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BOOT CAMP FOR KIDS: Torturing Teens for Fun and Profit
Author Topic: BOOT CAMP FOR KIDS: Torturing Teens for Fun and Profit (Read 4285 times)
This is a interesting site with over 100 incidents of abuse documented.
http://www.nospank.net/boot.htm
Youth trainer at a juvenile facility: "If I can't make a kid puke or piss in his pants on his first day, I'm not doing my job."
Other Web-based organizations that report on the child-abuse-disguised-as-therapy industry
ANTIWWASP.COM
Community Alliance for the Fair and Ethical Treatment of Youth
CAFETY.ORG
Coalition Against Institutionalized Child Abuse, Inc.
CAICA.ORG
If you are the owner of a site that belongs on the above list, or know of one, please advise www.montanapbs.org/WhosWatchingTheKids/, then select Windows Media Player.
Graduate of a school for troubled teens describes therapy
Molestation and beatings commonplace in Texas youth lockups; cover-up of abuses probed; reforms promised 2007
REFORMING TEXAS REFORM SCHOOLS by Jordan Riak, April 3, 2007
TWO LETTERS FROM A DESPERATE MOM, March 22, 2007
DEADLY RESTRAINT, By Jordan Riak, December 1999; Revised/updated May 2006
JOEY ALETRIZ
Beaten and suffocated at SummitQuest Academy
No charges will be filed in teen's death
MARTIN LEE ANDERSON: A LIFE CUT SHORT February, 2006
Teen walked into the Bay County Sheriff's Office Boot Camp facility in perfect health, but was transported out comatose in an ambulance two hours later.
RODNEY HULIN, JR.
17-year-old dies by suicide following repeated rapes and beatings while in custody, June 1996.
RAPE AS PUNISHMENT
School of Shock
How many times do you have to zap a child before it's torture?
By Jennifer Gonnerman, Mother Jones, August 20, 2007
JUDGE ROTENBERG CENTER INVESTIGATED FOR ALLEGED CRUELTY TO CHILDREN, June, 2006
Breaking Down Our Kids; Child Abuse for Profit is Occurring in America By Joshua Chiappelli, SOURCE: Dissident Voice, April 20, 2006
NO MORE NIGHTMARES AT TRANQUILITY BAY?, By John Gorenfeld, AlterNet, January 23, 2006
AT SOME YOUTH 'TREATMENT' FACILITIES, 'TOUGH LOVE' TAKES BRUTAL FORMS, By Michelle Chen
SOURCE: The New Standard , November 21, 2005
Exploitation of Youth & Families: Perspectives on Unregulated Residential Treatment, By Allison Pinto, Ph.D., Monica Epstein, Ph.D., Paul Lewis, B.B.A., Kathryn Whitehead, B.A.
Presented to APA Convention, August 12, 2006
Exploitation in the name of "specialty schooling"
By Allison Pinto, Ph.D., Robert M. Friedman, Ph.D. and Monica Epstein, Ph.D.
Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, 2005
STATEMENT BY KATHRYN WHITEHEAD, Former Student at Mission Mountain School, Montana, October 25, 2005
SOURCE: www.cafety.org
FALSE ALLURE OF THE BOOT CAMP
By Henry Lawton
Correspondence to PTAVE, January 18, 2005
BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION FACILITIES
U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C., January, 2004
TEEN-HELP OPERATORS HAVE CLOUT Family behind schools with checkered record calls in political favors, critics say (Article Last Updated: 09/21/2004 10:59:06 AM ) By Dan Harrie and Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune, September 21, 2004
BREAKING THE VOW OF SECRECY A true story about Teen Help/WWASP By Karen Lile, January 1998
CAN I TRUST THEM? My Experience of Teen Help / WWASP/ASI/Resource Realizations/ "Discovery" Seminar, and Results of Subsequent Research, A personal account by Kendall Ross Bean, January 1998
AMBASSADOR DE SADE, By John Gorenfeld, AlterNet, SOURCE: http://alternet.org/story/27725/, November 8. 2005
Congressman George Miller (7th District, California) introduces legislation to curb child abuse in residential treatment programs. Bill would affect facilities both in U.S. and abroad
Read: Press release
Read: End Institutional Abuse Against Children Act (Adobe Reader required)
Read: Correspondence between Congressman George Miller and Attorney General John Ashcroft about alleged human rights violations of children in WWASPS facilities.
Petition for the passage of the End Institutionalized Abuse Against Children Act of 2005
www.PetitionOnline.com/hr1738/petition.html
Please click the above link and sign now!
