A private-run youth prison called Milton Girls Juvenile Residential Facility is in the spotlight of the media due to a video showing an employee restraining a girl in a very violent way.
In fact had the restraint method used in this incident been used in several other states it would have been a banned method used. The employee placed her body on the top of the 15 year old. It is a move which could restraint the breath of the girl and in some cases it could have led to her death. Restraints are a huge killer in youth facilities and if you look at blogs covering deaths in residential treatment facilities, it is properly the most frequent cause of deaths.
But worse is the fact the facility did not report the incident as soon as possible. Also those who look at the video will notice that other employees don’t seem to care as if restraints of this nature are quite common in this facility.
Dealing with troubled teenager the most important lesson to learn them is to make their complaints verbally rather than physically. Once they are back on the streets there is no need to learn them that all conflicts are solved by the use of force.
Restraints have to be the very last option to solve a conflict.
So there is a reason to be very critical of the management of this facility. The license should be taken away from them. They are teaching these young people the wrong lesson and once released, we should be concern about how they use their experiences from this facility on the streets.
Sources:
Monday, December 17, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Info about the Family Foundation School in New York
A blog called the Stinkin' Thinkin' covering has brought an entry about The Family Foundation School which are located in the New York state.
It is an old boarding school with a history of several decades. Numerous complaints are found online. A state investigation was even ongoing but they were hit by a wall of silence so the investigation died out.
Maybe there is more to learn about this school so the investigation can be rebooted.
Sources:
It is an old boarding school with a history of several decades. Numerous complaints are found online. A state investigation was even ongoing but they were hit by a wall of silence so the investigation died out.
Maybe there is more to learn about this school so the investigation can be rebooted.
Sources:
- The Family Foundation School TRUTH Campaign
- The Family Foundation School Investigation Update - link to the blog
- Factsheet about the school - Fornits Wiki
Saturday, September 29, 2012
There are many names for isolation
Isolation used a punishment creates emotional damage. It is a well-known fact. There are many names for isolation rooms. R&R, OP, Iso - They are all names for isolation.
Because isolation is so damaging there must always be rules for the use of isolation.
In a recent article focus was made on Day- and charter schools in Ohio.
Due to an error in the legislation the schools were not required to have rules about the use of isolation rooms.
Here is more information about the present but hopefully soon past situation in Ohio.
Source:
Locked Away: How Ohio Schools Misuse Seclusion Rooms STATEIMPACT OHIO - NPR.org
Because isolation is so damaging there must always be rules for the use of isolation.
In a recent article focus was made on Day- and charter schools in Ohio.
Due to an error in the legislation the schools were not required to have rules about the use of isolation rooms.
Here is more information about the present but hopefully soon past situation in Ohio.
Source:
Locked Away: How Ohio Schools Misuse Seclusion Rooms STATEIMPACT OHIO - NPR.org
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
ALE neighbors arm themselves for nothing
We found the thread on the Troubled Teen Industry message board:
Due to a number of runaway cases from Adirondack Leadership Expeditions the citizens of Onchiota are begining to arm themselves. It is the wrong move and it would be a tragedy if one of the teenagers die as result of the escalated conditions in the area.
Fact is that misguided parents have sent their children to this wilderness program based on advice from educational consultants. The industry of educational consultants rely on payment from programs and schools every time they refer children to them.
We are talking of ordinary teenagers suffering from minor struggles academically or with substance abuse derived from emotional problems cause by bullying or grief.
They experience that their cry for help was answered by being dragged out of the bed in the middle of the night only to be shipped out in a foreign wood isolated from peers and family. With their entire support network gone only surrounded by lowpaid staff just out of high school and with a therapist visiting once per week they often see no other option but to run away.
It happens very often at Adirondack Leadership Expeditions.
One of the cases we have found in an article from Adirondack Daily Enterprise, which we quote below:
Franklin residents worry about troubled campers
by Jessica Collier, Adirondack Daily Enterprise, August 9 - 2012
VERMONTVILLE - Anna Owens got up to go to work at 6 a.m. one day last week, went out to her car and found it had been stolen.
Eventually, she found out the car had been taken by a 16-year-old South Carolina boy who ran away from Adirondack Leadership Expeditions, a camp for troubled teens in Onchiota.
Owens was shaken up enough that she and about 10 other residents of the area went to the Wednesday night Franklin town board meeting to ask their town councilors if they could do anything.
"I lost a lot of trust," Owens said. "I'm just infuriated with this. ... They're not doing their job. They're supposed to be watching the children."
ALE Executive Director Tracy Edwards sent the Enterprise a written statement this morning confirming that two boys ran away from the camp last week and saying that state troopers were notified about the incident immediately, "as safety is our utmost priority." Edwards was not available this morning to give further comment about the camp's policies in general or to address the concerns brought up at the Franklin town board meeting.
