tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12880833135584224292024-03-12T05:50:49.995+01:00Secret Prisons for teensLidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-58854753388951782052023-07-15T09:09:00.001+02:002023-07-15T09:09:15.243+02:00Diamond Ranch Academy to close after the third teenager died at the facility.<p>Many might wonder why 3 teenagers should die before the authorities came to the conclusion that the entire operation was a danger from day one.</p>
<p>Was it the consideration that jobs could be lost? For decades many jobs in the United States have been moved to countries like Mexico and China and frankly a town like Hurricane do not offer many oppertunities and not even things worth to visit as a tourist. They do not have many bars where youth can go to like they do on Ibiza and even here in Copenhagen where Wonderful Copenhagen marketed the city as a place you could engage in business with women. And if you do not have that, none will come to visit.</p>
<p>Hurricane and the nearby cities became a heaven for private detention centers living of a market of parents who cared less about their offsprings so they had time to go on cruises or play golf. They called them treatment centers or boarding schools. By labeling them that instead of detention centers, they even fooled school districts and caring parents.</p>
<p>But as with all detention centers, people inside them die and then as every operator of prisons and detention centers know, it become important to cover up deaths. Heart-failure and other random causes of death which seems to be impossible to prevent was issued by local coronors.</p>
<p>Look at the killing of Martin Anderson from 2006 in Florida. That is how it is done in 90 percent of the cases.</p>
<p>At Diamond Ranch Academy as mentioned above, 3 teenagers died</p>
<p>Two of the cases look very similar</p>
<p>In 2009 14-year-old James Richard Shirey died of an illness before he could be brought to the hospital</p>
<p>In 2022 17-year-old Taylor Goodridge died of an illness before she could be brought to the hospital</p>
<p>It seems that there from the very start had existed an internal policy where the employees were motivated to wait and see instead of taking the youth to a hospital for a check-up. A policy which have proven deathly in two cases.</p>
<p>The third death occured when a teenager seeking a better place disturbed a marketing event. Parents were given tours of the facility and because the teenager was trying to take his life while possible new customers were around and employee closed the door to the room where the teenager was hanging from a rope and called co-workers. How many seconds were lost because the employee decided not to attempt the rope right away? We cannot know if that were the seconds which enabled the teenager to escape both Diamond Ranch Academy and life in general.</p>
<p>While Diamond Ranch Academy soon will be gone and the city hopefully will turn to dust because none have a reason to come there, the mystery of why it should take to many years for the authorities to intervene, will remain.</p>
<p>Sources</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://news.sky.com/story/diamond-ranch-academy-school-for-troubled-teens-ordered-to-shut-down-after-deaths-of-students-12921250">Diamond Ranch Academy: School for 'troubled teens' ordered to shut down after deaths of students</a> (Sky News)</li>
<li><a href="http://memorialwebsites.legacy.com/ourjamesshirey/Subpage.aspx?mod=1">James Richard "Jim" Shirey</a> (Legacy Memorial site)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.fornits.com/phpbb/index.php/topic,44073.0.html">DHS confirms another child death at Diamond Ranch Academy</a> (Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora)</li>
<li><a href="https://lawandcrime.com/lawsuit/therapeutic-boarding-school-in-utah-told-vomiting-teen-to-suck-it-up-before-treatable-infection-led-to-deadly-sepsis-lawsuit/">
‘Therapeutic boarding school’ in Utah told vomiting teen to ‘suck it up’ before treatable infection led to deadly sepsis: Lawsuit</a> (Law & Crime)</li>
</ul>Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-26227920337470729552020-07-21T10:30:00.002+02:002020-07-21T10:30:59.253+02:00Children hostages in custody fights (BlueFire Wilderness Therapy)A number of parents do every year see their child exposed to danger when the custodial parent chooses to decide on a dangerous path with the child in the hope of alienate the child against the non-costodial parent.<br />
<br />
In a recent tread on Reddit a parent write:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>I tried to get custody back , but the Judge won't listen to me and left the custody with Mother, who convinced her ( judge ) she will do anything for the daughter and that the daughter wants to stay with her. The mother also got a psychologist and a psychiatrist to evaluate my daughter without my knowledge and they recommended for "Change of placement" , By the time I learned that this means to place her outside of home and within days, the educational consultants the Mother hired at the advice of the psychologist, placed my daughter into this camp for 8-12 weeks.<br />
</blockquote><br />
What parents need to realize is that both the medical industry as well as so-called educational consultants are not working independent. The medical industry needs to put diagnose on anyone so they can sell their products. Educational consultants received referral fees from wilderness programs and boarding schools in return for a recommendation towards the product of detention and so-called treatment, they deliver.<br />
<br />
Wilderness programs are not a recognized treatment method in a lot of countries. Of course the wilderness programs have hired researchers to white-label the treatment approach but in reality the children could be placed in a enclosed box until they became adults and the same result would be achieved.<br />
<br />
Second a number of children have died in wilderness programs. The program known from ABC's "Brat Camp" closed after a death and the local sheriff described the operation as a danger to the children and closed it down.<br />
<br />
Sending a child into the wilderness means a risk which is far greater than letting them stay in the troubled home, they came from. Out of 4,000 children treated at the Catherine Freer Wilderness program, 3 died before they closed. Calculate on the percentage!<br />
<br />
What is the best option? Based on a research paper in Denmark comparing children in need who was not removed from the home to children sent to residential treatment, there is no difference of the outcome for the children. Even when the parents were alcoholic or drug-users! Fact remains that residential treatment is warehousing. Once the regulated and secure environment is no longer there and the now-adult child has to go on without an important social heritage in the luggage, everything seems to be lost.<br />
<br />
Denmark have increased the number of children who are placed outside their home. Many of them end up with Post-traumatic stress disorder and an inability to function on the labor market or in the educational system.<br />
<br />
It is not good news for parents who are struggling to raise their children. Because the root of the problem is properly not the child. It is the parent or the school-environment the society offers the child.<br />
<br />
All that seems to be the outcome of residential treatment seems to be that the owners of the residential solutions - wilderness program or boarding school - will earn a lot of money while the children and their families will suffer both economic and emotional.<br />
<br />
Source:<br />
<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/troubledteens/comments/huurwz/daughter_13yo_sent_to_wilderness_camp_bluefire_in/">Daughter , 13yo sent to Wilderness Camp BlueFire in Idaho without my consent , What to Do?</a> (Reddit)Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-31083219248701720652020-04-26T12:05:00.000+02:002020-04-26T12:05:02.215+02:00Back in the days where people fell for scamsOk. You are a bit too heavy.<br />
<br />
Then you look at your child and you feel sorry. Your child has turned out to be the spitting image of you and is overweight too. Your child will properly not get many friends in school or a good-looking partner due to the overweight you think.<br />
<br />
Then you look in the newspaper and find a boarding school that promises weight loss.<br />
<br />
It is a good idea and you send your child to the school.<br />
<br />
The school is efficient and soon your child loses a lot of pounds. In fact they are so good that your child need some pills to deal with side effects of the sudden weight loss but that is a minor thing and when the school year is over, your child return slim.<br />
<br />
Are you then happy?<br />
<br />
Yes for 14 days because once you start serving the very same food you as family always have eaten, weight is gained and you start talking about taking another year at the boarding school despite the cost. The child runs off and you cannot catch your child because you are overweight. Now we are talking social services.<br />
<br />
10 years ago such boarding schools promising weight loss were widespread. Today we as parents are smarter. We know that the problem is right next to us. It is in the kitchen. The output from the kitchen produces the results shown in both your child's body and your body.<br />
<br />
Today we also know that your children do not listen to you. They just observe what you do and do the same. That is the reason that addiction often passes down through generations. It does not matter if we are talking alcohol addiction, medical addiction or food addiction. What we show children that are OK, is what they make a standard of living.<br />
<br />
We can blame TV. We can blame the society.<br />
<br />
But we are in control of what we put into our shopping bags. We can make the change ourselves. We know what is right. We know that candy, alcohol and sodas destroy our bodies. We know that exercise make a change.<br />
<br />
So just go for an hour of walking. Change your diet. Then you save tons of money for boarding schools.<br />
<br />
A lot of parents realized that and as result many of the weight loss schools closed. Maybe some remain but why use money on them when you can change the outcome for your child for free?<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8hAQx1w2uG8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-31284628884058710162020-04-19T12:03:00.000+02:002020-04-19T12:03:14.585+02:00If you abduct your child and dump it in a foreign country, it is a crime. If you hire a firm to do it, it is legal! Why!!Recently the police in California stopped a van where a father and his daughter had abducted another daughter with the goal of dumping her at one of the low-budget holding camps marketed as rehab which are located in Mexico due to the low salary levels there and the local authorities lack of interest into what kind of businesses that operate in the northern part of Mexico.<br />
<br />
The police took the poor victim into protective custody. Hopefully the girl will receive professional treatment for the illness, she suffer from (addiction from a kind of drug, which is recognized as an illness to be treated by doctors, not some random hired muzzle in Mexico).<br />
<br />
But while the police now conduct an investigation into the matter, tons of youth are sent across the borders in the very same way. Restrained with handcuffs and shackles, in some cases gagged just as the victim in the case above.<br />
<br />
The only difference is that the transport is handled by so-called approved transport firms. In some cases no background checks are conducted on the employees. In some cases they have been kicked off the police force or military for disciplinary reasons.<br />
<br />
So why is an act which is illegal when it is done by parents or relatives suddenly legal just because there is a payment to a firm to do it. Should it not be the act itself, that should be illegal?<br />
<br />
It remains a mystery why transport across state lines often in violation with the recommendation from the local school authorities continues to be legal. <br />
<br />
Source:<br />