'White House Boy' tells his story, By Tony Holt, Hernando Today, December 18, 2011
A Dozier boy's nightmares, By Robert W. Straley, Special to the St. Petersburg Times, June 12, 2011
Family history uncovers Waco State Home's brutal past, By Patrick Beach, Staff, American-Statesman, February 14, 2011
Mother speaks out about son's abuse at TX state school, By Terri Gruca, KVUE News, TX, August 17, 2010
TIME-OUT OR TORTURE? Sex offender put kids 'through hell' in time-out room, By Clio Francis, Sunday Star Times, August, 8, 2010
A TIMES EDITORIAL — Legislature should fix Dozier School for Boys or shut it now, St. Petersburg Times, March, 10, 2010
Plainfield school accused of food denial, using 'jail cell', By Emily Groves, Norwich Bulletin, March, 6, 2010
Justice denied: Pa. judges accused of taking kickbacks to send youngsters to juvenile prison, By MICHAEL RUBINKAM and MARYCLAIRE DALE , Associated Press, StarTribune.com, February 11, 2009
3 Fired From Treatment Center In Teen's Death, Associated Press, www.nbc4i.com, February 8, 2009
DEADLY RESTRAINT By Jordan Riak, December 1999, Revised/updated May 2006
Memories of Casa by the Sea, By Ramey Smith, July 10, 2008
Boy suffocated during school punishment; Coroner's Report, Graeme Hamilton, National Post, with files from Canwest News Service, June 20, 2008
ACLU sues Texas youth prison system claiming abuse, By Jim Vertuno, Associated Press, June 11, 2008
Survey: 13,000 Claims of Abuse Reported in U.S. Juvenile Centers 2004 through 2007, By Associated Press, March 2, 2008
Youth pleads to get out of rehab, By Cayman Net News Online, February 29, 2008
Texas Youth Commission workers accused of sexually abusing juvenile inmates; two face trial but venue not yet set, From staff and wire reports, Dallas Morning News, January 17, 2008
Handle With Care: The state continues to license a Midstate youth treatment facility where two have died and many others have been abused, By Elizabeth Ulrich, Nashville Scene, November 8, 2007
Experts on Self-Injurious Kids Challenge Dr. Israel's Methods, By Jennifer Gonnerman, Mother Jones, August 20, 2007
What Works for Troubled Teens?, By Maia Szalavitz, Mother Jones, August 2007
Eating Their Own Vomit, By Maggie Burks, Jackson Free Press, November 7, 2007
When 'Tough Love' Is Too Tough, EDITORIAL, New York Times, October 16, 2007
Troubles Mount Within Texas Youth Detention Agency, By Solomon Moore, New York Times, October 16, 2007
Teenager testifies in Hinton trial, Vic Vela, Cañon City The Daily Record, August 28, 2007
Christian discipline? 2 arrested in alleged dragging of girl behind van at boot camp, By Associated Press, Houston Chronicle, August 10, 2007
Abuse, neglect appear widespread in Texas schools for retarded, By Emily Ramshaw and Amy Rosen, Dallas Morning News, July 23, 2007
Loophole in state law has allowed some in teen-help industry to go unlicensed, By Kirsten Stewart, The Salt Lake Tribune, July 16, 2007
EDITORIAL: Close Columbia Training School By JFP Staff, Jackson free Press, June 13, 2007
Mississippi Sued Over Alleged Abuse at Girls Detention Center, FOXNews.com, July 12, 2007
Academy alleges libel, slander, By Vic Vela, Daily Record, July 7, 2007
Criticism over youth jail death, BBC News, June 28, 2007
Romney, Torture, and Teens: The former governor's connections to abusive "tough love" camps, By Maia Szalavitz, reasononline (www.reason.com), June 27, 2007
MOVIE REVIEW: "Over the GW", If These Cold Walls Could Talk, By Nicolas Rapold, The New York Sun, June 28, 2007
N.Y. report denounces shock use at school; Says students are living in fear, Boston Globe, By Scott Allen, Globe Staff, June 15, 2007
Texas Youth Prison Official Fired; Inmate Abuse Alleged, By Lynn Brezosky, Associated Press Writer, FOX 4, April 29, 2007
The Horrors of Hutto; Inside Texas' For-Profit Immigrant Prison, By Cindy Beringer, CounterPunch, April 28-29, 2007
Texas Juvenile Detention Centers Cope With Charges of Rape, Abuse, By Keith Elliot Greenberg, FOXNEWS.COM, April 16, 2007
Ex-youth prison officials charged with inmate abuse, CNN.com, April 10, 2007
Police Investigate All 22 Texas Youth Prisons for Inmate Abuse, By Associated Press, March 6, 2007
Lichfield Declared Innocent of Dundee Ranch Academy Abuse Charges, By Leland Baxter-Neal, Tico Times Staff | www.stats.org, August 17, 2005
The lessons I learned at Casa by the Sea , By Sarah Barlow, August 6, 2005
Abounding Grace School's owners to answer charges; Punishment turned into abuse, boys say, By Jessica Guenzel, Winston-Salem Journal, July 31, 2005
Camp Counselors Charged in Teen's Death, Earthlink.net, July 19, 2005
