers found that Austin Sendero Recovery's
website was auto-forwarding to the CRC Health corporate website.
Our volunteers also telephoned the facility and found the number
did not connect to Austin Sendero Recovery. Based on this
information and the fact that the CRC Health list of open
centers for eating disorders does not include Austin Sendero
Recovery, we are confident that this program is closed.
Birth: Unnatural (2008)
Death: Confirmed June, 2013
ROCKLYN ACADEMY
IN
ONTARIO, CANADA
Rocklyn Academy--Located in Ontario, Canada. Don't
send your child out of the country! For staff and
background information,
click here.
Rocklyn Academy closed in 2010 and HEAL verified this by checking their
website and finding that it no longer exists.
Aspen Achievement
Academylocated in
Utah is a confirmedly abusive program. The use of the words intensive
in describing the “mouse phase” of this four level system and the fact
that the duration is 48 hours. The descriptions on the site suggest
forced fasting as well as constant verbal and possibly physical attacks
during this time. Based on this and the fact that they are owned and
operated by Aspen Education Group, a known suspect in the child torture
industry, suggests they are to be avoided. For staff and
background info,
click here.
Click here for vital information you should know about programs in Utah!Program
is closed. Source:
http://wiki.fornits.com/index.php?title=Aspen_Achievement_Academy
Academy at Swift Riverin Cummington, MA
was a confirmedly abusive behavior modification facility. For survivor
accounts, visit:
www.heal-online.org/swiftriver.htm
They are a member of the Aspen Education Group which includes Mount
Bachelor Academy. They use the same systems of isolation and sensory
deprivation as well as the “merit” or “level-based” system for behavior
modification that WWASPS and Provo Canyon School, who are confirmed
child abusers, use to break the minds and spirits of the children in
their care. We believe if you compare the warning signs at
www.heal-online.org/warn.htm
that you will discover the truth about Swift River’s abuse of children.
If you were abused at Swift River, please contact us
with your statement so we can post it to the website as a warning to
others. Thank you.
For staff and background information,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2013
CROSS CREEK PROGRAMS (AKA WWASPS, HORIZON ACADEMY, YOUTH FOUNDATION
INC., ETC.)
IN
UTAH
Cross Creek Programslocated in Utah is another World Wide
Association of Specialty Programs and Schools program. Representative
George Miller of California demanded in investigation into all World
Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools after receiving
hundreds of complaints from his constituents about the torture and abuse
suffered by them and/or their children. You
may read the correspondence between John Ashcroft and George Miller by
visiting:
http://nospank.net/ashcroft.htm.
As of
January 9th, 2004, California Representative George Miller demanded, and
was denied by John Ashcroft, an investigation into WWASPS. According to
Representative Miller of California, “There
is a laundry list of abuse of children at WWASPS schools: deprivation of
food, deprivation of contact with their peers, physical abuse, mental
abuse, sexual abuse, and parents are paying big money for services not
rendered," Miller added in a Nov. 6 news release.” For more statements
regarding Cross Creek programs, read below or click here.
“I
recently picked my son up from this program after they wanted to send
him to one of their affiliate programs out of the country. The tactics
they use are dangerous, my son attempted suicide while there and no one
even bother to let his parents know. The official diagnosis from this
school was that my kid was a "spoiled brat". He is actually Bipolar and
we were seeking a therapeutic school that would help him deal with his
problems in a positive manner. I was shocked to learn that the parent
reference list is made up of parents who will say anything to get a
month of free tuition. Follow the money trail, they also give misleading
information about your child's progress so that they will stay
longer...more tuition $ for them I guess. My son is now in an amazing
school, has not had a single incident of bad behavior, I speak to him
weekly and things are looking up...no thanks to Cross Creek. If you have
or are considering this school LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP!!! If your child is
already there insist on speaking to your child. I have already reported
them to Utah child services. Oh by the way my husband and I are health
care professionals...we hope anyone reading this will learn from our
mistake.”Horizon
Academywas originally in Nevada and moved to UT to the Cross
Creek location and
was a WWASPS program.