<a href="https://abc7.com/bound-teen-was-being-taken-to-rehab-by-father-police-say/5482791/">Bound 17-year-old was being taken to rehab in Mexico by father, police say</a> (ABC 7)Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-33933368837430359072020-04-12T12:02:00.000+02:002020-04-12T12:02:12.953+02:00Are kids safe in a wilderness program from Covid-19?No<br />
<br />
For a group of people to achieve some safety from infection from the Corona virus, they need to be isolated for at least 3-4 weeks.<br />
<br />
It takes up to 14 days to see symptoms from a person who is infected. That means that a teenager or an employee can go to the wilderness program and stay there while infecting people without the person feeling sick themself.<br />
<br />
In a wilderness program, children enter the program at random schedules. The employees are replaced every week, the therapist comes in one time per week. Goods delivered to the wilderness program needs to be handled in a certain way in order to prevent infection from bags and the food itself to be passed to the persons in the wilderness program.<br />
<br />
The most important tool to prevent the virus from spreading is to limit all contact to persons who is not in the group. That means that an employee must refrain from close interactions with the wilderness program for 14 days after joining the trek. No manual restraints, no close person to person talk. All participants must stay at least 2 meters from each other.<br />
<br />
Washing hands is also important. Then new food are brought in the virus can be on the surface of the packing the food are transported within. Once the food is received the participants need to wash hands. People who have been in wilderness programs know that water is limited. Alcohol is an alternative but the program is that some teenagers then would drink it if they have this kind of addiction, so it cannot be used either.<br />
<br />
Once a person shows symptoms of Covid-19 they need to be in a place where they can be brought to a hospital quickly. Nurses and doctors who handle patients infected tells of cases where people need a respirator quicker than it would have been the case if we were talking of normal pneumonia. In the past we have been a number of cases where the time used for transport to a hospital from a wilderness program proved too long and the participant died. In some cases the authorities stated that it was neglect. Back then it was a new thing. Today no firm can claim that they are unaware of this risk and it would be criminal investigation and possible prison if they continue to operate a wilderness program when the world is on standstill due to Covid-19.<br />
<br />
We recommend that all wilderness programs shut down if they did not do that already. One death participant is simply one to many.<br />
Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-84834634358561244672018-03-19T21:40:00.002+01:002018-03-19T21:40:28.789+01:00Death penalty for drug trafficers<i>This entry was made by one of our volunteers on the Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora. We share his worries</i><br />
<br />
Many families suffer due to family members hit by the illness called substance abuse. If there were some kind magic trick to cure it, the world would be a better place.<br />
<br />
We have to look at the history to learn where the drug abuse come from. 8 nations - the most powerful nations in the world at that time saw to that millions of people could continue to remain hooked on Opium. We are talking countries like United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Russia, Japan, France, Italy, The Netherlands and the later defunct Austria-Hungary. You can google the Boxer Rebellion and read more.<br />
<br />
100 years later when the drug use had spread to the country-men in tMaybe the troubled teen industry can rise again now where Donald Trump will introduce the possibility of death penalty for drug dealers.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://nypost.com/2018/03/18/drug-dealers-could-get-death-penalty-under-new-trump-plan/">Drug dealers could get death penalty under new Trump plan</a> (New York Post)<br />
<br />
<b>The Danish Lesson from WWII</b><br />
<br />
In Denmark we know that this approach will fail and prevent getting the big fish among the drug dealers.<br />
<br />
When WWII was over, Denmark re-introduced death penalty so those who worked for Nazi Germany could be shot.<br />
<br />
All the small simple cases went well and about 50 persons were shot. Once the state got to the more complex cases, the lawyers were better and some of vitnesses had been found guilty and had been shot so in the end the big fish got off with fines and some years in prison. 10 years after the war all war criminals had been released.<br />
<br />
This will also happen in the war on drugs. Look at China and the Philippines. Ordinary small dealers are killed, the big masterminds stay their distance and cash in.<br />
<br />
<b>What about the deals who lure people for illegal drugs?</b><br />
<br />
In many cases drug use starts up because professionals introduce patients to legal drugs. It can be medication against ADHD given to young people where the doctors have misdiagnosed the patients. It ends up being used as legal doping. In some cases the sideeffects are so big that the patient still believing that there is an illness look for other drugs as replacement for the legal drugs.<br />
<br />
The medication industry overmedicate the population. Some things in life will hurt. Being run over. Getting dental work. Losing your parents. Breaking a bone. Pain relief in the start might be OK, but some types of pain, you will actually cope better with if you started to do certain exercises or basically just tried to go for long walks so your brain can be given something simple to think about.<br />
<br />
In Europe many people who face certain forms of crisis in their life actually walk The Way of Saint James instead of sitting around back home trying to medicating themselves out of pain or sorrow ending up living a better life.<br />
<br />
None go through life unscratched and we see an medication industry trying to get us to think that there is a pill against everything.<br />
<br />
The present substance abuse epidemic has a lot to do with legal perscription medication. This is not addressed. <br />
<br />
<b>Nothing learned from the past</b><br />
<br />
What did happen in 1980's during the first war on drugs was a boost in alternative residential so-called drug treatment programs run by people who had absolute no knowledge into the complex illness which drug addiction is. Drug addiction is a legal medical illness and when treated it should be done by professionals only.<br />
<br />
In the 1980's and 1990's children got hurt by treatment conducted by amaturs. For many there were no addiction to start with. It was suspicions alone which landed them in a treatment program. There were no real tests and in many cases the entire operation was not drug treatment but rather getting money from the state or parents which were the motivation for the entire operation.<br />
<br />
We at Spft recognize that people die from drugs, just as they die in traffic or die from consuming legal things like beers, wine and other forms of alcohol and even in some case just too much food in general.<br />
<br />
Of course the hospitals should be equipped dealing with cases of substance abuse just as they are with treatment of anything else which can kill people.<br />
<br />
But the War on drugs should start in a different place. Focusing on punishment for those who provide the drugs on street level is not the solution. Look where the drugs come from. Should the entire world not focusing on make these countries and these people far away earn their money in some other way? Let us not forget that about a little over 100 years ago all major countries (including the United States) invaded China so they were forced to allow Opium. Opium were produced in India and repeating the mistake of fixing the issue where the drugs are used instead of fixing the issue where the drugs are grown and produced will be a lesson not learned.<br />
<br />
Is that how far we are in the year of 2018? Did we not learn anything?hese countries, drug use is suddenly a bad thing.<br />
<br />
Source:<br />
<a href="http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/index.php/topic,44625.0.html">The original testimony</a>Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-6941109971662375952018-01-25T20:52:00.001+01:002018-01-25T20:52:22.815+01:00Seed boarding school suicide - ambitions too costly?Is is sad to learn that a suicide took place at Seed Boarding School in Washington DC. Even here in Denmark we have worked for more than 4 decade trying to figure out how to prevent certain areas to produce a larger part of the prison population and groups of people with low-income groups from concentrating themselves in urban blocks hard to control by the authorities. In Denmark there are now illegal alternative justice systems and gangs controlling parts of the large cities like they were the police.<br />
<br />
In fact the gang war which took a violent turn forcing the United States embassy to warn tourists was only settled by a ceasefire negotiated without the participation of the authorities. Solutions are needed and they are needed right now.<br />
<br />
In Denmark they now discuss simply to tear parts of the cities down forcing the poor part of Danish population to parts of Denmark called “The Rotten Banana”. It is parts of Denmark where they now only can afford the maintenance of dirt roads. Parts of Denmark where there are so many ruins that the villages got money from the state to tear buildings down as none are expected to live there anymore.<br />
<br />
Some have suggested youth curfews as they have them in other countries. Some state that it was how Iceland fixed it. The problem with curfews in Denmark are that they will not work because the government will not invest the amount of money needed and you cannot mobilize the entire population as they did in Iceland because Denmark is a country where the population travelling in two pace. The difference between rich and poor in Denmark has increased over the last 3 decades. Basically the distance between the politicians and 60 percent of the population is so big that it is almost as they were living on two different planets. Parents only have surplus for their own kids. The time used for work and commuting allows no room for parents to use 2-3 hours every evening patrolling the streets as they do in Iceland.<br />
<br />
A youth curfew without massive investment in sports combined with rolling the failed school reform back seems impossible and without those two factors youth curfews are impossible to impose. Iceland is the only country where youth curfews have worked and it was because parents were mobilized on national basis and the government invested massive in sports. Otherwise it would just be felt like Denmark once again was occupied by a foreign power like Denmark was during the second World War.<br />
<br />
Then there is the possibility to create boarding schools like Seed. Danish research shows that children who have parents with an academically background are more likely to do something with their high school degree. That is the reason that Denmark now tries to prevent children with poor parents from choosing high school. Instead the government hope that they will be trained to do manual labor or work in shops. According to the government there is no reason to waste 3 years at high school if you do not want to study at universities.<br />
<br />
Could you ask parents to let their children live at a boarding school close your home where they will be fed, have fixed bed times and study hard with guidance from well-educated people? That is what they do at the Seed boarding schools. It seems to work.<br />
<br />
But there is a limit and I fear that they have bypassed it. What if the child has no motivation and comes from a background where the parents are on welfare or only have part time jobs. Should you then force the child? Should you put the expectation on the child when you know the destiny they were born to live, will not be on the first class?<br />
<br />