Camp death leads to murder charges -- Boy died after being restrained by counselors, By Craig Schneider, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 19, 2005
My unforgettable experience as a guest of the state, By Carlos, June 25, 2005
FORT LAUDERDALE `BOOT CAMP' -- Slew of calls drew police to school, By Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, June 3, 2005
Abuse allegations investigated at Lauderdale boarding school for girls, By Bill Hirschman, Sun-Sentinal, June 2, 2005
FORT LAUDERDALE `BOOT CAMP' - Loophole let school avoid regulation, By Carol Mabin Miller, Miami Herald, June 2, 2005
Army-style girls' school shuts doors, By Carol Marbin Miller , Miami Herald, June 1, 2005
Counselors Fired After Death at Ga. Camp, By Harry R. Weber, apnews.excite.com, May 13, 2005
Boy's pleas for aid denied; Inhaler withheld, restrained teen died, By Craig Schneider, Jill Young Miller - Staff, Atlanta Constitution-Journal, May 7, 2005
State probes boy's death; Camp's risky punishment cited, By Jill Young Miller, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 6, 2005
Lawsuit: Youth claims camp couselors broke his arms, By Barbara White Stack, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 3, 2005
Private school doesn't like state's 'therapeutic' label , By Kirsten Stewart, The Salt Lake Tribune, April 29, 2005
Mother Files Lawsuit, Claims Boarding School Abused Son, By Associated Press, KSL TV, April 22, 2005
Mother sues treatment center, claims son was beaten, abused , By Pamela Manson, The Salt Lake Tribune, April 22, 2005
GEORGE MILLER: End Institutional Abuse Against Children Act, April 20, 2005
Suitor loses Kemper bid -- Boonville council rejects offer, By John Sullivan, Columbia Daily Tribune, April 19, 2005
Mom pulls twins from Eagle Point after riot, By Mollie Reeves, The Mississippi Press, April 16, 2005
Ivy Ridge accreditation suspended in state probe, By Chris Garifo, Times Albany Correspondent Watertime Daily Times, April 15, 2005
The lawsuits against Bethel Boys Academy in Mississippi, SOURCE: www.heal-online.org/bethelsuits.htm
His Own Private Abu Ghraib, By John Gorenfeld, March 23, 2005, Source: Orkut
Boonville looks to sell old academy, By Steve Rock, The Kansas City Star, March 21, 2005
Group Seeks Probe Into Boading School, By The Associated Press, KSL TV, March 6, 2005
Bethel Shuts Down After Girls Flee, WDAM-TV, February 17, 2005
Students flee Bethel school; allege abuse, HattiesburgAmerican.com, February 16, 2005
Beware of the quick fix, Henry Lawton's remarks after reading about the teen's death at Thayer Learning Center Boot Camp, February 8, 2005
Reforming youth prisons: Rehabilitation being favored over punishment, Source: TheReporter.com, February 7, 2005
THAYER LEARNING CENTER -- Boot camp sued in Santa Rosa teen's death -- Suit says Missouri center failed to give prompt, competent medical care, also abused youth, By Paul Payne & Carol Benfell, The Press Democrat, February 7, 2005
Scrutiny increases on centers for teens; Four compounds in Baja closed in as many months, By Sandra Dibble, Staff Writer Union-Tribune, January 10, 2005
Boot camp director guilty in teen's death, By Michael Kiefer, The Arizona Republic, January 3, 2005
Suffering Together, By Trevor Aaronson, New Times Broward-Palm Beach, December 9, 2004
Paradise lost: Pupils complain of life in Jamaican boot camp, By Oliver Duff, The Independent, December 7, 2004
Secrets in the Schoolhouse, WEAR-TV, November 30, 2004
Parents Sue Bethel Boys Academy; Plaintiffs allege systemic, methodical torture of youths - In a civil action filed November 2, 2004, against Bethel Boarding Academy, AKA Bethel Baptist Church, a private kids' boot camp/behavior modification lockup, the list of plaintiffs' allegations include: "...Defendants use coercive persuasion to coerce cadets into beating, terrorizing, mocking, or restraining other cadets, while maintaining "plausible deniability" of their own culpability in these violent abuses when confronted by civil authorities... Cadets at Bethel Boys Academy are forced to guard, harass, mock, assault, and physically injure other cadets on command. They are not given a meaningful choice concerning whether to commit such acts against other cadets. They are forced to commit violent crimes against other cadets as a matter of survival. The choice is one between doing the beating, or receiving the beating... Those who fail to comply with the orders of the Drill Instructors are subjected to loss of some or all privileges, beatings by Drill Instructors, extreme physical exhaustion, made to hold to electric fences, held underwater at the "swamp" up to and including drowning and resuscitation..."