Onchiota resident Janine Taylor told board members that she thinks everyone in the community is concerned for their safety and the safety of their children. She said she doesn't believe the teens in the camp are getting adequate oversight, noting that the teen who stole Owens' car and a boy who ran away with him had from 10 p.m. till about 6 a.m. before anyone noticed.
"I think everyone has been concerned for some time what the safety risk is," Taylor said.
She said people in Onchiota have reported having teens from ALE knock on their doors at all hours of the night, saying they lost their camping party and asking to use a phone.
"It just happens again and again and again," Taylor said.
She said she wants to know how often teens run away from the camp and whether it's reported to the police each time it happens.
"Who knows what these kids are really up to?" Taylor said. "The community just needs to know what we're dealing with."
She noted that the land the ALE runs the camp on in Onchiota is rented to the company by Paul Smith's College, so it might be worthwhile to complain to the college as well.
Several people referred to the camp as "hoods in the woods." While other Adirondack programs get criminal teens from the court system, ALE isn't one of those.
Town Supervisor Art Willman said he's spent some time in the last week researching the camp, and he found that parents of the teens who attend the camp spend a good chunk of money to send them there. So the parents of a teen who runs away and ends up charged with a crime could have a strong case for a lawsuit, Willman noted.
He said he's been in contact with the state police investigator who has been working the case, Tim Woodruff. Woodruff told him he's looking into the number of runaways who have been reported to state police by the camp, and he wants to compare that to the number that haven't been reported.
"They might have one or two every week, and we don't find out about it," Willman said. "That's unacceptable."
He said he plans to do more research, then put together a strongly worded letter of complaint to the local ALE leaders, plus the heads of the company that runs it, based in California. He also wants to send a letter to Paul Smith's College President John Mills explaining the situation, because he said Mills probably isn't aware of the issues.
Willman said he also plans to invite ALE leaders to the next town board meeting. He said he wants there to be a procedure set up to notify everyone in town each and every time there is a runaway from the camp.
He also noted that people in town need to start encouraging guests to take their keys out of their cars and lock their car and house doors at night.
Town Clerk Sandy Oliver said the last time problems with the ALE came up, in 2006, ALE workers talked with the town and set up a phone tree to notify residents about runaways, but three months later, all of the staff in the phone tree were transferred out of the state.
"It's sad that this is occurring" said Mildred Vorrath. "People are beginning to load their guns."
Source:
The original thread on the Troubled Teen Industry message board
Due to a number of runaway cases from Adirondack Leadership Expeditions the citizens of Onchiota are begining to arm themselves. It is the wrong move and it would be a tragedy if one of the teenagers die as result of the escalated conditions in the area.
Fact is that misguided parents have sent their children to this wilderness program based on advice from educational consultants. The industry of educational consultants rely on payment from programs and schools every time they refer children to them.
We are talking of ordinary teenagers suffering from minor struggles academically or with substance abuse derived from emotional problems cause by bullying or grief.
They experience that their cry for help was answered by being dragged out of the bed in the middle of the night only to be shipped out in a foreign wood isolated from peers and family. With their entire support network gone only surrounded by lowpaid staff just out of high school and with a therapist visiting once per week they often see no other option but to run away.
It happens very often at Adirondack Leadership Expeditions.
One of the cases we have found in an article from Adirondack Daily Enterprise, which we quote below:
Franklin residents worry about troubled campers
by Jessica Collier, Adirondack Daily Enterprise, August 9 - 2012
VERMONTVILLE - Anna Owens got up to go to work at 6 a.m. one day last week, went out to her car and found it had been stolen.
Eventually, she found out the car had been taken by a 16-year-old South Carolina boy who ran away from Adirondack Leadership Expeditions, a camp for troubled teens in Onchiota.
Owens was shaken up enough that she and about 10 other residents of the area went to the Wednesday night Franklin town board meeting to ask their town councilors if they could do anything.
"I lost a lot of trust," Owens said. "I'm just infuriated with this. ... They're not doing their job. They're supposed to be watching the children."
ALE Executive Director Tracy Edwards sent the Enterprise a written statement this morning confirming that two boys ran away from the camp last week and saying that state troopers were notified about the incident immediately, "as safety is our utmost priority." Edwards was not available this morning to give further comment about the camp's policies in general or to address the concerns brought up at the Franklin town board meeting.
Onchiota resident Janine Taylor told board members that she thinks everyone in the community is concerned for their safety and the safety of their children. She said she doesn't believe the teens in the camp are getting adequate oversight, noting that the teen who stole Owens' car and a boy who ran away with him had from 10 p.m. till about 6 a.m. before anyone noticed.
"I think everyone has been concerned for some time what the safety risk is," Taylor said.
She said people in Onchiota have reported having teens from ALE knock on their doors at all hours of the night, saying they lost their camping party and asking to use a phone.
"It just happens again and again and again," Taylor said.