Representative George Miller of California demanded in investigation
into all World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools after
receiving hundreds of complaints from his constituents about the torture
and abuse suffered by them and/or their children. You may read the
correspondence between John Ashcroft and George Miller by visiting:
http://nospank.net/ashcroft.htm.
As of
January 9th, 2004, California Representative George Miller demanded, and
was denied by John Ashcroft, an investigation into WWASPS. According to
Representative Miller of California, “There
is a laundry list of abuse of children at WWASPS schools: deprivation of
food, deprivation of contact with their peers, physical abuse, mental
abuse, sexual abuse, and parents are paying big money for services not
rendered," Miller added in a Nov. 6 news release.” For
more information on WWASP, visit:
www.heal-online.org/wwasp.htm
If you were abused or had your rights violated at Horizon Academy,
please contact us
and we will post your online statement here as a warning to others. For
staff and background info,
click here.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2013
Re-animation:
2014 as Northwest Academy operating in Amargosa Valley, NV
CAMAS RANCH (WWASPS)
IN
MONTANA
Camas
Ranch--Located in
Thompson Falls, MT. It
is a part of
Spring Creek Lodge, a confirmedly abusive
WWASP program.
Camas Ranch takes young adults (ages 18-24) for abusive behavior
modification/thought
reform. WWASP/WWASPS is a confirmedly abusive organization.
If you were abused or had your rights violated at Camas Ranch, please
contact us and we will post your story
here as a warning to
others. For staff and background info,
click here.
Camas Ranch is reportedly closed, website and phone disconnected.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2013 (Confirmed)
CAMP TRACEY CHILDREN'S HOME
IN
FLORIDA
Camp Tracey Children’s
Home—operated
by Harvest Baptist Church north of Glen Saint Mary, FL is confirmedly
abusive. As early as 1987 abuse was documented at this program. A
grand jury issued a report on abuse and negligence complaining that thee
camp did not keep records of injuries or abuse, did not report suspected
abuse to the state, had no staff trained in health or nutrition, was not
inspected for compliance with health, building and fire codes; had no
certified teachers, scheduled a grossly substandard amount of time for
instruction, had a convicted felon on staff, censored students’ mail,
severely limited contact of students with their parents, used corporal
punishment frequently, restrained students with ropes and handcuffs, and
forced them into slavery (uncompensated work for private citizens under
duress of physical/mental punishment). We recommend parents do not send
their child to this program. If you were abused or had your rights
violated at Camp Tracey, please contact us
and we will post your experience here as a warning to others. Detailed
report provided by Children’s Healthcare
Is a Legal Duty, Inc.
Nov. 4th, 2004 newsletter. For staff and
background information,
click here.
For article on closure, see:
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-10-09/story/around-region-embattled-childrens-home-ministry-closing-baker-county
magnolia christian academy (aka carolina springs academy)
in
south carolina
Magnolia
Christian School(formerly known
as Carolina Springs Academy) in Due
West, South Carolina is a World Wide Association of Specialty Programs
and Schools program scheduled to "re-open" in 2011. Representative
George Miller of California demanded in investigation into all World
Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools after receiving
hundreds of complaints from his constituents about the torture and abuse
suffered by them and/or their children. You may read
the correspondence between John Ashcroft and George Miller by visiting:
http://nospank.net/ashcroft.htm.
As of
January 9th, 2004, California Representative George Miller demanded, and
was denied by John Ashcroft, an investigation into WWASPS. According to
Representative Miller of California, “There
is a laundry list of abuse of children at WWASPS schools: deprivation of
food, deprivation of contact with their peers, physical abuse, mental
abuse, sexual abuse, and parents are paying big money for services not
rendered," Miller added in a Nov. 6 news release.” Another point, the
slogan reads, “Teaching respect, honor, and integrity in the traditions
of the Old South.” Would that be the Old South that refused to give the
up the dehumanizing institution of enslaving African Americans and is
known for lynchings, murder, and the most heinous disregard for human
and civil rights? We think so. At least that’s a taste of truth in
advertising. For
more information on WWASP, visit:
www.heal-online.org/wwasp.htm
If you were abused at Carolina Springs Academy, please
contact us
and will post your experience here as a warning to others. For staff information and background,
click here.