Read the complaint at http://nospank.net/complaint2tc.pdf
Teenager dies at school known for strict discipline, By Matthew Franck, Post-Dispatch (Jefferson City Bureau), November 10, 2004
Parents sue Bethel Boys Academy; Cadets beaten, forced to work at military style school, lawyer says, By Lora Hines, http://www.askquestions.org/articles/teens/
Youth authority to end segregation punishment (solitary confinement), By Associated Press, San Jose Mercury News, August 5, 2004
Mississippi Juvenile centers called 'worst' in U.S. -- Justice Dept. cites widespread abuse, By John Fuquay, The Clarion-Ledger, July 2, 2004
Juvenile justice must ensure fair treatment, By U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, March 18, 2004
Casa by the Sea: A memory that will haunt me forever, By Jennifer Ilona Chambard, July 2004
WANT YOUR KID TO DISAPPEAR?, By Nadya Labi Legal Affairs, July 2004
State agency investigates Bethel facility -- Report details alleged abuse, By Antoinette Konz, Hattiesburg American, June 11, 2004
Schools close amid discipline questions, CNN.COM, May 31, 2004
Louisiana shuts down youth prison -- Move comes after decade of abuse allegations, CNN.com, May 27,2004
Former students, prosecutors question methods of some 'tough love' schools, By Cara Connelly, KY3 News (Springfield, MO), April 30, 2004
View two videotapes of teenagers in custody being beaten by guards; hear commentary. Please be patient while loading.
Tape 1) Select "Watch Mike TeSelle's Report" after going to Senator: Videotaped CYA Beating Warrants Charges
Tape 2) Open QuickTime Player on your computer. Then go to http://nospank.net/beatings_kpix.mp4
Videotape shows guards beating two CYA inmates, By Associated Press, Oakland Tribune, April 1, 2004
Tape captures beating of two young inmates, 6 CYA guards facing probe, By Karen de Sá and Mark Gladstone, Mercury News, April 1, 2004
From Coercive to Strength-Based Intervention: Responding to the Needs of Children in Pain, By Larry K. Brendtro, Ph.D., January 2004, (PDF, 34 pages)
JUVENILE INJUSTICE, Infoshop News, March 22, 2004
Miami Juvenile Jail Official Told Dying Teen To 'Suck It Up' , WSVN-TV, February 27, 2004
Youth died amid chaos, confusion , By Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, February 27, 2004
Suicides spark scrutiny of juvenile facilities; Teens were beaten, sexually abused, isolated for weeks at a time, By Mary K. Reinhart, East Valley Tribune, February 13, 2004
ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE BEING INVESTIGATED - Scathing report on Youth Authority, By Karen de Sá, Mercury News, January 28, 2004
Suit filed over youth centers, By Ana Radelat, Clarion-Ledger Washington Bureau, December 19, 2003
Kaufmann vs. Mountain Park Academy (7 Plaintiffs in this lawsuit), Case # 103cv00105cas, Filed in US District Court, Eastern Dist. of Missouri, Southeast Div., September 24, 2003
Abuse cited at youth training centers - Rights violated, Justice Dept. says, By Patrice Sawyer, Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer, Clarion Ledger, July 15, 2003 .
The last resort, Decca Aitkenhead, The Observer, June 29, 2003
Care of Juvenile Offenders in Mississippi Is Faulted, By DAVID M. HALBFINGER, The New York Times, September 1, 2003. (Return to this index by using your browser's "back" button.)
A Mississippi Gulag A report by Assistant Attorney General Ralph F. Boyd, Jr. on abuse of juveniles in two Mississippi youth training schools, June 19, 2003.