She said she wants to know how often teens run away from the camp and whether it's reported to the police each time it happens.
"Who knows what these kids are really up to?" Taylor said. "The community just needs to know what we're dealing with."
She noted that the land the ALE runs the camp on in Onchiota is rented to the company by Paul Smith's College, so it might be worthwhile to complain to the college as well.
Several people referred to the camp as "hoods in the woods." While other Adirondack programs get criminal teens from the court system, ALE isn't one of those.
Town Supervisor Art Willman said he's spent some time in the last week researching the camp, and he found that parents of the teens who attend the camp spend a good chunk of money to send them there. So the parents of a teen who runs away and ends up charged with a crime could have a strong case for a lawsuit, Willman noted.
He said he's been in contact with the state police investigator who has been working the case, Tim Woodruff. Woodruff told him he's looking into the number of runaways who have been reported to state police by the camp, and he wants to compare that to the number that haven't been reported.
"They might have one or two every week, and we don't find out about it," Willman said. "That's unacceptable."
He said he plans to do more research, then put together a strongly worded letter of complaint to the local ALE leaders, plus the heads of the company that runs it, based in California. He also wants to send a letter to Paul Smith's College President John Mills explaining the situation, because he said Mills probably isn't aware of the issues.
Willman said he also plans to invite ALE leaders to the next town board meeting. He said he wants there to be a procedure set up to notify everyone in town each and every time there is a runaway from the camp.
He also noted that people in town need to start encouraging guests to take their keys out of their cars and lock their car and house doors at night.
Town Clerk Sandy Oliver said the last time problems with the ALE came up, in 2006, ALE workers talked with the town and set up a phone tree to notify residents about runaways, but three months later, all of the staff in the phone tree were transferred out of the state.
"It's sad that this is occurring" said Mildred Vorrath. "People are beginning to load their guns."
Source:
The original thread on the Troubled Teen Industry message board
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Kidnapped for Christ has a new homepage
We have learned that the documentary project called "Kidnapped for Christ" has launched a new homepage.
The project is about making a documentary about the new defunct boarding school located in the Dominican Republic named "Escuela Caribe".
For 30 years the boarding school operated using corporal punishment in the name of God to discipline teenagers for a lot of issues deemed wrong by their parents.
The center of the documentary is David a straight-A-student who had made the wrong choice of a partner according to his parents. For this alleged Crime he was banished to the boarding school.
However his friends didn't give up on him and the documentary follows their effort to get him free.
The project could use your help and I have to tell you that while this particular boarding school seem to have stopped their operations there are many boarding schools still out there operating in the same manner. Many of them are located on US soil in states like Missouri where the authorities don't care how minors are treated as long as it is done in the name of some God. Yes you did read it right. We are living in year 2012 and such methods are using on minors today.
The documentary could therefore be a difference and bring more attention to a serious problem affecting the next generation. So please support the documentary.
Source:
Kidnapped for Christ documentary homepage
The project is about making a documentary about the new defunct boarding school located in the Dominican Republic named "Escuela Caribe".
For 30 years the boarding school operated using corporal punishment in the name of God to discipline teenagers for a lot of issues deemed wrong by their parents.
The center of the documentary is David a straight-A-student who had made the wrong choice of a partner according to his parents. For this alleged Crime he was banished to the boarding school.
However his friends didn't give up on him and the documentary follows their effort to get him free.
The project could use your help and I have to tell you that while this particular boarding school seem to have stopped their operations there are many boarding schools still out there operating in the same manner. Many of them are located on US soil in states like Missouri where the authorities don't care how minors are treated as long as it is done in the name of some God. Yes you did read it right. We are living in year 2012 and such methods are using on minors today.
The documentary could therefore be a difference and bring more attention to a serious problem affecting the next generation. So please support the documentary.
Source:
Kidnapped for Christ documentary homepage
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Kingdom of Tonga - country number 41 on Fornits Wiki
June 2012 the Kingdom of Tonga became country number 41 on Fornits Wiki when Sorensons Tonga entered the directory.
It has not been possible for the researchers involved in the work of monitoring this program to find out whether the program is still in operation. The political climate in the Kingdom of Tonga may not enable operation of such a facility today.
A press-release on the webpage of a marketing firm suggested that the program was still in operation back in 2006. As always the researcher will welcome any information. Do you have information about this program, please comment this post.
Source:
- Kingdom of Tonga category - Fornits Wiki
- Sorensons Tonga - Fornits Wiki
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Discovery Academy in Provo releases young man pressured by a Radio show
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.
- 'm beyond horrified. A teen was kidnapped in Utah and the police wouldn't do anything to help him, neither would the FBI or other local authorities. Does anyone have any media contacts we can tell his story to? (Reddit Troubled Teens)
- Does the City of Provo Endorse Kidnapping? (Mark Levine Radio Show)
- Datasheet of Discovery Academy on Fornits Wiki
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Divorce and school. Do not hold the child as hostage
From one of our partners in the United States we have learned about a divorce case where the outcome very well could be that a teenage girl is send to a remote boarding school in Utah which have claimed the life of a boy back in January 2009.