I say no and I say it based on the research learned over 4 decades. In Denmark we offer student grants and it should make it possible to battle social heritage. Fact is: It doesn’t. Children still grow up for the most part following the social heritage their parents have ending up in the same situation as an adult.<br />
<br />
I believe that the option of a boarding school system like Seed should be established in Denmark but NEVER it should be something you force children to attend. It is a question about expecting something from life. If you do not expect something, then you do not get disappointed. If you learn to settle you become happy.<br />
<br />
I am sad that the girl saw no other option than death. I do not know whether she was pressured to attend the boarding school nor do I know if she felt unrealistic ambitions on her behalf from her parents. But the risk exist.<br />
<br />
So remember: There might be solutions but you do not have to choose them. “Hygge” as we say it in Denmark is what life is about, because we are an entire generation who have learned the hard way that living a life with hard work reaching out for new goals all the time will not secure you early retirement, you can enjoy while your health allow it.<br />
<br />
I will pray for the family who have suffered the tragic loss of a daughter.<br />
<br />
<br />
Source:<br />
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/12-year-old-student-found-dead-of-apparent-suicide-at-seed-school-in-dc/2018/01/23/9a8d62aa-008b-11e8-8acf-ad2991367d9d_story.html?utm_term=.ac3dd07a64d6">12-year-old student found dead of apparent suicide at SEED school in D.C.</a> (The Washington Post)Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-79984914992645487782018-01-10T09:21:00.001+01:002018-01-10T09:27:04.810+01:00Iowa is closing a loophole. Is it not time for Missouri to do the same?Midwest Academy used a loophole in state legislation to run a school under conditions which now have resulted in a guilty verdict against the manager of the school. Because the manager was no more than a franchisee, who used and enforced the structure of the franchisor - the money men behind what was in the old days called WWASP. new schools could be created in other states now where Iowa will close the loophole with new laws.<br />
<br />
Fact is that it is possible.<br />
<br />
If you run a religious boarding school in Missouri, none will look after how the business is set up.<br />
<br />
It should not be so. Regardless if you call a facility which house minors a group home, a boarding school, a wildernes therapy program or a boot camp, the state should monitor the business activities by unannounced visits where they interview the children randomly outside the hearing area of the employees. Only then possible child abuse can be prevented.<br />
<br />
We have to remember that the child abuse inside such facilities is not limited to bring suffering to the children. Random people outside can be hurt when the children try to run. Random employees who had nothing to do with the abuse can also become the victims. To put it short: Innocent people can be hurt.<br />
<br />
If we look at a specific case, we could look at a place in Missouri called LUC Ranch. LUC stands for lives under Construction. A few years ago 2 boys ran from the ranch. They killed a couple down the road so they had something to drive in. A family lost relatives. It was a tragedy. Now some years later it turns out that rapes among the teenagers were not reported. The knowledge was kept within the ranch as a big secret because they wanted customers to remain referring their children to the ranch. It was not the right way to deal with such an issue but it was possible because religious based facilities can operate using a loophole where they are not required to tell anyone.<br />
<br />
We do not know how many boys at LUC ranch who was abused. Now the escape attempt which ended with the loss of two innocent lives makes sense. I have to ask: Do you want to be raped? If not to which extend will you go in order to avoid that? Will you take a life? Will you take two?<br />
<br />
Of course killing people regardless of what they faced back at the ranch is no excuse. I can say that because I sit thousand of miles from the place and never have been in a situation where I was in danger of being raped. In my mind the two boys who killed the couple must face the punishment the court decide they should suffer due to their crimes. I do not know if a rape victim will see it different. I have never been in that situation so how can I understand what it is like. Still I have to put faith into that the court system will find the right solution.<br />
<br />
Regardless of the outcome of the trial, there is still work to be done. The loophole which allowed LUC ranch to operate without supervision of any kind must be stopped, just like Iowa is doing now. Because the relaxed legislation has resulted in the loss of lives before.<br />
<br />
At Mountain Park Academy a boy was killed by two other boys. This facility which is now closed used extreme corporal punishment at it only kind of therapy in the name of Christ. The two boys were planning to run away and they felt that they had to silence the poor victim so he did not tell the employees about the escape plan. One of the murderers died in prison. The other boy is still locked up.<br />
<br />
Supervision and monitoring will ensure that the risk of child abuse inside these facilities will be minimized. It will minimize the risk of further deaths. It will secure that the facilities will not hire employees who have criminal records or had been involved in child abuse cases before.<br />
<br />
The state of Missouri needs to act now.<br />
<br />
Sources:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://bransontrilakesnews.com/news_free/article_3be9ba26-5e6d-11e6-a1a2-0fb8bb15d023.html">Boys ranch named in wrongful death lawsuit</a> (Branson Tri Lakes News)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.semissourian.com/story/2474091.html">Suit: Missouri ranch for troubled boys covered up sex abuse</a> (Southeast Missourian)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.missourinet.com/2015/07/08/man-convicted-as-a-teen-of-murder-at-missouri-boarding-school-dies/">Man convicted as a teen of murder at Missouri boarding school dies</a> (Missouri Net)</li>
</ul><br />
Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-45893368466010220392017-12-23T09:17:00.000+01:002017-12-23T09:17:03.712+01:00A prison camp manager is always responsible even if he is only following guidelinesA jury in Iowa found that Benjamin Trane was responsible for executing the curriculum and methods outlined by the now defunct WWASP-organization. WWASP (The World Wide Association Of Specialty Programs and Schools) ran a franchise where people who wanted to run a boarding school which included behaviorial training of both parents and children, could buy not only a complete guide how to do it, but also marketing packages, transport teams who could collect teenagers from their beds at home and transport them to the boarding school in handcuffs and shackles, accounting so parents could set up payment plans, schoolbooks and other needed equipment for schooling and training seminars for parents and the teenagers.<br />
<br />
Benjamin Trane took over Midwest Academy from Brian Vaifanua just like when 7-11 managers take over a already existing shop. He continued to run the boarding school based on existing guidelines used at many boarding schools in the WWASP system for many years. He did not attempt to stop running the school after the old guidelines and that got him convicted in court.<br />
<br />
You are legally responsible when you run a boarding school basically as a prison camp. When District Judge Mark Kruse read the verdict, there was absolutely no doubt in the judgment from the jury.<br />
<br />
Benjamin Trane will receive his sentence sometime in 2018. That sends a strict message to everyone who decides to buy into the entire franchise or only parts of it. Officially WWASP does not exist anymore, but there are schools around the United States where they use a level system where the teenagers have to earn right to better food, right to speak to their parents, right to unstricted communication with their peers and punishment using isolation rooms. There are schools out there who use seminars for parents and the confined teenagers which tricks them into believing that life in general are restricted and life should be lived in a certain way.<br />
<br />
So maybe WWASP is not that dead. They might receive money for running a lot of services - just not the entire package labeling a school a WWASP school.<br />
<br />
The judgment is a milepoint<br />
<br />
It is not the first time authorities have tried to make a bording school manager responsible:<br />
<ul><li>The authorities in what is now known as the Czech Republic tried to bring Glenda and Steven Roach to justice. However they managed to escape the country with some help from people from the local American embassy before they could go to court and the police in Brno had to drop the investigation.</li>
<li>The authorities in Costa Rica tried to convict Narvin Lichfield after the raid on Academy of the Dundee Ranch. However he was successful in securing jobs to all the potential vitnesses among the employees at other schools abroad and some of the teenagers who could have testified against him were in fact locked up at other boarding schools when they returned to the United States.</li>
<li>The authorities in Mexico and Nevada settled with closing Casa by the Sea, the High Impact boot camp and Sky View Christian Academy</li>
</ul><br />
Two times before a manager has been convicted on his individual actions:<br />
<br />
In the case of the Royal George Academy and Darrington Academy the managers were sentenced due to their own violent behavior. Randall Hinton and Richard Darrington both ended in prison. However their judgment did not include whether the guidelines in their schools in general was abusive.<br />
<br />
This time part of the verdict is based on the acceptance of the general guidelines which were a punitive level system and the use of isolation rooms.<br />
<br />
That is a vital point in the judgment.<br />
<br />
That means that no person - al least in the state of Iowa - can buy into such a franchise and believe that they are above the law. They will be held responsible.<br />
<br />
Are all the people in this case responsible for the ordeals of the teenagers then held to justice?<br />
<br />
No.<br />
<br />
Ken Kay, Karr Farnsworth, the Lichfield brothers and some unknown money men made good money setting up those schools. Parents all over the country still pay off of the mortage, they took in their houses believing that they had to do this in order to save their children. Parents who in many cases lost their children afterwards due to mental issues left untreated or self-medication in order to deal with the burden of the posttraumatic stress discorder as result of their stay at these schools.<br />
<br />
The money men continued to live good lives knowning that they got away with it. People like Benjamin Trane were rightfully convicted but they were in fact people who could be sacrificed because the franchise system itself was not convicted.<br />
<br />
Of course the line of people who are willing to buy into the full franchise is now short but some people unable to get jobs in other lines of work might be tempted to establish a school. (Benjamin Trane had no training counseling teenagers, so in fact you could pick anyone on the street to become a boarding school manager).<br />
<br />
So there is a very good reason for human right organizations to continue to monitor new boarding schools and treatment facilities. It could very well be a facility who is using what is now a banned set of guidelines into how to run a punitive boarding school with a behavioral program for the students.<br />
<br />
The monitoring of this line of business will continue and it is only a question of time before the next facility will be brought down.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sources:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/12/22/iowa-boarding-school-director-guilty-abuse-charges.html">Iowa boarding school director guilty of abuse charges</a> (Fox news)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/czech-school-accused-of-torturing-pupils-1186098.html">Czech school accused of torturing pupils</a> (The Independent)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.ticotimes.net/2007/02/23/academy-owner-declared-innocent">Academy Owner Declared Innocent</a> (Tico Times)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/editorials/2016/02/07/who-is-behind-midwest-academy/79867582/">Who is behind Midwest Academy?</a>(The Desmoines Register)</li>
