The Myth of the "Good Program"

We are part of vast, strong network of survivors of the troubled teen industry: a network comprised of doctors, engineers, seasoned advocates, veteran organizers, parents, attorneys, clinicians, social workers, academics, and physicians, who are concerned about the troubled teen industry. We are adults, parents, and survivors of Cedar Ridge who wish to alert the public about our experiences of harm and abuse while at this facility in Roosevelt, Utah. 

Our network has advised us to be cautious of dealing with the current owners. The fact that these people, who have working relationships with our abusers, seek to contact us and talk to us, has been TRAUMATIC. The tone of these communications have ranged from paternalistic, condescending, to outright threatening. Apparently, they don’t want us to tell our truths about what we witnessed and experienced at Cedar Ridge. 

A TEACHING MOMENT

We’ve been advised to share the following anecdote to illustrate our concerns.  As we have learned, the moment that survivors start speaking up, the industry begins to get nervous. They often reach out to and threaten survivors. They ask us to DO THEIR JOBS and tell us how not to be abusive. Our answer? The troubled teen industry should not exist in the first place. The wilderness programs, therapeutic boarding schools, and any place which accepts children and teens, without their consent, is a violation of their human rights. As a long-term survivor-organizer explained: 

So, Dr. Phil reached out and wanted to do an episode where he would have survivors on his show to talk about the dangers of programs, even though he's been out there recommending them and sending kids to them for years.

So we talked it over and what we came to realize was that there was a pretty high probability that he was going to have someone from the program there to tell their side of the story or whatever because it's good television to do shit like that. And so we declined. But some other folks would not listen to us and went on there and do you know what happened?

After they told their stories, he had the people from I think it was [a program in Utah] show up and talk about how great their program was and the whole thing turned into an advertisement for [the facility] in which these survivors inadvertently participated.

And the end result was that this program essentially was able to co-opt survivors into endorsing their program because they were not careful and they did not think through what was going to happen. 

And I really think that example is instructive for what program rebranders are trying to do by contacting survivors and asking them to tour the facility.  If any of the survivors return, will they be allowed to talk to students without any staff present: in absolute confidence and secrecy?

My position has always been to stand here and say I don't believe there should be any programs at all or any kind of residential placement at all. And so far, the best anybody has done was convinced me that there's probably a need for short-term psychiatric residential in an actual medical setting in the community where the parents can be there all the time, with a pre-established release date and due process. And access to child welfare and authorities and mandatory reporters. 

I would say that any program is going to be ineffective and expensive at best. I mean the evidence shows that taking children out of the community and placing them far away from home is simply not effective at best and traumatic and harmful and dangerous at worst. Even if they went voluntarily, if they cannot leave at-will, then the program is coercing them to stay. And coercive care is just not efficacious. 

And saying, “Oh the kids are free to leave at any time but we're going to send them to a wilderness program” is not the same as being free to leave. If these kids don't have access to a phone if they were being abused who would they tell? HOW would they tell? And if their answer is, “They can tell us.” That is problematic, because they could be the abusers. An ethical organization would never be set up that way. It's always going to be set up in such a way that nobody is above suspicion. 

This is a teachable moment. We are not alone. We have the support of experienced survivors. We are occupying this space and discussing our experiences at Cedar Ridge. The children are still there... Waiting for their freedom. The former owners still live on-site, as far as we’ve been told… 

We won’t be traveling to Roosevelt, Utah anytime soon.