A petition has been made to save this girl from Louisiana from her awful fate.
We have chosen to quote it in full in order to appeal to you to sign it.
Save Victoria From Diamond Ranch Academy
Today we heard a troubling story about a girl named Victoria, a sweet 16 year old girl from Louisiana who is in danger of being court ordered to be held at Diamond Ranch Academy, in Hurricane, Utah, a notoriously abusive behavior modification program for the next 2 years. Victoria does not deserve to be incarcerated, her father from whom she is estranged simply does not like the school she currently attends and is determined to dictate her education.
Apparently, in Louisiana, when divorced parents cannot agree on a school for their child they go to court, where a judge listens to both parties and then issues a court order deciding which school the child will attend. (This is what the mom has told me.) The father brought in glossy brochures about DRA, showing the horses, the beautiful grounds, ponds, classrooms, dormitories etc, and presented DRA to the judge like it was a boarding school.
Ultimately, the judge approved the Dad’s petition to send his daughter to DRA, and she is scheduled go there June 1.
Mom and daughter both recently visited DRA and were horrified. Neither of them want Victoria to attend this school, and are desperate to find a way to show the judge the truth about Diamond Ranch Academy, the abuse and the maltreatment that has been the cause of injury and death of at least one student in their care.
Please consider signing this petition in support of Victoria being saved from this fate, allowing her and her mother the freedom to choose the school that is best for her, not a program that will abuse her and rob her of the best years of her life.
If you were a student at DRA please share your story here, we will make sure each and every testimony is delivered to the judge presiding over this case.
Thank You
www.troubledprograms.com
We must urge parents that they don't keep their children is a kind of prize money when they divide their assets with their former partner. The children haven't chosen the divorce. They are victims of it and should be allowed to continue their schooling and social life just as they lived it before the divorce.
To sign the petition please use this link: Save Victoria from Diamond Ranch Academy
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Rehabs all over the world are firetraps
May 6 the world woke to the news of yet another fire in a rehabilitation center. This time tragedy struck the "Sacred Heart of Jesus" in Chosica near Lima in Peru.
14 people died. The cure for their addiction turned into their death.
Together with our U.S partners our organization has been involved in alerting the authorities when fire-escapes and doors have been found locked or blocked at group homes, residential treatment centers and boarding schools. We do know that parents and relatives want to keep teenagers locked up based on the claim that they need to be kept safe, but fire regulations cannot be ignored. Otherwise it will lead to tragedies like the one in Chosica.
As the article states this fire were the second one this year. Another fire claimed the life of 29 people.
I Russia there have been several fires with many victims.
It is stated that the rule is that residential treatment centers in Peru are in fact private prisons where people are held against their will. We must state that it is time for Peru to clean up their act. They need to regulate the treatment centers and close those down which don't provide professional treatment. Fact is that we in Denmark do know that most treatment of addiction are faith-based and waste of time and money. The newspapers and Television Stations in Denmark can random-pick various faith-based treatment centers and show the viewers scandal after scandal involving the tax-payers money. It is only a question whether the viewers become tired of hearing the same old news repeated all the time.
People who suffer from addiction will hit rock bottom and be ready for treatment at a certain point. Only then it is time to intervene and offer professional treatment. Then you can provide it without locking people up and you can offer it for a much lower price enabling the society to treat a higher amount of addicts for the same funds.
Portugal has shown the path countries should choose when battling addiction. They have decriminalized drug-use and have shifted their focus to the distribution network. As result more people enter treatment because the lack of stress from the authorities gives them time to consider their situation and in general drug use is down.
Please do help your relatives who suffer from addiction. Be there when they reach rock bottom and do not enable them by giving them anything but clean clothes and food. Don’t try to lock them up or you will pick in as much risk as they are as result of their addiction.
Sources:
- Peru drug clinic fire kills 14 people locked inside (The Guardian, May 6 2012)
- Fire in Moscow hospital kills 45 people (USA-today, December 9, 2006)
- 37 killed in fire at drug rehab clinic in Kazakhstan with barred windows (My Daily News, September 14, 2009)
- Portugal drug law show results ten years on, experts say (AFP - Google Hosted News, July 1, 2011)
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Presentation of Minors in residential placement research center
Minors in residential placement research center is a human rights organization located in Malmoe Sweden.
Most of their members are hidden due to the fact that they work in positions inside the public sector with troubled teenagers and have to remain out of the media due to the obivious conflicts with the interests of their employers.
Gitte Hansen who are a Danish woman living in Sweden are the one who represent the organization to the public.
Below the webpages are listed they are involved in.
Sources:
Most of their members are hidden due to the fact that they work in positions inside the public sector with troubled teenagers and have to remain out of the media due to the obivious conflicts with the interests of their employers.