</ul><br />
Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-28325476305988674832017-12-17T09:14:00.000+01:002019-08-11T18:10:32.619+02:00Who was responsible at Midwest Academy?It is Ben Trane who is on trial. He was the director. But he is also the fall-guy. The money is gone to the people who designed the entire setup. All the time there has been a plan what to do if the authorities ever intervened. Why? Because the designers and owners of the school system had tried to have their schools locked down so many times in several countries and states that they from day one had an emergency plan what to do when the authorities intervened, not if the authorities intervened. Google WWASP and you will learn that the real owners had schools closed down in Nevada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Samoa and the Czech republic.<br />
<br />
We have to remember that Midwest Academy was founded shortly before the authoritis raided Casa by the Sea, which is mentioned on several blogs:<br />
<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://haunted-places.over-blog.com/2017/12/1.casa-by-the-sea.html">Casa by the Sea</a> (Haunted places)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.savemichaelperry.info/casabythesea.asp">Casa by the Sea</a> (Save Michael Perry website)</li>
<li><a href="http://truthaboutcasa.blogspot.com/">The truth about Casa By The Sea - A boarding school nightmare</a></li>
<li><a href="http://wwaspsurvivors.com/wwasp-programs/casa-by-the-sea/">Casa By the Sea</a> (WWASP survivors)</li>
<li><a href="http://therealcasa.blogspot.com/">American Child, Mexican Prisoner: Casa by the Sea </a></li>
</ul><br />
You learn that the sructure used at Casa by the Sea was basically the same as used at Midwest Academy. Still more than 10 years went by from the date where the authorities in Mexico called it a stop to the time when the authorities in Iowa raided Midwest Academy. It left the owners plenty of time to construct a financial setup where there would be no money for victims when the school closed down.<br />
<br />
So the money are now being controlled by two firms named Midwest Twister and Prestige Funding. Maybe. Because for more than 3 decades the money men had been hiding in Utah. One of the people behind the system even worked for Mitch Romney when he unsuccessful ran for presidency in 2012. We are talking of people high in the system, who have milked families for 3 decades into believing that they had a solution for so-called at-risk teenagers, if the families had the money to pay for treatment.<br />
<br />
It was a well-planned close down operation. Given that these men does not waste resources, every chair, every table, every computer and even left-over uniforms will be used again in another so-called school. Nothing is too small for them to be used again. <br />
<br />
When Valerie Anne Herron died after falling to her death from the second floor at Tranquility Bay in Jamaica, <a href="http://wwaspsurvivors.com/survivor-testimony/female-student-mistreated-in-cross-creek-manor-and-tranquility-bay/">her belongings were given to new students</a>. Uniforms, pencils and unused notebooks. Some of it still with blood on.<br />
<br />
<blockquote><span style="color: blue;">About a month after the incident, I was working in transitions with Karen and Sherry, cleaning out the supply closet (this closet held hygiene supplies for students as well as uniforms for new students) and I found 4 of Valerie’s uniforms, folded neatly, ready for a new girl to adopt. Only 1 was missing, the one she died in. It shocked me and reminded me of books I have read about concentration camps, where the dead peoples uniforms are reused and passed on. We talked to the staff in charge of supplies, and he said there was nothing wrong with the uniforms, they had only been used once, and that we needed to “chill now man”.</span></blockquote><br />
It has and will always be about the money.<br />
<br />
Source:<br />
<a href="http://www.thehawkeye.com/news/20171205/ben-trane-former-midwest-academy-director-testifies">Ben Trane, former Midwest Academy director, testifies</a> (The Hawkeye)<br />
<br />
Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-90867348533452776672017-12-16T08:43:00.001+01:002017-12-16T08:43:44.848+01:00Properly legal in one state, illegal in anotherWhen you follow the trail against Ben Trane from the former Midwest Academy, you notice that methods which are standard at most programs in Utah, is now critized in court in Iowa.<br />
<br />
One point which is hight-lighted is the level sysem.<br />
<br />
Food at Midwest Academy was used as punishment according to the prosecutor.<br />
<blockquote><span style="color: blue;">“Level 1 had certain restrictions,” said Timmins. “Food was a privilege there. So as a Level 1, you could not eat catsup and mustard and you could not have the salad dressing at the salad bar. You had to earn condiments.”</span></blockquote><br />
It is basically the same at Turn-about Ranch used in Dr. Phil Shows. When a teenager enters Turn-about Ranch, they are housed in a modern heated cabin enjoying the same food as teenagers on higher level. Their food is also basic.<br />
<br />
A testimony from a former Turn-about Ranch residents tells us that:<br />
<blockquote><span style="color: blue;">They eat breakfast (oatmeal, cooked over their personal camp fire in an old coffee can), lunch ("trail mix," which is shredded coconut, Cheerios, and raisins), and dinner (which can vary from beans & lentils to Ramen noodles, depending on availability and behavior).</span><br />
</blockquote><br />
Then the Level one teenagers are also met with restrictions on who they are allowed to communicate with. This is what is writen about Midwest Academy:<br />
<blockquote><span style="color: blue;">“As a Level 1, you couldn’t talk to people. There were certain people you could talk to… but Level 1's were not able to talk to each other. They weren’t allowed to talk to staff. It was part of the discipline.”</span><br />
</blockquote><br />
What are said about Turn-about Ranch?<br />
<blockquote><span style="color: blue;">During this time they are not allowed to talk (except to ask for water or food) and are forbidden to sleep except when the staff tells them to.</span><br />
</blockquote><br />
It is basically the same. Again at Turn-about Ranch we see the attempt of isolating the newcomer from the rest of the teenage population at the facility. It is a gruesome mental method used to break down the teenager so they can force the teenager into making kind of confessions making the stay at these private teenage prisons justified.<br />
<br />
There is a reason that isolation in any form is considered close to torture. Most humans are social creatures. They do not have the mindset so they can bare isolation for longer periods. In justice systems they learned this the hard way when they designed early prisons. In the start they believed that isolating prisoners from each other forcing them to wear hoods which covered their faces while they were out would make them repent and become good people. These methods were abolished as the prisoners became insane. Keeping in mind that a counselor was murdered at Turn-about ranch and another hurt when a teenager could not bear the isolation any more, why are such methods then still allowed in Utah?<br />
<br />
Communication with the outside world was also restricted. Why limit the communication with the parents, the people who are paying for the stay. Parents could not drive by any weekend and talk to their child. Communication were limited to letters, letters which were screened so the employees could ask for a new version of a letter if it was too complaining.<br />
<br />
It is basically what allowed the alleged abuse Ben Trane is on trial for. In 2012, Denmark introduced "the law of a child". In Denmark teenagers in group homes are allowed the use of cell phones from day one. It serves two purposes. The child can call the state hotline preventing abuse. The child can be tracked using the cellphone if the child runs away from a group home. The child and the parents can maintain and repair their relationship.<br />
<br />
The background for "the law of a child" was tragic. On the island of Laesoe a male employee has sex with a girl who was isolated due to some rules at a group home. The confession of the male employee was secretly taped by the girl and she also keep part of her clothes with his semen on.<br />
<br />
The Danish court system handed down the most severe sentence the system allowed them. 60 days in prison suspended. It demands an explanation. In Denmark social standards are very much enherited. People from low-income families, immigrants and people who were placed in the social system are at the bottom in the court system. When they are charged, their names are made public unlike people with money who can afford lawyers where their names are secret until the courts have ruled. So the victim in the sex-case was from a low-income family and the employee a local respected man. 60 days was a severe sentence given the circumstances.<br />
<br />
It left the Danish politicians with only one option. To abolish use of isolation for children when possible. Only when we are talking crimes like terrorism and use of guns, the court can rule for isolation. <br />
<br />
I believe that the state governments of both Utah and Iowa should rule against any use of level systems where food and social isolation are used.<br />
<br />
Use of isolation does not result in positive change. The most smart of the teenagers learn that they just have to play along and wait until they are 18 so they can continue their lives as they did before the stay.<br />
<br />
The other kids leave such places damaged and suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. The suicide rates among people who suffered time during their teenage years are alarming high. The number of former inmates in these places who dies of medical overdoses also.<br />
<br />
They are basically good for none but of course good for drama in television shows like Dr. Phil when the teenagers are dragged out to a car by handpicked thugs while the teenagers are screaming about not forgiving their parents. It is a sick culture.<br />
<br />
It needs to be stopped and it is up to the politicians to save teenagers from ending up at such places. The real question is whether they are prepared to do that when jobs are brought to an area. Ask your local polician this question over and over again until you get an answer.<br />
<br />
Sources:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://tspr.org/post/prosecution-lays-out-criminal-case-against-former-boarding-school-owner">Prosecution Lays Out Criminal Case Against Former Boarding School Owner</a> (WIUM Tristates Public Radio)</li>
<li><a href="http://tales-from-the-black-school.blogspot.com/2010/11/turn-about-ranch-rough-guide.html">Turn About Ranch (A Rough Guide)</a> (Tales from the black school testimonial blog)</li>
</ul><br />
Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-24451481058719898482017-11-25T12:03:00.000+01:002017-11-25T12:03:08.418+01:00A milestone in courtThe former students at Midwest Academy were abused.<br />
<br />
A ruling at Lee County establish that the former so-called students where mistreated.<br />
<br />
It is hardly a news for any former student subjected to stays at boarding schools using the WWASP-concept where students had to subject to six levels of punishment and a number of seminars because being granted their freedom.<br />
<br />
For those who did not manage to complete this before they turned 18, their destiny in life became homeless shelters shunned by their family. Some managed to move on still with little or no contact to their family just because the parents were told that it was the best option.<br />
<br />
Also a history of massive amounts of suicides are seen among former students.<br />
<br />