When discipline turns fatal - Texas lacks tough law on prone restraint that's banned in three states, By Jonathan Osborne and Mike Ward, American Statesman, May 18, 2003
Parents Divided Over Jamaica Disciplinary Academy, By Tin Weiner, The New York Times, June 17, 2003.
Camp Hell - Children abused in the name of God, Correspondence from Johnny McPhail, June 12, 2003
Brainwashing and Re-Indoctrination Programs in the Children of God/The Family
By Stephen A. Kent, Ph.D. and Deana Hall, M.A., University of Alberta
Texas teenager dies in Utah wilderness program, By Rich Vosepka, Associated Press, The Daily Camera, July 16, 2002
Arcadia religious reform school accused of abuse in lawsuit, The Herald Tribune, July 10, 2002
Straight Talk -- Drug War Casualties, By Radley Balko, FOXNews.com, May 23, 2002
Former victims describe dangerous "therapy" at Elan School for troubled teens in Maine, May 25, 2002
Charges filed against boot camp leaders, Christopher Markham, staff writer, West Valley View, February 20, 2002
In search of a safe placement; one hostile reaction, December 2001
A STUDY IN DOUBLE STANDARDS: When kids kill, it's a crime; when they die, it's an accident, Posted 9/10/01
Letter to a supporter of boot camps and wilderness programs, Jordan Riak, August 20, 2001
Boot Camp Directors Deny Posts, The Associated Press, July 21, 2001
Ariz. To Appoint Boot Camp Task Force, The Associated Press, July 21, 2001
Founder of Teen Boot Camp Probed, By GIOVANNA DELL'ORTO, Associated Press Writer, The Associated Press, July 20, 2001
(AZ) Death Spotlights Youth Boot Camps, By Alisia Blackwood, Associated Press, July 6, 2001
(MD) Boy's Death At School A Homicide - District Heights Youth Died After a Struggle, By Jamie Stockwell, Washington Post, July 5, 2001
(AZ) Accounts Put Darker Cloud Over Camp - Punishment results in death of 14-year-old, By Michale Janofsky, The New York Times, July 4, 2001
(AZ) Tough Love, Tougher Death - Boot camp - The lastest in a string of questionable ventures by Charles Long, By John Dougherty, (Phoenix) New Times, July 4, 2001
See Forced Exercise as Punishment
(AZ) Boy, 14, dies at boot camp amid abuse allegations, Scott Thomsen The Atlantic Journal-Constitution, July 4, 2001
The last resort -- As desperate parents try boot camp, critics claim that alternative is laced with problems, By Lorna Collier Special to the Tribune, May 27, 2001
South Dakota: Stop Abuses of Detained Kids--Governor Must End Inhumane Practices
A letter to South Dakota Governor William Janklow from Michael Bochenek, Counsel, Children's Rights Division, Human Rights Watch, March 6, 2001
Camp Fear
How Juvenile Boot Camps Abuse Troubled Kids, By Bruce Selcraig
Source: Mother Jones, December 2000
Texas Probes "Restraint" Death of Young Patient, New York Times, February 8, 2000
Schools of Hard Knocks, By Andrew Leonard, Salon, Feb. 23, 1998
Loving Them to Death: The Story of One Teenager's 'Wilderness Experience,' By Jon Krakauer, Outside magazine, October 1995
Tough Love Proves Too Tough: The Short Life and Hard Death of a Teenager, Christopher Smith, High Country News, June 10, 1996, Paonia, Colorado
Boot camp death prompts changes, New York Times, December 10, 2000
DEAD TEEN'S CASE CLOSED: Involved adults walk, every one, Correspondence concerning the death of Nicholaus Contreraz at Arizona Boys Ranch from Candice Takeuchi, September 9, 2000
Child handcuffed for three days--Boot Camp For Troubled Kids Closed, Associated Press, June 16, 2000
ESSENTIAL READING ON THIS SUBJECT
An American Gulag: Secret P.O.W. Camps for Teens, by Alexia Parks (2000). Available from The Education Exchange Network, Box K, Eldorado Springs, CO 80025
A Matter of Time--How Juvenile Justice Systems Fail Kids, By David Shapinsky, www.abcnews.go.com, February 26, 2000
HARDER TIME: California Youth Authority Shifts from Rehab to Brutality By Mark Gladstone and James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, January 9, 2000
Time to stick a fork in America's correctional boot camp boondoggle, David J. Krajicek, MSNBC, December 23, 1999
Beat him up and do him good. Don't leave any marks, Mary Hargrove, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, June 1998
U.S. Department of State warning about "behavior modification" facilities operating outside U.S. jurisdiction, issued May 1999.