Gitte Hansen who are a Danish woman living in Sweden are the one who represent the organization to the public.
Below the webpages are listed they are involved in.
Sources:
- Main webpage of the organization
- Embedsvaerket: Danish blog covering the ill-fated Danish social services
- Today a child died - US blog covering the many deaths in the so-called troubled teen industry
- Asylum horrible - testimonies from residential treatment facilities in the US
- Just another hike - testimonies from wilderness programs
- Being Transported - testimonies from teenagers who have been transported by firms from their homes
- Tales from the black school: Testimonies from teenagers who have been sent to boarding schools
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Salina Journal: Ex-St. John's cadets claim they were beaten
We have received news about a military boarding school where the former cadets have claimed that they were beaten.
The school of attention is the St. John's Military School located in Salina, Kansas
The Fornits Wiki datasheet and a thread on a message board are listed below.
Sources:
The school of attention is the St. John's Military School located in Salina, Kansas
The Fornits Wiki datasheet and a thread on a message board are listed below.
Sources:
- St. John's Military School - Violence Alleged, a thread on the Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora
- Datasheet on Fornits Wiki
Sunday, March 18, 2012
New website: Help save troubled teens
As many have noticed our Swedish partners over at Minors in residential placement research center runs the Tales from the black school blog.
One of the webpages which were linking to the blog was the website: Help save Troubled Teens
They have a rather large testimony section from parents and teenagers who have been victimized by the WWASP organization.
One of the webpages which were linking to the blog was the website: Help save Troubled Teens
They have a rather large testimony section from parents and teenagers who have been victimized by the WWASP organization.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Meehan category added to Fornits Wiki
We just want to state our gratitude to the volunteers from one of our partners who have created the Meehan category on Fornits Wiki.
Meehan is on various webpages stated to be the inventor of the Intervention process. However controversy has surrounded this former addict and testimonies from former participants in the treatment program he has influenced give a mixed result of his work.
On the datasheets which have been created you will find links to message boards where his work is discussed. We hope that the work which has been put into this category will help people to find answers to questions they have on the programs.
Source:
Meehan category on Fornits Wiki
Meehan is on various webpages stated to be the inventor of the Intervention process. However controversy has surrounded this former addict and testimonies from former participants in the treatment program he has influenced give a mixed result of his work.
On the datasheets which have been created you will find links to message boards where his work is discussed. We hope that the work which has been put into this category will help people to find answers to questions they have on the programs.
Source:
Meehan category on Fornits Wiki
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
When the punishment becomes too severe
Eric Perez broke the law. The law dictates that he should go into custody for his parole violation. He had been smoking an illegal kind of tobacco.
But the punishment for smoking marijuana is not death, but death was what he got.
He was denied medical attention for hours when he complained of pain and by the time the staff intervened it was too late to save him.
The question is now whether the authorities are able to cover this story up. After the terrible video of a boy dying in a boot camp a new legislation has been put into place. Now the public can be denied knowledge of what is going on inside prisons, boarding schools or boot camps.
While Eric Perez was an offender he ws also a citizens with some kind of potential if he at some time would deal with his addiction and it is important to know that every drug user has this potential at some point in their life when they are ready. You cannot force a drug user to change his or her life, but you can offer them to come back for help when they are ready.
But Eric Perez was not given the opportunity to reach out for help when he was ready. He was denied life instead and for that someone now has to pay. It is the only option if you want to call a society civil.
Source:
Grand jury to probe teen’s death in Palm Beach County juvenile lockup (by Carol Marbin Miller, The Miami Herald, August 2, 2011
But the punishment for smoking marijuana is not death, but death was what he got.
He was denied medical attention for hours when he complained of pain and by the time the staff intervened it was too late to save him.
The question is now whether the authorities are able to cover this story up. After the terrible video of a boy dying in a boot camp a new legislation has been put into place. Now the public can be denied knowledge of what is going on inside prisons, boarding schools or boot camps.
While Eric Perez was an offender he ws also a citizens with some kind of potential if he at some time would deal with his addiction and it is important to know that every drug user has this potential at some point in their life when they are ready. You cannot force a drug user to change his or her life, but you can offer them to come back for help when they are ready.
But Eric Perez was not given the opportunity to reach out for help when he was ready. He was denied life instead and for that someone now has to pay. It is the only option if you want to call a society civil.
Source:
Grand jury to probe teen’s death in Palm Beach County juvenile lockup (by Carol Marbin Miller, The Miami Herald, August 2, 2011
Friday, February 10, 2012
CEDU - a legacy
CEDU existed from sometime around 1967 or 1968 to 2005. CEDU spanned almost 4 decades and the lessons learned continue to exist even today despite denial from various schools and programs. It wasn't happy lessons nor was they based on facts and research.