This program is confirmedly closed. Websites gone, phone numbers
disconnected. But, a new program with ties to Carolina Springs
(claiming no affiliation) has opened up shop. We will keep an eye
on the situation.
Birth: Unnatural
Death: 2012 (Confirmed 2014)
SOVEREIGN JOURNEY
IN
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Sovereign Journey --Located
in Bethlehem, NH. This program is just starting and it has
connections to some of the worst cults and program networks
known to investigators including CEDU (King
George School) and Aspen Education Group. These are
all serious concerns. According to strugglingteens.com,
Karen Fitzhugh has a history of working for
Fulshear
Academy,
Aspen
Education Group, and King George School. This does not
encourage faith that Sovereign Journey will be anything more
than another scam. We recommend against Sovereign Journey for this reason and suggest parents use the warning signs
list at
www.heal-online.org/warn.htm to develop questions and
evaluate any program they consider.
Contact us with any information on this program.
The staff and background information page for this program is
available now at www.heal-online.org/sojo.htm.
Shay
Butts is the National Outreach Coordinator for
CEDU.
So, all of this raises serious concerns. This program is
closed, the announcement for closure was made publicly by Karen Fitzhugh
on February 14th, 2014.
Wichita group home closed due to numerous violations By: KAKE
News Email Updated: Wed 5:08
PM, Aug 20, 2014 By: KAKE News
WICHITA, Kan. — A
Wichita group home has been shut down after a state agency found
numerous violations. The Kansas Department for Aging and
Disabilities Services has revoked the license of the Atishwin
Institute, a group home and treatment provider for individuals
with substance use disorders. On Tuesday, August 19, KDADS
agency representatives conducted a site visit and survey of
Atishwin. They observed numerous violations of state
regulations, some major, that could "impact safety and
quality-of-care provided to individuals receiving treatment
there." The violations included improper storage of drugs,
treatment being provided by unlicensed staff, unsafe conditions
such as disconnected fire alarms, broken mirrors and glass,
insect and rodent infestations and other unsanitary conditions.
Inspectors also determined employee tuberculosis tests had not
been completed, no biohazard waste disposal was available and
the facility had no way to maintain controlled medications. They
also found the licensee had failed to comply with the Alcohol or
Other Drug Addiction Treatment act and said there was no
evidence of a current fire inspection. The facility, located at
937 S. Bluffview, was required to close immediately. KDADS said
the licensee may request a hearing regarding the closure within
15 days of the notice. Failure to do so would result in a waiver
of their right to a hearing and the closure order will become
final, revoking the licensee's order to operate a treatment
facility. The facility has 35 beds. KDADS staff is assisting
about 25 residents find alternate accommodations.
Source:
http://www.kake.com/home/headlines/Wichita-group-home-closed-due-to-numerous-violations-272021221.html
Birth: Unnatural
Death: August, 2014
ROCK RIVER ACADEMY
IN
ILLINOIS
Center for troubled girls will close, cites decision by DCFS
Caption'Scared to death to return' Anthony Souffle / Chicago
Tribune Michele Gans' daughter Emma, left, was attacked at Rock
River Academy. The beating by peers left Emma with a broken
facial bone and chunks of hair torn from her head. Gans brought
her daughter home to western Illinois. Michele Gans' daughter
Emma, left, was attacked at Rock River Academy. The beating by
peers left Emma with a broken facial bone and chunks of hair
torn from her head. Gans brought her daughter home to western
Illinois. (Anthony Souffle / Chicago Tribune)
See more galleries Caption'I was fighting every day' Anthony
Souffle, Chicago Tribune Rock River Academy in Rockford is a
59-bed facility for juvenile state wards and girls with behavior
problems. Many girls said they came out more damaged than when
they went in. Rock River Academy in Rockford is a 59-bed
facility for juvenile state wards and girls with behavior
problems. Many girls said they came out more damaged than when
they went in. (Anthony Souffle, Chicago Tribune)
See more galleries CaptionWe felt caged Anthony Souffle,
Chicago Tribune MsWhitney Holt said sexual violence was common
at Rock River Academy. Today she is building a new life as a
restaurant manager with a child and an apartment of her own.
MsWhitney Holt said sexual violence was