For more than a decade the owners of the former boarding school chain has avoided responsability. A lawsuit started in 2005 came to nothing held up due to appeal after appeal.<br />
<br />
So this is a milestone.<br />
<br />
There are still schools out there where the owners in the past officially used the same concept. While many of them claim that they use another system, they still use the concept of a level system and arrange a number of seminars. Calling the levels something other and renaming the seminars does not result in any improved treatment of the students.<br />
<br />
As of 2017 these schools are still running where they in the past used the WWASP concept.<br />
<ul><li>Sunset Bay Academy (Oceanside teen center) in Mexico</li>
<li>US Youth Services (Red River Academy) in Lecompte, Louisiana</li>
<li>Teen Revitalization (Academy at Dundee Ranch) in Costa Rica</li>
<li>Palmetto Therapeutic Boarding School (Carolina Springs Academy) in South Carolina</li>
</ul><br />
More can be using the concept without us knowning. Facts remain that is a damaging concept.<br />
<br />
We hope that former students from more schools can use this ruling taking their school to court.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Source:<br />
<a href="http://www.kbur.com/2017/11/24/midwest-academy-students-win-lawsuit-over-mistreatment/">Midwest Academy Students Win Lawsuit Over Mistreatment</a> (KBUR News)Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-52734827847563402372017-10-29T10:07:00.000+01:002017-10-29T10:13:17.368+01:00Uannouced visits is often not enough. Replace the staff who does the work can be an improvementIn Denmark, residential programs are visited by audit teams. They come unannouced. The reason for this method is to prevent the residential programs to arrange deals with the teenagers in treatment so they either is not in the facility during the audit or they get something in return for describing the facility as fine and dandy.<br />
<br />
But a recent case shows that the employees who do the audits also should be given different facilities to audit so the management of the facility cannot befriend certain employees at the audit teams so the reports are altered to be perfect instead of pointing out the conditions which need to be fixed or improved.<br />
<br />
The social services pay for most of the treatment programs in Denmark. It is the taxpayers who suffer when money is wasted.<br />
<br />
And the recent years despite improvements have shown overexpenses which is money wasted on treatment program of poor quality or even illegal treatment programs which have not been approved.<br />
<br />
In some cases, teenagers were sent to Sweden or Norway, which is illegal and totally against the laws in Denmark. Money were paid and while the treatment program was shut down, the taxpayers need answers to who approved the payments. Some teamleaders need prosecution but the system lack interest in doing so. How can we then prevent a similar situation from happening in the future?<br />
<br />
A foster mom was paid 3 times the appropiate sum of money. She often was on holiday and let the teenager alone back home. Who approved this and why was the case-worker or the accountant not held responsible?<br />
<br />
The Tvind organization where the leaders are wanted men by the state prosecution continue to run their empire from their private city in Mexico where they control the authorities so they cannot be extradited to Denmark. Over the entire Denmark many departments of social services continue to send children to the facilities they control. How can this happen? Should they not stop this traffic until the management of Tvind gives up and come back to face the justice they deserve?<br />
<br />
On of their facilities "Småskolen Ved Nakkebølle Fjord" got nice reviews until the audit team were changed. Suddenly new eyes on the conditions changed the reviews. Now they had to fix a lot of things.<br />
<br />
The facility changed the management. One person got a new job. The managers at Tvind rotate whenever criticism get bad. It is enough for the audit system it seems. Because then a number of years can go by before things to bad again and they have to rotate again. It is a never ending story with no real improvements for the children.<br />
<br />
If we look at the work, various human rights organizations have lobbied for over the last decades, the conditions for the children in treatment have gotten better. The employees can no longer confiscate cell phones because the children need them so they can call the help hotline, the state has made. Also Internet access is mandated mostly because the public school system is now run with books and lesson put on the Internet, so without Internet Access it is impossible to make homework.<br />
<br />
However it seems that treatment programs sometime fly under the radar. 60 days in prison suspended for a male counselor having sex with a 15 year old girl is too short a sentence according to our opinion. It can be done better.<br />
<br />
So we will continue to feed human rights organizations in Denmark with news we find so conditions for the children placed in treatment homes can be improved.<br />
<br />
It is our money. We who goes to work every single day and pay taxes shall see our money be put to work in a way which improves the lives of the children in placement. Nothing less can satisfy us. Period !<br />
<br />
Sources:<br />
<ul><li><a href="https://www.tvindalert.com/">Tvind Alert</a></li>
<li><a href="https://1000placesudontwanttobe.wordpress.com/2016/03/29/448-gogereden/">448. Gøgereden</a> (1000 places You don't want to be as a teenager - It is sadly not fiction but reality)</li>
</ul>Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-16293823363241117962017-06-24T08:09:00.002+02:002017-06-24T08:09:57.121+02:00The Danish break-through fighting obesity among children requires that the child stay at homeObesity among children has become a huge problem. It is now estimated that overweight is no longer a minority. At least 20 percent is overweight and 70 percent of these overweight children will become overweight once they become adult.<br />
<br />
Something has to be done and thanksfully it has.<br />
<br />
What is the solution then? Creating a massive number of group homes?<br />
<br />
No. Children don't prepare their own food. The parents do. Children often don't do what their parents say. They do as their parents act.<br />
<br />
So the cure of the solution is that the family needs a treatment plan. Not the child.<br />
<br />
An expert group at Holbaek Hospital research and invented a method which has proven to be very successful. Back in 2014 they had treated 1,900 children with a successrate of 80 percent.<br />
<br />
The question people often ask is whether the child has to take ownership and the answer is yes. The child has also to take ownership of the problem but it is not a problem because the body image modern marketing portray has never been father away from the body image you see on Danish streets.<br />
<br />
The danish treatment model is simple:<br />
<br />
<ol><li>The child and the family goes through a number of interviews at the hospital</li>
<li>Based on the interviews, the family and the hospital agrees on 15-20 changes in the daily routines. That is it!</li>
</ol><br />
The family agree to clean up their kitchen. Rules are given for each meal.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>The breakfast for all members of the family has to consist of Rye bread and the meat the family put on top of it must maximum has a fat percent of 6. It could be chicken, turkey or fish alternatively Oatmeal, oatmeal, rugfras or mini-grass. No serial are a allowed - it must not even be in the home at all.</li>
<li>The Lunch must consist of 3-4 pieces of Rye Bread with similar kind of meat as the Breakfast.</li>
<li>No snacks in during afternoon. The child can repeat the breakfast</li>
<li>All plates are prepared in advance in the kitchen and served for each family member so each plate include a certain percentage is vegetables. If a second service is needs the rule is that 20 minutes must past. Almost every human experience a delay in the signals from the stomach which tells them when they are satiated. That is the reason for the delay. Again the second service has to be prepared in advance. Needless to say that these rules apply to all in the family. It is not the child who are treated. It is the family.</li>
<li>Drinks which includes sugar like soda or juice must maximum be enjoyed once per week and we are talking half a liter in total per week.</li>
<li>Candy is once per week and there is a limit based on age</li>
</ul><br />
But change in diet is often not enough. The family needs to look at their daily transport routines. In Danish the roads are safe for children. The children often bike to school from an early age (8-9 years old) when the distance is under 7 kilometers.<br />
<br />
All Danish homework is computerized but using computer and television for recreational use is set to be 2 hours per day maximum and only after 17:00.<br />
<br />
Finally the child has to choose a sport to attend based on the choice of the child. Often a number of sports has to be tried out, but the important part is that it is interest of the child which is the motivation. Of course it would help if a parent or sibling is actively either participating or supporting.<br />
<br />
Is that not much responsability to place on the parents? Wasn't is easier to outsource this to a group home or an in-patient program?<br />
<br />
No. It is the responsability of the parents to partipate. It comes with the territory of being a parent to show an example. As a parent you have to change your life as much as possible to make your child both healthy and successful.<br />
<br />
Sources:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/health-29755469">Have the Danes cracked childhood obesity?</a> (BBC)</li>
<li><a href="http://healthcaredenmark.dk/news/breakthrough-in-fighting-childhood-obesity.aspx">Breakthrough in fighting childhood obesity</a> (Healthcare Denmark)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/athenahealth/2015/04/13/has-a-doctor-from-denmark-solved-childhood-obesity/#6357e33a6123">Has A Doctor From Denmark Solved Childhood Obesity?</a> (Forbes)</li>
</ul>Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-43666958546550770912017-05-21T23:56:00.002+02:002017-05-21T23:56:25.112+02:00Who is watching the children at Diamond Ranch Academy - now there is one lessThe website drasurvivors are now redirecting to the website of Diamond Ranch Academy which is a so-called residential treatment facility in Hurricane, Utah.<br />
<br />
Drasurvivors contained the testimones of a number of former residents who were forced to play students at the facility.<br />
<br />
Often children who had committed no crime but disapointing the expectations of their parents when it came to grades, choice of religion, choice of gender in relationships or choice of habits when partying.<br />
<br />
Still they endured isolation from family and friends.<br />
<br />
Still they endured punishments without access to legal representation.<br />
<br />
Still they had no access to commnication which could allow them to access the authorities when they exposed to unjust treatment.<br />
<br />
What the website drasurvivors gave them, were the chance to let the public learn of their torment.<br />
<br />
It was important because two students never had the chance to tell anyone because they died while they were under the care of the facility.<br />
<br />
A boy died from an illness. At least that is what we are supposed to accept base on a report from the local coronorer. It could be right but in cases like this a single report is not enough. Especially after the boot camp scandal in Florida where the papers didn't tell the truth because someone wanted to protect the local jobs at the boot camp. <br />
<br />
A boy opted to take his own life rather than subject himself to the harsh treatment at the facility. It could have been prevented. An investigation into the suicide concluded this.<br />
<br />
Some might claim that the authorities do supervise. That they do come to the facility and ask to speak with the student without monitoring. But do they listen? Are the local jobs not more important?<br />
<br />