Above: Part 1 of the CEDU documentary by Liam Scheff
It was basically a scaled-up Stanford prison experiment. At a time even a serial killer had unlimited access to one of the isolated campus's and so far there are records of 3 teenagers who disappeared never to be heard from.
Each kid had a unique experience. Sometime praised the old saying which goes: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger". Some continued to live their life covered with the shadows of what they lived through while they were sent to CEDU.
CEDU was basically research into the unknown. They started out without knowing anything about the needs of teenagers. Over the time they accepted that some children needed medication. They accepted illness in general but they never learned what they were in the market for: To heal the problems children struggle with during their upbringing.
Now where CEDU has been closed for several years adults are starting to reflect about the missing years where they should have been discovering life instead of being held back in what was basically a B. F. Skinner box. There is now a documentary about CEDU in the market. A number of schools founded on the same principles have found themselves targeted by the authorities when it became too obvious that the so-called treatment hurt more people than it helped.
It is difficult to say whether we ever will learn the truth about what went on to the full extend. There are still many secrets to be revealed.
There are however one lesson to learn from CEDU. When it existed it seemed to hold the solution for many parents who face what many express as teenage rebellion. As it is with many thing which is considered to be too good to be true it was the case.
Whenever we hear of some who seem to hold the answers to basic things in life we must learn to distrust the happy messages and demand facts and proof.
There must never be a CEDU again.
Above: Part 1 of the CEDU documentary by Liam Scheff
It was basically a scaled-up Stanford prison experiment. At a time even a serial killer had unlimited access to one of the isolated campus's and so far there are records of 3 teenagers who disappeared never to be heard from.
Each kid had a unique experience. Sometime praised the old saying which goes: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger". Some continued to live their life covered with the shadows of what they lived through while they were sent to CEDU.
CEDU was basically research into the unknown. They started out without knowing anything about the needs of teenagers. Over the time they accepted that some children needed medication. They accepted illness in general but they never learned what they were in the market for: To heal the problems children struggle with during their upbringing.
Now where CEDU has been closed for several years adults are starting to reflect about the missing years where they should have been discovering life instead of being held back in what was basically a B. F. Skinner box. There is now a documentary about CEDU in the market. A number of schools founded on the same principles have found themselves targeted by the authorities when it became too obvious that the so-called treatment hurt more people than it helped.
It is difficult to say whether we ever will learn the truth about what went on to the full extend. There are still many secrets to be revealed.
There are however one lesson to learn from CEDU. When it existed it seemed to hold the solution for many parents who face what many express as teenage rebellion. As it is with many thing which is considered to be too good to be true it was the case.
Whenever we hear of some who seem to hold the answers to basic things in life we must learn to distrust the happy messages and demand facts and proof.
There must never be a CEDU again.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
The fifth death in 2011
Unfortunately we learned that 16 year old Dyskeha Streeter died at the Divine Guidance group home in North Carolina.
She had complained of chest pains for some days and died as result of blood clots in her lungs. Her condition could properly have been cured if she had been allowed to see a hospital in time, but as it often is teenagers in residential programs are seen as manipulators and very often they are not allowed to receive medical attention.
The authorities decided to shut the group home down - Unfortunately only after the conditions had claimed a life.
In order to prevent such incidents, tougher regulations must be put in place. The employees should be order to call rescue workers or send the child to a hospital when they complain. In some cases the effort or the trip could be proved wasted but once a child dies responsible authorities would shut the entire workplace down and people would be without a job. So what is there to lose with a single visit to the hospital from time to time?
Dyskeha Streeter was robbed of her life. May she rest in peace.
Source:
Victims list (Fornits Wiki)
She had complained of chest pains for some days and died as result of blood clots in her lungs. Her condition could properly have been cured if she had been allowed to see a hospital in time, but as it often is teenagers in residential programs are seen as manipulators and very often they are not allowed to receive medical attention.
The authorities decided to shut the group home down - Unfortunately only after the conditions had claimed a life.
In order to prevent such incidents, tougher regulations must be put in place. The employees should be order to call rescue workers or send the child to a hospital when they complain. In some cases the effort or the trip could be proved wasted but once a child dies responsible authorities would shut the entire workplace down and people would be without a job. So what is there to lose with a single visit to the hospital from time to time?
Dyskeha Streeter was robbed of her life. May she rest in peace.
Source:
Victims list (Fornits Wiki)
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Documentary project is asking for money
Kidnapped for Christ Trailer from Kidnapped For Christ on Vimeo.
A group are working to create a documentary about Escuela Caribe which is a feared Christian boarding school located in the Dominican Republic.
In the past they used corporal punishment. Due to lack of regulation they had at a point hired a child offender as employee.
There are many stories to be told about this place. Some of them you can read in the book called Jesus Land.
However the boarding school have more stories to be told and you can help them with some money so the documentary can be finished.
Below you can find various sources with more information about the school and the documentary project.
