We have learned that Discovery Academy in Provo released a young man aged 18 after trying to hold him illegal. In the United States as in many countries only minors can be held in so-called treatment against their will. Once they turn 18 they can legally leave the treatment program unless they were court ordered from the begining.
Because the young man who is suffering from depression after having lost his father did leave the Academy without the approval of his mother he got a lift down to a home shelter many states from his home.
It was only after having reached out to the public that various people paid his plane ticket home.
Now he is living in his home city without support from his family.
Back to the case
When he turned 18 he should be able to leave the academy but they refused to let him go. Friends knew that he should be allowed to leave and they phoned the police and reported that he was held back against his will despite his age making him legally an adult. The radio show by Mark Levine picked the case up and made an entire show about it. Here are some highlights from the Radio show:
- The police seemed initially interested, but after talking to the kid's mother, they said there was nothing they could do. Even though keeping him there was a crime, and this was pointed out to them.
- What gets even weirder is the officer told advocates that she had met with the teen and he said he was fine and wanted to stay. The teen had been begging his girlfriend and her mother to get him out, he said no officer ever met with him.
- Even weirder is when Mark Levine called, the same officer at first said she met with the teen, but later refused to confirm or deny that fact. She told him to call Discovery Academy and ask them about their policies. Mark told them that if his wife was kidnapped, he would not call the kidnappers and ask them their policy. She still refused to budge or help him.
- The FBI said it did not meet their criteria and did nothing.
- CPS would not get involved because he had turned 18 and was no longer a minor.
- The local disability rights org, who is mandated by the state, was willing to help but not quickly. They offered to file a lawsuit, which would take at least a month, and probably drag out longer. Also, his mother claimed he was disabled when she enrolled him, but now said that he wasn't.
- There are allegations that Discovery Academy abused the teen, but we don't have a lot of info about that. Yet.
On the worldwide scene it is a problem when parents accept to place their child in a residential treatment program without the consent of their child. In Denmark the problems was recently debated and legislation may be in progress fixing the problem so teenagers are heard before the social services put them into treatment based on parental accept only.
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