Then what about the social services from the communities all over the United States from where the students are sent? It doesn't happen. It really should because the welfare of the children at Diamond Ranch Academy should not be weighed against local jobs.<br />
<br />
Something is really wrong at the facility because our contacts at Fornits reports an alarming number of deaths among the former residents at the facility.<br />
<br />
We are really concerned because we already have two families who didn't get their son home alive. How many more should be put at risk before the social services all over the United States and United Kingdom who also have sent children to such facilities say stop to this child trafficing across state lines?<br />
<br />
The children at Diamond Ranch Academy lost someone who could look after them with the hostile takeover of the drasurvivors website. Others need to take over or we will start counting dead bodies of children again.<br />
<br />
Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-16245844364329904452016-12-10T00:08:00.001+01:002016-12-11T22:04:25.879+01:00A death is a tragedy - regardless who the victim isWhat was supposed to happen at one point - did happen.<br />
<br />
The entire setup of Turn-about Ranch in Utah was a setup for disaster.<br />
<br />
Removing a child without warning from its own bed or luring the child on holiday only to dump it at Turn-about Ranch is not only traumatic, it provokes resistant. It was only a matter of time before a child reacted with such a violence that either the child or anyone else would have died.<br />
<br />
It is not as if it did not happen before. On course there are many deaths caused by restraints. In fact, there are an entire blog about each recorded death among teenagers who have been confined to residential programs. Some deaths are not recorded. The local newspapers are quiet due to concern of loss of local jobs. The family has to settle out of court because they do not have the money to go up against the rich facilities.<br />
<br />
Then there are deaths caused among innocent neighbors. Especially the Luc Ranch killings were tragic. Traumatized by their stay two teenagers ran and killed an elderly couple. However, people have been hurt in a number of incidents where the teenagers on the run or innocent people who just happened to be on the road at the same time also were either injured or killed.<br />
<br />
Then there are teenagers in the programs who kills or just try to kill other teenagers to prevent them from reporting attempted escapes. Mountain Park Academy in Missouri saw such a tragedy. Out of three boys two are now dead and the last one still in prison. None today questions the fact that Mountain Park Academy was abusive. Given the news that the employees moved on to work at similar places makes it not better.<br />
<br />
This time an employee lost his life at Turn-about Ranch. In Europe Turn-about Ranch is known from Brat Camp who boosted the career of Jemma Lucy. While her career certainly is an achievement, we only can question ourselves if the life lessons learned really are the kind of values we want to instill in our children. She entered the ranch with dreams of becoming a singer. The ranch taught her that life was extreme that she thought and extreme is the measures she has used during her career in the entertainment industry.<br />
<br />
A boy is in prison. An employee is dead. Another employee needed treatment after the attack. Why? I am sure that the family of the boy now agree that it was not worth messing with the choices the boy made before they decided to send him to the program. Sometime teenagers make poor decision. Sitting around in the corner as a parent while you are bitter waiting to have money enough to send your child to other people for a quick fix instead of setting the standard your self is an absolutely no-go.<br />
<br />
I am a parent. My children are among the few young Danes who do not drink and at the same time is not radicalized as much Danish teenager risk during these hard years where we have opened our vulnerable small culture to many outsiders.<br />
<br />
I believe in setting standard. I do not drink very much and I am never drunk in front of my children. I wear a bike helmet. Instead of telling them how to behave, I show them how to behave. I show them how to work hard only days after a van crushed my bike with me on it. Broken limbs – no problem. You work! I do not tell my kids. I dragged myself out of my bed to the computer so I could serve my workplace who had granted me a position to serve at.<br />
<br />
Showing instead of telling. That is the right way.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, even I have to learn about how group homes and residential programs work when your child needs treatment. My children live away from home. Their need for special treatment cannot be met where I live. It is painful for a parent. However, the difference between Turn-about Ranch and the place my children live is that my children was involved in the enrollment process.<br />
<br />
No, it was not funny for them. It was not funny for me. From day one based on my experience with the industry I demanded unlimited visitation rights and that I only have to give the employees minutes of warning before I arrive. My wishes have been complied.<br />
<br />
Both my children are intelligent people. They know that the rules at the group home are not the same as home. Because with special need special rules also have to be made. That is why violations have been minimal. Escape attempts have not been met with violence but with information so I could track the individual using the GPS on the smartphone. Yes. My children have smartphones while they are in the residential program. They have the right to communicate with friends and extended family at home.<br />
<br />
The oldest even have the right to buy alcohol under the safe limit of 16.5 but have not exercised the right. Properly because they both have observed me.<br />
<br />
Unlike the treatment facility my children live at, Turn-about ranch does not believe in communicating with children before they enter the program. When they enter the program, they are met with a unified approach. Any treatment reports made before entering the program are not taken into consideration so an individual treatment plan can be made.<br />
<br />
It was a recipe for disaster and it became a disaster when employee was killed. A boy now enter the prison system instead of just being an underachiever. The family of the employee suffered a huge loss. The surviving employee might never come back due to the emotional damages caused by the fight.<br />
<br />
There are no winners of this story. Only a huge amount of sorrow and loss.<br />
<br />
Turn-about is an outdated form of treatment program. It should have closed years ago. Sadly, it did not.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sources:<br />
<ul><li><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/12/08/tragedy-at-turn-about-ranch-a-teen-came-for-rehab-then-killed-a-staffer-to-escape-police-say/?utm_term=.e077ad519f08">Tragedy at Turn-About Ranch: A teen came for rehab, then killed a staffer to escape, police say</a> (The Washington Post)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article318400/Southwest-Missouri-group-home-suspended-after-teen-escapees-are-accused-of-murder.html">Southwest Missouri group home suspended after teen escapees are accused of murder</a> (The Kansas City Star - about the LUC ranch murders)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.missourinet.com/2015/07/08/man-convicted-as-a-teen-of-murder-at-missouri-boarding-school-dies/">Man convicted as a teen of murder at Missouri boarding school dies</a> (missourinet)</li>
</ul>Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-70262533976658747482016-03-14T07:30:00.001+01:002016-03-14T07:30:39.518+01:00Investigation into death at Elan School in MaineEverybody who has followed the trial against Michael Skakel knows that the now-closed Elan School in Poland, Maine had it secrets.<br />
<br />
People who investigate the business like our organization also knew in advance that a death which occurred around 1982 properly was the result of violence inflicted in the so-called therapeutic boxing ring.<br />
<br />
But the problem has been that the authorities never wanted to release any records, they never really wanted to conduct a throughout investigation. Elan School was a convenient dumping place for troubled youth. It was a place where the authorities sent unwanted children to and where they could be kept quiet until they became broken adults who would end their lives prematurely as too many of the former students have done. The suicide rate among former students are alarming high.<br />
<br />
It seems that every country needs such a dumping place. In Denmark it was called Solhaven and it was only because some brave police officers finally ignored the cries for local labor and the business caused by housing a larger company in a remote neighborhood where every job-position is welcome, that Solhaven was stopped. The juridical system is complex so no conviction came out of it but the business was shut down and while they might want to reopen they will never grow to the size before the closure.<br />
<br />
Poland in Maine also needed the jobs and when Joseph Ricci created the school, eyes were closed. They continued to be close for almost the entire time Elan School was open. Joseph Ricci who came with no education into taking care of teenagers with often complex disorders took care of a problem for the state and for that they shielded him from proper investigation into what went on at this business.<br />
<br />
Maybe the investigation into the 1982 death of Philip Williams Jr. might provide the public a clearer picture of what when down at Elan School? It is properly too late to bring any of the former employees and management to justice. As we learned in Denmark the court system can be complex and a huge lawsuit against the people behind the infamous WWASP organization in the United States which got schools closed down in several states and countries came to nothing. But it really doesn't matter. It is about learning from the past. The troubled teen industry which boomed as result of the 3-strike laws introduced in the 1990's which scared many parents to seek residential treatment for even minor things like alcohol consumption or poor grades left many teenagers with emotional scars which might never heal.<br />
<br />
The future must learn the damage Elan School and similar places caused in order to prevent new places from opening if the society ever might focus on over-controlling the difficult transition from childhood to adulthood again.<br />
<br />
We urge the authorities to open their records so the truth of the past can be learned.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sources:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.sunjournal.com/news/maine/2016/03/12/his-family-asks-what-really-happened-phil-elan-school/1881905">His family asks: What really happened to Phil at the Elan School?</a> (Maine Sun Journal)</li>
<li><a href="http://wiki.fornits.com/index.php/Elan_School">Factsheet of the school</a> (Fornits Wiki)</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-58074639218551038132016-01-30T11:09:00.002+01:002016-01-30T11:09:34.055+01:00Parents ordered to collect their children from Midwest Academy in Keokuk, IowaA police investigation has been launced against Midwest Academy in Keokuk, Iowa.<br />
<br />
The school was founded by Brian Vaifanua who previous ran Paradise Cove in Samoa. Today the closed Samoa camp is mostly known for having housed two children who later moved on to kill relatives as revenge due their placement at Paradise Cove or at least it was what the conclusion the courts came to.<br />
<br />
Both Midwest Academy and Paradise Cove was a part of the nationwide WWASP organization. Schools affiliated with this organization were closed by authorities in several states and countries out of welfare concerns towards the minors forced to attend these schools by their parents.<br />
<br />
Of the schools who used to work with WWASP there are only two left.<br />
<ul><li>Red River Academy in Lecompte, Louisiana</li>
<li>Sunset Bay Academy in Mexico</li>