Sources:
- Escuela Caribe datasheet (Fornits Wiki)
- Jesus Land: A Memoir (Alex Awards (Awards)) (Amazon)
- About the project (documentary.org)
- Kidnapped For Christ - Info (Facebook page about the project)
Saturday, January 14, 2012
The 4 2011 deaths on the Fornits Wiki database covered
So far 4 minors are listed on Fornits Wiki list of minors who have lost their lives in residential programs in the United States in 2011. It is fewer than 2011 but experience has told us that there could be a number of cases which are not public yet, so we can only pray.
Roger Eugene Benson – 15 years of age
The first one to die in 2011 was Roger Eugene Benson. He was a poor boy that went into the foster system ending up as the ball in a pinball machine living numerous places before he couldn't take it anymore. This death became more noticed by the society than his entire life because he disturbed the rush hour traffic when he jumped off a bridge to kill himself.
People became angered because they were delayed while the authorities cleaned the road for his remains but they really should be angry at the way the foster system is put together. The system is not free of charge for the taxpayers, it does cost a lot of money and it was established to be there for the minors who are supposed to be neglected by their families. It was supposed to give boys like young Mr. Benson a second life, not inflict emotional torment to a point that the minors who are placed in the system choose not to live anymore.
Caitlin A. Lee – 15 years of age
Sometime a teenager can be sent to a group home or residential treatment center which are not equipped to deal with the problems the teenager arrives with. It is a mismatch. I don’t know the numbers in the United States but in Denmark 26 percent of the teenagers who are sent to residential solutions in foster families, group homes or treatment facilities have to be removed because the solution offered cannot be a success under any circumstances. Who are to blame? We do know that money involved do make a difference.
In Denmark the newspaper BT did reveal that the psychologist working for the social services recommended the placement of two children from the so-called Bronderslev case to a certain group home she also worked for. The two children have escaped a number of times since and it is clear for all except the social services that it would never be a success. In the United States it normal for educational consultants to receive money from both families and the treatment programs they recommend.
It seems to be very difficult to put the interest of the child first once money becomes involved. In this case none did anything to pull her from the residential program before it was too late. She needed treatment but she didn’t get any and it did cost her young life.
Daniel Huerta – 17 year of age
Daniel Huerta had broken the law. The court issued a punishment which was that he had to live at a wilderness based treatment center named Big Cypress Wilderness Institute. While he was at the wilderness program he was transported to various outings. The driver who took him and some of the other residents to one of these outings had more than 15 traffic violations on his record. Still he was allowed to drive residents in the program. The day young Mr. Huerta died the driver lost control of the car and they ended up in the water where the driver and Mr. Huerta died.
Safety should be an issue. It is not the first time residents in programs have lost their lives during transport. In 2010 two teenage girls lost their lives in a traffic accident in Utah. However safety doesn’t seem to be an issue in Florida and for Mr. Huerta this lack of interest did cost him his life.
Anthony Parker – 16 years of age
One Way Farm Children’s Home was well known by the local police department before they were called to the ranch in relationship with the death of young Mr. Parker. 92 times the police was called to the farm. But one this very day they could only note that he was dead. Of course now the focus is on whether the boy who hid young Mr. Parker hours before he became ill and fell down on the ground should be charged as a minor or an adult. However the focus should be on how obvious lack of staffing prevented the conflict between the boys to escalate into a physical confrontation.
The right number of employees per resident is vital. Understaffing is dangerous. Not in a million years can tough programs with thousand of house rules replace presence by the employees. Conflicts will occur at some point when you have more than one person present but they can be talked down before the first fist is thrown if you have an adult with ability to mediate between the residents.
A good defense lawyer would talk this death down to an accident and that a simple conflict between two boys could end as a tragedy certainly was not something which could be planned but the number of employees per child is not an accident. It is economy. Once again money means the difference between life and death.
The fifth unnamed victim – 4 days old
You will not find this victim in Fornits Database because the child wasn’t placed in a residential program. However his mother was and she became so caught up in the program that she returned as a staff member. She lived as a counselor among so-called troubled girls who were taught that sex before marriage is a sin in the eyes of God.
We don’t know how or by whom she became pregnant. We don’t know how she became so traumatized that she saw the child as something evil. We do know that she gave birth to a boy and didn’t know how to care for the child. The child died after 4 days. She hid the child on the remote campus but the body was discovered by her co-workers and word spread to the local police which arrested her.
Life is prison could be the result for her. It is up to the court to decide. However we must ask what led her parents to send her to Julian Youth Academy. How did they evaluate her stay? Why did they allow her to go back and why did the program let a graduate work at their program in a trusted position.
There are so many questions to ask and so few answers given.
Now we are entering 2012. For a long time 2011 seemed to be the first year where teenagers didn’t lose their lives in residential programs – it didn’t end up so.