Teenage girl run to death in SD boot camp
Excerpted from "Investigative Report Summary - Gina Score" Argus Leader, August [??], 1999
"A noisy, obvious, gruesome, extended death" -- Arizona Boys Ranch charges By Inger Sandal, The Arizona Daily Star, May 4, 1999
U.S. Justice Department says boot camps do more harm than good, From The Associated Press, June 1, 1998
Amnesty International alleges widespread abuse of juvenile offenders in U.S., New York Times, November 17, 1998
E-mail to PTAVE of August 18, 1998 from Cathy Sutton, mother of Michelle Sutton, 15, who died at Summit Quest Camp.
Bob Sutton's letter to a journalist about the death of his daughter, Michelle Sutton, 15, who died at Summit Quest Camp. Copy received by PTAVE, August 17, 1998.
"It has only happened two times to me"--Conditions in Children's Institutions, Human Rights Watch World Report 1998
U.S. Juvenile Justice Gets Busted By Bill Alexander, Reporter for Youth Today
From Youth Today, Vol 8, No.1, December/January 1999
Betraying the Young: Children in the U.S. Justice System Document: Amnesty International Index: AMR 51/60/98 Public/November 1998
Authorities close abusive school--Children "just starving to death" The Associated Press, April 29, 1999
Tightening up on the stranglers--142 youths dead in one decade
By The Associated Press, March 25, 1999
Strangulation Death Occurs at Home for the Abused, By The Associated Press, March 15, 1999
Florida camp delinquents get red ant punishment, Yahoo News, March 14, 1999
AUTOPSY PHOTO: Nicholaus Contrarez's bruised, lacerated torso
A Puzzling Death at Boys Ranch, By Julie Cart, Los Angeles Times, June 13, 1998
The slow, painful, pointless death of Nicholaus Contreraz, age 16, at the Arizona Boys Ranch as described in the sheriff's report, Pinal County, Arizona, April 17, 1998.
CPS Report re: Nicholaus Contreraz, 3/6/98
Investigation Summary-- Investigation of the Death of Nicholaus Contreraz at Arizona Boys Ranch and The Safety of Children Remaining in that Placement (Source: The Arizona Republic, 1998)
Chief admits tragic fumble--Staff 'thought this kid was a malingerer,' he says By Dennis Wagner, The Arizona Republic, August 30, 1998
Dr. Christopher B. Cutter's letter of June 17, 1998 to the Los Angeles Times regarding the death of Nicholaus Contreraz at Arizona Boys Ranch
Ron Ackert's letter of June 19, 1998 to Dr. Linda Blessing, Director, Arizona Department of Economic Security, regarding the killing of Nicholaus Contreraz
Listening, Finally, to Nicholaus By E. J. Montini,
The Arizona Republic, August 27, 1998
Allegations of abuse and neglect against former employees of Arizona Boys Ranch, The Arizona Republic, August 31, 1998
'Pattern of Abuse'-- Institution won't close, chief vows By Dennis Wagner, The Arizona Republic, Aug. 27, 1998
Press release from the California Department of Social Services
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--July 7, 1998
Arizona Boys Ranch Investigation
Department of Social Services Makes Decisions on Funding
Five are Indicted in Arizona Youth Camp Death By Julie Cart, Los Angeles Times, October 1, 1998
Boys Ranch employees plead innocent, By Dennis Wagner, The Arizona Republic, October 23, 1998
Charges dropped, for now, in death of Boys Ranch teen By Heather Urquides, The Arizona Daily Star, January 16, 1999
Abuse of Arkansas Youth in Custody--Former DHS chief goes before legislative panel, Associated Press, September 15, 1998
Is this Camp of Jail?
Are parents violating the rights of their own kids when they ship them off to tough "attitude rehab"? By Adam Cohen, Time, January 26, 1998
Child meets violent death in desert boot camp [Original title: "Hard Work For Youths At Camp"] , San Francisco Chronicle, February 18, 1992
Boy in coma after scuffle at camp for troubled youths, San Francisco Chronicle, By Ken Hoover, Chronicle Staff Writer, February 13, 1992
Surviving Survival Camp
Keri J. describes her experience with the most dangerous part of "survival camp"--the people who ran it.