</ul>They use a structure very similar to the one Midwest Academy used to. A new student has to work through a level program in order to speak with parents again. Only monitored and censored contact is allowed from the enrollment until requirements are met. That leaves room for abuse.<br />
<br />
Beside the WWASP related school also a number of so-called therapeutic boarding schools and treatment centers use the same approach and parents should be aware that they leave their children in huge risk of abuse by using the facilities which use this kind of structure.<br />
<br />
It is only a question of time before a child is exposed to abuse or a child find itself so abandoned by family and social network back home that the only option seems to be suicide. Unfortunately a number of suicide attempts have been succeessfully. In a place like Diamond Ranch Academy in Utah a boy was able to hang himself and at the now-closed Spring Creek Lodge in Montana a girl committed suicide.<br />
<br />
Should residential treatment be the last option as parent see to that you can visit as often you like and if possible from the very first day.<br />
<br />
Of course you cannot expect your child to be happy about the placement but you can show your support for your own decision to show up and to a certain degree support the treatment approach you are paying for. Otherwise the treatment will have no effect. Children will return to their old ways. You would have lost a lot of money for nothing. Maybe you even will see that your child will need additional treatment as result of posttraumatic stress caused by the placement.<br />
<br />
Now the parents have to collect their children from Midwest Academy. Some might consider to send their children to other places so they can find time for holidays or whatever activity they paid to get time for by paying for having their child placed at Midwest Academy. Maybe, just maybe they should second-guess their priorities in life. <br />
<br />
Being a parent is the most important job in life.<br />
<br />
Sources:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.kcci.com/news/search-warrants-executed-at-drug-addiction-treatment-center/37690086">'Very complex, large area' part of investigation at school</a> (KCCI news)</li>
<li><a href="http://khqa.com/news/local/agencies-continue-to-investigate-midwest-academy-former-student-a-mother-speak-out">Midwest Academy parents notified to pick up their kids</a> (KHQA News)</li>
<li><a href="http://tspr.org/post/search-warrants-executed-se-iowa-boarding-school">Search Warrants Executed at SE Iowa Boarding School</a> (TSPR News)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.dailygate.com/news/article_e6d55d2e-c6a5-11e5-8a81-8f8e96dbe217.html">UPDATE: at 5 p.m. Friday – DHS gives parents 24 hours to pick their kids up from Midwest Academy according to a parent.</a> (Daily Gate City)</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-79810207144768474072015-12-20T01:08:00.001+01:002015-12-20T01:08:41.968+01:00Dangerous wilderness programs used in custody casesA custody case attracted national and international attention when Judge Gorcyca threw 3 children in juvenile detention because they didn't want to be with their father who they claim where abusive.<br />
<br />
Now the story get even more bizarre. One of the children were sent to a wilderness program and the father hasn't been fully committed in working with the therapists the court appointed.<br />
<br />
Wilderness programs are often private-run programs who you can hire to conduct so-called therapy based on what you are willing to pay for. It might not be in the best interest of the child because there are very little oversight into what kind of operation these wilderness programs run.<br />
<br />
Secondly it is among the most deadly types of therapy you can expose minors to. Opposite adults the minors cannot leave the program and too often they cause the death of minors in them.<br />
<br />
Just last year late 2014 a teenager froze to death in North Carolina.<br />
<br />
Lately a girl had a close call when she became separated from her group in Tennessee. She was unable to walk out of the woods and ended up in hospital.<br />
<br />
It is asking for a tragedy to happen accepting that this child to leave the home state in order to attend a wilderness program. How far will the justice system go putting these children at risk? It is not a question of judging whether the father or the mother is the best parent. It is a question whether the court orders the parents to use neutral therapist hired and paid by the court to work the case where the kids started to live instead of splitting them up and putting them at risk.<br />
<br />
Divorce can be a testing period for everyone especially the children but the court should not make it more difficult by putting the children in jail or allowing them to be exposed to untested and dangerous therapy methods they will be emotional damaged by the rest of their lives.<br />
<br />
Source:<br />
<a href="http://www.commdiginews.com/life/tsimhoni-custody-case-deteriorates-52145/">Tsimhoni custody case deteriorates (Communities Digital News LLC)</a>Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-86767600717292430002015-12-13T09:50:00.000+01:002015-12-13T10:04:58.961+01:00Carlbrook closesCarlbrook School which was founded based on the twisted teachings of the CEDU-chain which closed due to threat of lawsuits in 2005 closed its doors this week. Now the students can return home a start to work to heal the emotional scar this line of teachings inflicted upon them. Some families didn't get their sons home. Forest Ferguson and Joshua Clay Inscoe are stilling missing. Ferguson left the school in 2010, Inscoe in 2012 and their families have still not heard from either of them.<br />
<br />
If it was not for the students who got their emotional lives destroyed it could have been fun to research more into how the religious cult like praying of Synanon was developed into so-called therapy. The furniture reseller who founded CEDU was a long-time member of Synanon. It was persons from CEDU who took the initiative to found Carlbrook.<br />
<br />
It is hard to understand why it took so many years to close Carlbrook. Why did parents continue to enroll their children at the school when the Internet is filled with testimonies from former students providing a picture of how Carlbrook messed their minds up? Did they trust educational consultants so much that they failed to investigate what the outcome could be?<br />
<br />
Maybe. It is time to focus on the role educational consultants have in sending vulnerable teenagers to places where they are put in danger or exposed to methods which would hurt them disguised as therapy.<br />
<br />
The fact is: Education consultants receive referral fees from the owners of the programs and school they refer students to. The extent of these referral fees are not known but they exist and various source place them in size almost as close to the amounts parents pay which make people question if the recommendations the educational consultants give are in the interest of the child or the interest of their pockets.<br />
<br />
The troubled teen industry needs more overview. The flow of money between transport firms, residential programs and educational consultants is unclear. Some school districts have observed this and there are many cases all over the United States where parents sue the school districts based on the poor advice of private firms aiming at profit.<br />
<br />
Money kept Carlbrook operational for too many years. It finally closed but there are still many places out there operating just like Carlbrook paying educational consultants money for referrals to their programs and schools.<br />
<br />
Please help organizations like HEAL-online and similar in their work to close these programs down. Every voice makes a difference.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sources:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/southern-virginia/halifax-co-public-schools-notified-that-carlbrook-school-to-close/36916686">Halifax Co. Public Schools notified that Carlbrook School to close</a> (WDBJ7 News)</li>
<li><a href="http://wset.com/news/local/carlbrook-school-permanently-closes-gives-students-and-staff-short-notice">Carlbrook School Permanently Closes; Gives Students and Staff Short Notice</a> (WSET News)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.sovanow.com/index.php?/news/article/enrollment_on_the_wane_carlbrook_school_to_close/">Enrollment on the wane, Carlbrook School will close</a> (South Boston News & Record and Mecklenburg Sun)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/f/ferguson_forest.html">Forest Ferguson</a> (The Charley Project)</li>
<li><a href="https://missingttivictimsteens.wordpress.com/tag/carlbrook-school/">FOREST FERGUSON – 2010 (CARLBROOK SCHOOL FORMERLY DIAMOND RANCH ACADEMY)</a> (Missing TTI Victims Teens website)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.markturner.net/2012/08/28/missing-joshua-clay-inscoe/">Missing: Joshua Clay Inscoe</a> (Mark Turner dot net)</li>
<li><a href="http://wiki.fornits.com/index.php/Carlbrook">Factsheet about the school</a> (Fornits Wiki)</li>
</ul>Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-28964524396722323742015-12-01T08:18:00.000+01:002015-12-01T08:18:00.562+01:00Now 400 posts on the blog "1000 places you don't want to be as a teenager"You can ask yourselves how many months and years it would take to make 1.000 posts about places no child should go as a teenager. Sadly the answer to this question is: Too few years!<br />
<br />
It has not taken 6 people a decade to make 400 posts.<br />
<br />
I admire their work.<br />
<br />
Of course many of the places they mention are the same as we have in our wiki.<br />
<br />
But they are not the same.<br />
<br />
We don't have the resources as they have.<br />
<br />
We wish we had.<br />
<br />
However there shouldn't be a need for such a blog. Children should be treated with dignity when they need treatment. Is is not the case and that is the reason such a blog is needed.<br />
<br />
Wish them God's speed. They are doing a good job.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Source:<br />
<a href="https://1000placesudontwanttobe.wordpress.com/">1000 places you don't want to be as a teenager</a>Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-21038098263290020492015-11-30T20:12:00.000+01:002015-11-30T20:12:00.750+01:00Riot at Copper Hills Youth CenterThe journalist Lyn Duff battled during her teenage years to be allowed to live the life she wanted. Her choice of partner didn't suit her mother and she was sent to a treatment center in Utah where she was forced to smell ammonia to learn her the right choice of a partner. She escaped and with legal help she got the life she wanted.<br />
<br />
Years later the residential treatment center now operating under a different name is the in news again. A riot is the reason.<br />
<br />
Comments show a understaffed facility with toxic mix of youth.<br />
<br />
Fact is that no treatment center in the world can fix every issue. A treatment center needs to focus. It needs to specialize. It is costly but if corners are cut a dangerous mix of minors can be put together and either employees or the children will be hurt.<br />
<br />
Of course there are also some who never should be put in treatment programs. Children with addiction should never be put in treatment programs involuntary unless the entire family is sent there for a short stay so they can prepare their roles as addicts and relatives to addicts. People cannot fix issues they don't acknowledge. It also goes for children. If addicts are sent to place involuntary it becomes a holding place and the minute the addict is released to the society the risk of relapse is high.<br />
<br />
If you check out deaths involving addicts they often happen shortly after leaving the treatment center.<br />
<br />
The treatment center claiming to have the higest rate of successes either keep the addicts in semi-confinement or sober living communities where they cannot afford to leave from creating a kind of cult environment.<br />
<br />
Copper Hills Youth Center is a "we take them all" treatment center. It has a history of incidents where employees and children were hurt. It should have been shut down years ago for the sake of both employees and children.<br />
<br />