Shouldn’t we pray that 2012 will be the first year in decade where all the residents in residential programs return home alive.
Sources:
Roger Eugene Benson – 15 years of age
The first one to die in 2011 was Roger Eugene Benson. He was a poor boy that went into the foster system ending up as the ball in a pinball machine living numerous places before he couldn't take it anymore. This death became more noticed by the society than his entire life because he disturbed the rush hour traffic when he jumped off a bridge to kill himself.
People became angered because they were delayed while the authorities cleaned the road for his remains but they really should be angry at the way the foster system is put together. The system is not free of charge for the taxpayers, it does cost a lot of money and it was established to be there for the minors who are supposed to be neglected by their families. It was supposed to give boys like young Mr. Benson a second life, not inflict emotional torment to a point that the minors who are placed in the system choose not to live anymore.
Caitlin A. Lee – 15 years of age
Sometime a teenager can be sent to a group home or residential treatment center which are not equipped to deal with the problems the teenager arrives with. It is a mismatch. I don’t know the numbers in the United States but in Denmark 26 percent of the teenagers who are sent to residential solutions in foster families, group homes or treatment facilities have to be removed because the solution offered cannot be a success under any circumstances. Who are to blame? We do know that money involved do make a difference.
In Denmark the newspaper BT did reveal that the psychologist working for the social services recommended the placement of two children from the so-called Bronderslev case to a certain group home she also worked for. The two children have escaped a number of times since and it is clear for all except the social services that it would never be a success. In the United States it normal for educational consultants to receive money from both families and the treatment programs they recommend.
It seems to be very difficult to put the interest of the child first once money becomes involved. In this case none did anything to pull her from the residential program before it was too late. She needed treatment but she didn’t get any and it did cost her young life.
Daniel Huerta – 17 year of age
Daniel Huerta had broken the law. The court issued a punishment which was that he had to live at a wilderness based treatment center named Big Cypress Wilderness Institute. While he was at the wilderness program he was transported to various outings. The driver who took him and some of the other residents to one of these outings had more than 15 traffic violations on his record. Still he was allowed to drive residents in the program. The day young Mr. Huerta died the driver lost control of the car and they ended up in the water where the driver and Mr. Huerta died.
Safety should be an issue. It is not the first time residents in programs have lost their lives during transport. In 2010 two teenage girls lost their lives in a traffic accident in Utah. However safety doesn’t seem to be an issue in Florida and for Mr. Huerta this lack of interest did cost him his life.
Anthony Parker – 16 years of age
One Way Farm Children’s Home was well known by the local police department before they were called to the ranch in relationship with the death of young Mr. Parker. 92 times the police was called to the farm. But one this very day they could only note that he was dead. Of course now the focus is on whether the boy who hid young Mr. Parker hours before he became ill and fell down on the ground should be charged as a minor or an adult. However the focus should be on how obvious lack of staffing prevented the conflict between the boys to escalate into a physical confrontation.
The right number of employees per resident is vital. Understaffing is dangerous. Not in a million years can tough programs with thousand of house rules replace presence by the employees. Conflicts will occur at some point when you have more than one person present but they can be talked down before the first fist is thrown if you have an adult with ability to mediate between the residents.
A good defense lawyer would talk this death down to an accident and that a simple conflict between two boys could end as a tragedy certainly was not something which could be planned but the number of employees per child is not an accident. It is economy. Once again money means the difference between life and death.
The fifth unnamed victim – 4 days old
You will not find this victim in Fornits Database because the child wasn’t placed in a residential program. However his mother was and she became so caught up in the program that she returned as a staff member. She lived as a counselor among so-called troubled girls who were taught that sex before marriage is a sin in the eyes of God.
We don’t know how or by whom she became pregnant. We don’t know how she became so traumatized that she saw the child as something evil. We do know that she gave birth to a boy and didn’t know how to care for the child. The child died after 4 days. She hid the child on the remote campus but the body was discovered by her co-workers and word spread to the local police which arrested her.
Life is prison could be the result for her. It is up to the court to decide. However we must ask what led her parents to send her to Julian Youth Academy. How did they evaluate her stay? Why did they allow her to go back and why did the program let a graduate work at their program in a trusted position.
There are so many questions to ask and so few answers given.
Now we are entering 2012. For a long time 2011 seemed to be the first year where teenagers didn’t lose their lives in residential programs – it didn’t end up so.
Shouldn’t we pray that 2012 will be the first year in decade where all the residents in residential programs return home alive.
Sources:
- Fornits Victims list
- The boy who killed himself on I-5 (My NorthWest blog)
- Girl’s Suicide Raises Question About Home For Troubled Youth (CBS Chicago)
- Family sues wilderness camp over son's death (ABC 7 news)
- Teen's assault worst incident in One Way Farm history, founder says (Dayton Daily News)
- Mother arraigned in death of newborn; baby starved to death in Whitmore, report says (The Redding Searchlight)
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