TALES FROM THE ISODOME
After wanting to keep a picture of his parents in his room (forbidden as they were photographed with a glass of wine), Derek (a pseudonym), was violently restrained by Neil and subjected to a lengthy bout of torture in the “isodome”--a sadistic technique developed by Wes Neilson (in roughly 2000-2002) for dealing with kids who were deemed to be “troublemakers” and in need of separation from the broader population of the “troubled teens.” Derek had only just arrived at Cedar Ridge.
The isodome was a small, panopticon-esque building surrounded by a very tall fence. It was constructed by the children involuntarily incarcerated at Cedar Ridge. In fact, the entire facility (aside from the double-wide trailers) was very literally constructed with the blood, sweat, and tears of children. Construction accidents were common.
The space was reserved to punish “out of control” teens, but in reality, most of us had a stint or a few, in the isodome. We were all singled out during our time in residence. What differed was the length of time in quarantine (days, weeks, months), frequency, and the degree and duration of staff-inflicted violence in regards to physical restraints. They could last hours or days.
For example, one student was reportedly “sat on” by a rotating group of staff for twelve hours after refusing to eat part of her dinner.
In the isodome, inmates were separated from the other children. They wore orange jumpsuits, as if they were murderers in state penitentiaries. Supposedly, this was meant to reduce our risk of running away. We would be hyper-visible in the Utah desert. In reality, it felt like senseless humiliation. There was nowhere to run. We were also forbidden from speaking to one another, and were placed on “silence” for weeks and months on end.
Meanwhile, our peers would pass us in single file lines. Most didn’t want to look. We felt guilty. We saw the violence. We could do nothing.
The isodome was the ultimate fate that awaited any who dared step out of line, or in many cases, had unfortunately attracted Wes’ “special” sort of attention. No one wanted to be in the isodome. It was the lowest of the low. We were treated like animals. Or chain-gang workers.
We were fed only lentils and rice even though we performed intense labor from sunrise to sunset. All day. Everyday. This was euphemistically called, “compost therapy.” We were essentially forced to shovel our peers’ food scraps mixed up with shit from the animals on-site. The food scraps never actually transformed into compost because they were not left to rest long enough to decompose. The flies were insufferable, as was the stench of semi-rotting food waste and feces.
Everyday, all day, children slave mindlessly. Largely in silence (aside from the periodic call to staff, “Pardon me, Neil, may I have a check back please?”). All the while, moving piles of stinking shit in orange jumpsuits from one side of the isodome to the next.
To get out of this miserable situation, the child must accrue a ridiculous amount of “points” (e.g., 400 seemed common for an individual, but children were sometimes punished collectively) to exchange for her freedom. To earn one point, each child had to move fifty shovels of shit from one side of the isodome to the other. After every shovel full, he made a tally in the dirt. He had to ask for a “check back” after the fifty were painstakingly completed. The hours dredged on. It was painful, backbreaking labor. One could only hope and pray that one’s time in the isodome would be brief: a week, two weeks, a month? It was completely arbitrary.
After “earning” these “points” a child was taught to enjoy the “privilege” of sleeping in a bed, wearing the standard program uniform, and participate in the hyper-regimented schedule: karate, manual labor, chores, a dash of “school,” attack therapy, then, lights (sort of) out (staff flashed lights in our eyes all night as we tried to sleep). Even though life in the program was awful, regimented, and abusive in multifarious ways, once an individual’s stint shoveling shit in the isodome was over, their obedience to the program was almost assured. It was an astonishingly effective way of disciplining teens, of teaching them there was nowhere to run, that their lives were no longer their own, that no matter how shitty it seemed, it could be much worse. The message? Get with the program and graduate, or rot in a stinking iso-dungeon until you turn 18.
Cedar Ridge, now called Makana, exemplified the MAJOR RED FLAGS as outlined by WWASP Survivors.
These techniques are NOT ADVERTISED ON MAKANA'S WEBSITE. They are not based in evidence-based care for adolescents.
RED FLAGS IN RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT
This section contains a list of “Red Flags” for parents to use when considering residential treatment. If the program you are considering incorporates even one or more of these child welfare violations, DO NOT enroll your child.
- Practices of the “Tough Love” Troubled Teen Industry that are illegal, abusive, unethical and a blatant violation of human rights.