It had another name while Lyn Duff was confined in it but the mismanagement seems to have continued.<br />
<br />
Hopefully the riot will force the authorities to close it down.<br />
<br />
Source:<br />
<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865640478/10-teens-arrested-in-riot-at-youth-treatment-center.html">10 teens arrested in riot at youth treatment center (Desert News)</a>Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-2000722966484793362015-11-05T19:59:00.000+01:002015-11-05T19:59:00.058+01:00When will the next death happenThe blog "Today a child died" already have more than 100 entries. An entry covers the tragedy of an individual child sent to a residential treatment program.<br />
<br />
It can be a wilderness program. It can be a boarding school. It can be a residential treatment center or a juvenile detention center.<br />
<br />
In each case the child didn't make it out.<br />
<br />
Most deaths were caused by restraints. A number of employees jumps the child officially to stop the child from hurting another child or the child itself. The child is crushed to death slowly. Sometimes it takes more than 15 minutes to die. What goes through the mind of the child while every breath means one more step towards death is not to explain.<br />
<br />
Other deaths are caused by heath, malnutrition, cold and infections. It is often something which occur in wilderness programs. Reality television shows like Brat Camp made this kind of therapy look safe. It is far from the case. Even trained wilderness people lose their lives from time to time. The nature can be non-forgiving. A small mistake can mean the difference between life and death.<br />
<br />
Then there are children who dies from illnesses which could have been treated easily in hospitals. The problem is that the employees believe that the child tries to manipulate them. Often there also is a cost issue because many programs exist to make profit so they hire employees who even didn't graduate high school. They may hire nurses and doctors to drop by. But how should it be possible for poorly educated employees and hired medical staff to evaluate children regarding illness without the resources of a hospital.<br />
<br />
Last but not least there are cases where the children should have been on suicide watch and they were left on their own.<br />
<br />
Facilities like Liahona Academy in Virgin, Utah, Diamond Ranch Academy in Hurricane, Utah are among those who have lost children in their care. They continue to operate like nothing happened.<br />
<br />
That is why it is important for both parents but also the extended family to research the treatment options considered. Educational consultants, local sheriff departments, local departments of social services often looks more at referreal fees and local jobs than security of the children in treatment.<br />
<br />
The advocates of a child cannot be economically dependent of the facilities and programs. There is a need for federal oversight and federal rules. A number of states have forbidden a number of treatment programs but we are still waiting for federal rules.<br />
<br />
<i>"Today a child died" is sadly only one out of several blogs covering this area. More and more countries join the sad statitics having a need for such a blog. You can find links for a number of countries on the blog.</i><br />
<br />
Source:<br />
<a href="http://today-a-child-died.blogspot.com/">Today a child died</a>Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-75761954339160573872015-01-07T01:13:00.000+01:002015-01-07T01:13:00.260+01:00They continue to find bodies (Dozier School for boys)When they started to investigate the graves at the former reform school, they expected to locate around 30-40 children. Until now they have found the remains of 55. If the exact number of victims is ever known is hard to say. Fact is that there also were boys who were found dead outside the facility.<br />
<br />
Children who might either have committed suicide due to the harsh condition or children who were murdered because they were considered criminals the society could not turn around.<br />
<br />
Now where we now that some had interest in hiding matters, it is time to look at our own state. Could something similar happen here?<br />
<br />
Yes, it could.<br />
<br />
In Denmark everyone can search on "Godhavn", which was a terrible place before the early 1970's where the authorities quickly but discreetly retired the management and the employees to avoid a criminal investigation.<br />
<br />
Everybody can read about "Skorpeskolen" a boarding school which had teachers doing improper personal activities with the boys. A teacher died in a car accident where the faulty brakes might have been worked on by some of the boys but the authorities didn't investigate because some knew that the truth could come out.<br />
<br />
There are many more secrets but will we learn them? In Denmark the parliament has closed the door to the past. In Florida they have opened it. Denmark might learn something here. What about your state?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Sources:<br />
<ul><li><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article5427669.html">More bodies found than expected at the Dozier School for Boys</a> (Miami Herald)</li>
<li><a href="http://wiki.fornits.com/index.php/Arthur_G._Dozier_School_for_boys">Factsheet about the facility</a> (Fornits Wiki)</li>
<li><a href="http://radiogodhavn.dk/">Radio Godhavn (Memorial site in Danish)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.information.dk/270944">De måske uegnede (Article in the newspaper Information in Danish about Skorpeskolen)</a></li>
</ul>Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1288083313558422429.post-24990397138381540882014-12-24T09:16:00.002+01:002014-12-24T09:17:30.114+01:00Former students sue Diamond Ranch AcademyFormer students have sued Diamond Ranch Academy near Hurricane in Utah.<br />
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In their complaint they call the facility a private prison.<br />
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Their claim supports the numerous statements made by former students on various website and in blogs.<br />
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Statements the facility has sought to silence by suing a number of the people who have helped the former students to tell their side of the treatment approach they experienced during their stay at Diamond Ranch Academy.<br />
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I feel that it is important to learn what the student’s state even when they are not satisfied with their treatment. In a world where crime among minors have dropped and the new generation acquires the highest grades and have become the most sober youth maybe ever, there should be space to offer those who struggle the best possible treatment.<br />
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Lately the experts in Denmark have become worried because the soberness and none acting out among teenagers we have experienced the last 5 years seems to have resulted in a massive epidemic of depression. Especially female teenagers struggle to maintain the strait A’s hiding their identity and wishes for the future behind success with their studies.<br />
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At some point some of the reach out before they turn to suicide attempts? Should they then be sent to a place where they are punished because they asked for help? Should they be disconnected from the entire world for a week, a month or more depending of their progress in a program?<br />
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No of course not. The time for programs and group homes where the teenagers live a sheltered life shunned from the rest of the world should be over.<br />
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In Denmark the parliament researched the outcome of residential treatment centers in 1999 and discovered that those who have been in them did poorer compared to teenagers who lived in neglect at home dealing sexual abuse and addictions. They did not pass exams with the same quality in curriculum compared to public school. They didn’t end up going to universities. Maybe just stood in the waiting list for a cell in prisons.<br />
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Most important: The Danish government discovered that some firms milked the system promising cure and better life while they just warehoused the children in internal schools. One of the firms even had their own education for teachers which were not recognized by the rest of the world but did qualify them for jobs inside this firm. The “Tvind”-law was passed.<br />
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Improvements over night were not achieved but the path was decided. Some years ago the authorities cracked down on a number of group homes. Oversight became tighter. Treatment became individualized. Today it is normal that the teenagers have their own room and cell-phone on them outside school. For the counselors the cell-phones have become a tool. Runaways forget to turn their phone off and the counselors just have to call the social worker back home and alert the police who then return the teenagers to a talk with the social worker so it can be decided why the teenager ran.<br />
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Each and every incident of the use of restraint has to be reported to a central agency and the social services back home. It has resulted in better training of employees. It has forced the social workers to validate the placement better so the teenagers are sent to places suiting their needs. It has reduced the number of restraint cases to almost none and no death has occurred the last years.<br />
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Of course there are teenagers who have committed crimes. Denmark has lockdown treatment centers functioning as jails. If you have teenagers who commit violence the society needs protection from them. But the real effort is to separate punishment from treatment. An addict doesn’t need punishment to stop. An addict deserves an analyze where both the addict and the counselors can learn the source of the addiction. Why did it start? What kind of individualized treatment should be used? Should there be a treatment at all or should the teenager move far away to an isolated place as a kind of time out to allow the teenagers to mature in a place where drugs are harder in this way reducing the drug-use until the teenager mature?<br />
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Diamond Ranch Academy – despite their rework of their program some years ago – represents a treatment approach of the past. It was a time where the teenagers and their problems were forced to adapt to a system which they could be kept in until they either adapted or was broken down to a point of not-living waiting to return to the real world so they could continue their previous lives.<br />
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As many other treatment programs started at the same time using the same types of methods with variations they have a massive problem with former students starting to tell how they felt. They didn’t cut their clients tongues out during the treatment so their entire business plan is going to fail at some point.<br />
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They can fight it. They have tried. However it is just a question of time before their time is over. Maybe this lawsuit is the start of the end.<br />
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Sources:<br />
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<a href="http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/12/08/teens-call-academy-a-private-prison.htm">Teens Call 'Academy' a Private Prison</a> (Courthouse News Service)</li>
<li><a href="http://whenfarfromhome.wordpress.com/">When far from home</a> (Testimonial blogs - includes testimonies from Diamond Ranch Academy among others)</li>
<li><a href="http://tales-from-the-black-school.blogspot.com">Tales from the black school</a> (Testimonial blogs - includes testimonies from Diamond Ranch Academy among others)</li>
</ul>Lidt om "Secret Prisons for Teens"http://www.blogger.com/profile/14393577138955834932noreply@blogger.com0