Extreme Brat Camp on Channel 4

I feel honored that Secret Prisons for teens was mentioned in the documentary "Extreme Brat Camp" about 22 minutes and 30 seconds into the program.

However some part of me feels that it is too much. I have done as founder of Secret Prisons for Teens is to care as a parent would and should care. Being a father myself to two children who have endured too much hardship in this world I constantly walk around feeling that I have not done enough.

My thoughts go out to the children in the program. Normally I mistrust the child protection services having seen firsthand how self-centered foster-parents can be. Foster parents who believe that they are smarter than doctors, nurses and counselors all together. But the children in this documentary could have benefitted if the system had interfered with the parents decision to hand custody over their own children over to shouting paramilitary people on power-trips.

In this documentary two programs should have center for investigations by the authorities if the social services in these town had cared. The transport service should have been outlawed and the Christian Boarding School, which was listed on Fornits Wiki really seemed as a warehouse for children of none caring parents left without any knowledge about modern teenage life. They cannot document progress but get children returned they have graduated from their program once before.

My children are not at my side right now due to illnesses. However due to the work pushing for reforms their cell phone and Internet contracts have been modified so they can call my all day without having their conversations monitored and cut if they happened to disagree to something at the place they live now. They have the right to complain and be heard. That doesn’t mean that I agree with them. I pay the rent. I make the food. I make the rules in my house and it is respected. Others make the rules where they live and because it is a package deal they have to take the rough with the smooth.

But the rough my children experience is no near what is seen in this documentary. Whenever home is no longer an option the replacement should not be a kind of prison but a place for healing. That is where my children are now. Unfortunately not all children get help. They get punishment instead as the documentary shows. So the fight against abusive residential placements for children continues so other children can get help also.

Once again: I am honored but there are a lot of work left.

Setencing and reaction to the Julian Youth Academy baby murder case

The mother of the baby was sentenced to 25 years to life. She can apply for parole after 25 years. She can also appeal the sentence.

Julian Youth Academy where the mother first was a student and later counselor has changed their name to River View Christian Academy so they can put distance the poor media coverage.

As a commentor to one of the article states there should be reason to look at the kind of therapy which the facility use on the students:

Now where the court has reached their conclusion the time has come to put some focus on this odd boarding school where she graduated from and later returned to work as a counselor.

What kind of double-standards based on a so-called Christian belief was instilled upon her causing her to make these tragic decisions. The school is known for isolating their students from their old peers and it is dangerous in a time where the social network of everyone has become yet more important. This tragedy could have been prevented by allowing more communication.

We all know the movie and play “Agnes of God” which is based on a similar tragedy in the 1970’s. The lessons learned back then were that it takes a secluded and restricted environment to make killing of baby easy without anyone noticing. A heavy part also is religion and denial of social interacting including the sexual part of interacting.

How can the state allow a boarding school to operate with the student not having access to Internet and cell phone outside education periods from day one when we are living in year 2014? It is time to prevent the next tragedy now where the legal system has made its decision in this case.

We must remember that the mother was product of the therapy and morale code inflicted on the girls at the academy. Hopefully the state will follow up on the case with an investigation.

Sources:

• Mother in 'mummy baby' case gets 25 to life (Article with the commenct - KRCR TV)
• A testimony from a former student, who attended the academy
• Another testimony from a former student