- Admittance without consent or due process/ Involuntary and forceful escorting to the program.
- Aversive Behavior Modification/Fear and intimidation based control.
- Physical/ Mechanical Restraint/ Pressure Points and Use of chemical control methods (such as pepper spray) as punitive punishment.
- Isolation/Social Ostracism used as punitive punishment.
- Stress Positions/Infliction of painful punishments.
- Food/Water/Bathroom/Sleep deprivation.
- Denial of adequate medical care.
- Denial of communication with Parents/ Access to law enforcement, lawyers and advocates.
- Mail censorship.
- Placing higher level students in a position to police and punish lower level students.
- Inadequate or “Fast Track” education/ Lack of qualified teachers, tutors and proper class oriented participation.
- Forced Labor/ Denied access to school as punishment. (ie: 8 Hour Detention/ “Homeless”/ “Worksheets” or all day work projects)
- Lack of proper social interaction/ Levels of silence/ Code silence punishments.
- “Attack Therapy” Using mental, emotional and verbal abuse as “Treatment”.
- Sexual abuse/ Forced sexualized behavior/ Sexual shaming.
- Operating as a private/ unlicensed/ unregulated “Treatment Center” without being subject to regulation of clinical standards in patient care.
- Accredited by Program Trade Organizations that DO NOT properly monitor or set specific standards of care to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students. Often spearheaded by the program owners themselves and only perpetrated as a third party agency. Membership status does not depend on proof of standards being met, only requirement is payment of dues.
Agencies such as:
NATSAP – National Association Of Therapeutic Schools and Programs
NWAC – Northwest Accreditation Commission
NAAS – Northwest Association of Accredited Schools
IECA – Independent Educational Consultants Association
OBHIC – Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare Industry Council
HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD
Please take a moment to review the related links, regarding red flags and warning signs of abusive treatment.
HEAL – Warning Signs of a Potentially Abusive Behavior Treatment Center
Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act 2011
4 Things Every Parent Should Do Before Sending a Child to Treatment
Reporting Abuse:
These are the steps justiceforchildren.org recommends:
- Stay CALM!!! Do not let your emotions dictate your actions, and do not release your emotions onto persons who are supposed to investigate your case (CPS, Law enforcement, etc.)
- IF THIS IS AN EMERGENCY: Call 911 or your local police.
- DOCUMENT EVERYTHING from this point forward, including times, dates, and places. COLLECT and KEEP all documents from all professionals who have an opinion about the child abuse. This includes therapists, doctors, policemen, and teachers. If a professional informs you that they have an opinion or a suspicion of child abuse, have them document that suspicion, preferably in the form of an affidavit. Be sure to get a copy of any opinions from professionals regarding your child’s case.
- HAVE YOUR CHILD EVALUATED. Talk to medical and psychology professionals. If possible, have your child evaluated at a Child Assessment Center (CAS).
- BEGIN INVESTIGATION. Talk to Law Enforcement to initiate an investigation into the allegation of child abuse. Any reasonable belief of abuse or neglect should be reported to the police.
- TALK TO Child Protective Services (CPS). If the abuse is not criminal, talk to CPS to initiate an investigation into the allegation of child abuse. Here is a state listing of websites & numbers to call. You will want to call the state you were abused in, they said the report will initiate in that state and then it will get moved to the state you currently reside in. If your abuse was paid for by a local government agency, you will want to initiate the report in that state (ie, if Orange County, CA school system sent you to an RTC in Utah, you should contact the CA office of CPS). If you don’t feel that CPS is doing an adequate job, contact your State Liaison Office. Every state has one, and childwelfare.gov can help you find out how to contact yours.
- GET AN ATTORNEY. Get an attorney and start proceedings to gain full custody of your child and terminate the abuser’s parental rights.
- CALL JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN. If you encounter a problem with completing steps 3-6, call JFC so that we can help! Call us at 1-800-733-0059. Office hours are M-F 8-5 pm Central Standard Time.
Childhelp can also help you with support resources. Please visit their website:
Childhelp® is a national organization that provides crisis assistance and other counseling and referral services. The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with professional crisis counselors who have access to a database of 55,000 emergency, social service, and support resources. All calls are anonymous. Contact them at 1.800.4.A.CHILD (1.800.422.4453).