Cfontyn
Re: BOOT CAMP FOR KIDS: Torturing Teens for Fun and Profit
First I would like to say that I am proud to say that I was a student of Tranquility Bay. I was never abused! I was never tortured! I was given a second chance at life. I was spiraling down in my own demise. My mother who loved me very much and literally had no other options, sent me to the school to save my life. At the time I hated her for sending me there, but now that I am a mother, I see how much she loved me and how she was willing to go to the end of the earth to save my life. I was not forced to do anything. I had chores that I had to do, yes. I was never doing anything that compromised my well being or put my life in jeopardy. I love the staff there. I washed my clothes by hand, and it didn't kill me to do a little bit of manual labor. I was able to speak with my mother on the phone after a couple months. The idea is to get these kids out of their spoiled lives, and to take a step back and realize how good they have it. We went through seminars that showed us why we make the decisions we did that put us in a downward spiral. I am a better person because of this program. I was pulled out of my norm, showed what it is like to lose everything and earn it back. JAIL IS THE SAME WAY, WITH WAY LESS PRIVLEDGES! I was able to go to the beach, I earned the chance to be trusted and was taken in town on a trip, and my medical needs were always met. There are a lot of kids out there that are lying about this program. I will admit that I was on punishment. When I first got there I refused to listen to the rules and I had to sit on the floor in a room. I was never forced to lay face down. I was given punishments that were appropriate and at the same time I was given privledges when I earned them. I love this program. I was never beat, or forced to do anything that wasn't within a realm of reality.
minions of elan
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« Last Edit: February 21, 2012, 01:44:17 AM by minions of elan »
none-ya
Quote from: "Cfontyn"
Either you are the ONLY one.Or this is complete BULLSHIT!
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Re: Cfontyn @ Tranquility Bay
@Cfontyn: What behavior caused you to be sent to Tranquility Bay? Were you initially sent to some place else first?
-------------- • -------------- • --------------
Quote from: "Ursus"
I was sent there for drugs at the age of 15. I started using drugs and drinking at the age of 13. I was constantly saying I was going to kill myself to get my way, and my mother would cry into her pillow every night. I was a monster. I truly believe that she thought this was her only hope for her to get her baby girl back. I do not hate my mother for the decision she made. I am glad that she made it. I still use tools to this day that I learned back in 1998. Maybe I am the only one that was not abused. But I can tell you from the time I was there, I honestly did not see nor did I feel that abuse was ever an issue. Times do change and I cannot attest to the later years cause I was not there, but knowing the director of Tranquility Bay and his love and passion for helping people better their lives, I just don't see how he would ever let anyone like that work there. I had the nicest staff. Very tender hearted, loving and understanding. For the longest time I wanted to go back to work for Jay Kay at TB. I wanted to show other troubled teens that there is a life out there that is not filled with drugs. Initially I was sent to a medical facility to detox under the care of a medical doctor and nurse. I was then sent to Jamaica after 2 weeks.
Would that medical facility have been Brightway?
Also, although your experience might have been what you think you needed at the time, do you think it's possible that the staff you encountered at TB might have been a lil less "tender hearted, loving and understanding" with some of your peers?
Were all the students at Tranquility Bay sent there for reasons of having lived a life "filled with drugs," or were some kids there for... perhaps... more punitive reasons? Do you think the staff may have been a lil less understanding with some of those kids? Perhaps even right off the bat?
How long were you at TB?
What is within your realm of reality? Sucking cocks behind the greyhound station? etc etc...[/quote]
My realm of reality is not sucking cocks as you so eloquently put it. I was not beaten or forced to do anything. It was a simple rule that if I didn't do my chores or follow instructions then I was given a consequence. Maybe all these stories are after I was there. I don't know, but I can attest to when I was there. You also have to take into consideration that these stories are taken out of context. These teens are drug and sex addicted teens, who lie and manipulate to get their way. Do I believe their story, no because I was there, but being a mother myself I have to take my children's stories of an account and believe that there is half truth or maybe even a quarter truth to what they are saying to me. Children love to embellish to get their way, I know I have 4. I really don't appreciate you stating that my realm of reality is sucking cocks. You don't know anything about me. You are entitled to your own opinion, and thank you for sharing. Best wishes to you in your life.
I was there for a year. Yes this is my experience. I believe all the girls there were sent there for drugs and a life of crime. I dont think kids were sent there for punishment reasons only. Things could have changed after my time there. ALL the staff was very loving, stern and wouldn't let kids manipulate them, but very loving. I was given medical attention when I needed it, a nurse lived on site. Yes the medical facility was called Brighway. I never witnessed abuse to any of my peers, nor did any of them tell me anything was happening to them. I was very close to the girls there at TB while I was living there. I would like to believe that they would confide in me if something was happening to them. Like I said I never witnessed or experienced any abuse. I entered TB a defiant girl and pushed my limits, but was shown what lifestyle that entails. I started to let down my walls and realized that I didn't need a life of drugs, sex, and booze to be happy. All I needed was to love who I was and accept me for me and if anyone doesn't like who I am or what I have to offer, that is their opinion and they don't need to be my friend. I don't need the acceptance of anyone and they taught me that. But like I said things could have changed after I returned home. I am just dumbfounded from the stories cause that is not what I experienced at all.
I was there for a year. Yes this is my experience. I believe all the girls there were sent there for drugs and a life of crime. I dont think kids were sent there for punishment reasons only. Things could have changed after my time there.
Well... fwiw, a number of people, enrolled in other of WWASPS' programs, have reported that "getting sent to Tranquility Bay" was used a threat or as a means of obtaining "cooperation with the program," so to speak. Sometimes that threat was carried out, sometimes not. But enough people have reported it ... that it seems to have been part of WWASPS' modus operandi, namely, to threaten kids with being sent to TB (or High Impact or Paradise Cove) if they didn't "get with the program."
The kids in question were not then involved in drugs or crime; they were enrolled in a program. The issue appears to have been the program's perception of their attitude.
ALL the staff was very loving, stern and wouldn't let kids manipulate them, but very loving. I was given medical attention when I needed it, a nurse lived on site. Yes the medical facility was called Brighway. I never witnessed abuse to any of my peers, nor did any of them tell me anything was happening to them. I was very close to the girls there at TB while I was living there. I would like to believe that they would confide in me if something was happening to them. Like I said I never witnessed or experienced any abuse. I entered TB a defiant girl and pushed my limits, but was shown what lifestyle that entails. I started to let down my walls and realized that I didn't need a life of drugs, sex, and booze to be happy. All I needed was to love who I was and accept me for me and if anyone doesn't like who I am or what I have to offer, that is their opinion and they don't need to be my friend. I don't need the acceptance of anyone and they taught me that. But like I said things could have changed after I returned home. I am just dumbfounded from the stories cause that is not what I experienced at all.
Clearly you seem to feel that the practices in place at TB brought about a beneficial change in your approach to life. But can you really speak for others?
Do you think it's possible that some of your peers may NOT have interpreted these methodologies as "therapeutic" and may, in fact, feel traumatized or permanently harmed by them?
Do you think it's possible that the staff may have treated you differently, had you not "started to let down [your] walls" and cooperated? How might the staff have treated you ... if you hadn't capitulated with their wishes?
As a Casa by the sea survivor, and seeing abuse RIGHT in front of me from LUKE HALLOWS sitting on top of a 14 year old LITTLE girl screaming and cussing at her in R and R will never leave my memory, or seeing the girls walk through the gates from High impact, where the WWASPS says they had NO affiliation with them!!!THEY STUCK MY FRIEND IN A DOG CAGE!!!!!!!! I cant belive this! PLEASE PARENTS!!!! THESE PROGRAMS HAVE SEMINARS THAT ARE ABUSIVE AND BRAIN WASHING YOUR POOR KIDS!!! I KNOW MORE THAN YOU KNOW! PLEASE EMAIL ME IF YOU HAVE ANY PERSONAL QUESTIONS THAT I CANT MENTION ON HERE, DUE TO MY FAMILY BEING A PART OF THIS HORRIBLE ABUSE. [email protected] THANK YOU
PS I WONDER HOW MUCH THEY PAID YOU KIDS TO SAY JAMAICA WAS PEAS AND FING CARROTS! MAKES ME SICK!
Quote from: "unicorn33"
I was never paid. I am only one person who did not have an abusive experience. I simple just don't understand when people say that they experienced it. I was in the program in 1998. Right when all of this started to come about. I had a decent experience. Learned some things, and use it in my life today. I am sorry that kids went through what they did. I cannot fathom how one person can be so mean and cruel to a child, let alone a child that isn't theirs. I believe what people say about what they had to endure. I am sorry that they went through it. I am not being paid to glorify the program. I am simply telling my story. Was I yelled at sometimes, ya. Was I bitten by nasty bugs in my sleep? oh ya. almost nightly, but I just figured the bug thing was their culture. If I was ridiculed and belittled it was by the other girls in the program with me not the staff. Maybe I am one of the VERY few.