Not using other countries as a benchmark for what should be considered acceptable I agree with. Using other countries human rights violations to justify our own is unacceptable.
I think we agree here.
One is licensed, and in the case of police ambulences where you can be handcuffed, given authority by the court system as a police power, your escort services are usually unlicensed. In fact, if a youth is really such a danger to themselves or others that they need to be removed from home and need hospitalization or transported from a hospital to a residential facility, why use an escort service when you can get an ambulance for free?
It wont be free either way. In many cases the TBS or RTCs are outside of the local community. Ambulances typically will not transport people to the airport and onto airplanes etc. Maybe after regulation takes hold and the treatment centers get more recognition from the insurance companies this may become possible, but right now the only option is escort services
Setting aside what should be, (granting youth the rights to make the decisions you so easily dismiss) residential treatment is an open-ended jail sentence and should be treated with the same seriousness. If the youth really needs it let someone who doesn't have a conflict of interest in the matter decide.
I agree, I am an advocate to have the child’s therapist or school counsellor sign off on every placement.
As for my faith in the courts to judge this matter, see the Marvin Lee Anderson case. Ultimately, until you accept that youth do have rights and that youth do have strengths even if they do have emotional or behavioral challenges, then you will continue to see them as deserving of whatever treatment they receive, as the Florida and Utah courts have so marvelously demonstrated. Restraint injuries in the name of treatment is unacceptable. I agree that this isn't the easiest of challenges to solve, but to accept things as they are is pathetic.
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The use of restraint should be well defined and accepted by all parties (legal ,therapeutic community etc.) If used outside of the requirements then the people should be reprimanded.
Even a blind squirrel catches a nut every once in awhile (I should be nicer on this one, hey we're even for the "Won't Get Fooled Again" crack)
Okay, this pretty much cements my suspicion that you non-conformists are all the same.
This hasn't necessarily been a critique about regulated vs. unregulated. Actually, most of the programs I had in mind when I wrote this are regulated. Even most of your beloved Aspen programs are regulated, well at least the ones in Utah are. This is a discussion about what practices are abusive. We seem to have a fundamental disagreement on this matter.
Yes, we do, and I particularly don’t agree with many of the ways abuse is defined here.
http://www.tapartnership.org (Federal Government, not run by a bunch of Christian Scientists nor is it a fringe group)
Even when every home-based intervention has been tried, and an out-of-home placement is advised, usually by an entire team of professionals, not just an educational consultant and an admissions director, according to current best practices, the longest recommended adjustment period is maybe a week of physical separation and the parents transport the youth to the residence themselves. And a transition to weekend home passes within the first few weeks of placement.
Would not be the first time I disagreed with the government. I think there should be exceptions.
Of course, if you did all that, it would be so much harder to convince parents that they were doing the right thing when their youth told them how horrible they were being treated, and then you would have less youth that you could work with.
You could not effectively change a persons behavior in a week or two. Behavior modification is a long process.
It's hard to know if you really believe all of this (I don't know how you could sleep at night if you didn't) or if you make enough money like the Lichfield's doing this that you don't have to worry about such things.
I don’t make any money off the industry with the exception of maybe some retirement investments that I may not be aware of.
So going under the assumption that you actually believe this crap, which to be fair you are in good company believing in this crap, where did your beliefs about the appropriate treatment of adolescents come from?
Personal experience, reading,.... I have seen the results of not treating adolescents which is rarely discussed here. I have seen them die and end up in jail ( the insane not so much), seen them end up on the streets because no one intervened or cared enough. I have spoken with kids who wished they had more structure or were forced to finish highschool because they cant support their wife and kids or have struggled with substance abuse for so long the way out is almost impossible.
As for your list, since the only abuse you identified was sexual misconduct, and I'm assuming you would add that the perp was convicted and wasn't dealt appropriately by the facility, then I suppose by your logic there are no confirmedly abusive facilities, only abusers and unfortunate incidents which can happen anywhere, anytime and aren't limited to residential programs. Of course, what about the programs that hire former abusers out of negligence or indifference, are they abusive?
As for a real list, ISAC, HEAL, and Teen Advocates USA each have comprehensive lists that you can see for yourself.
Yes, I do believe there are abusers who enjoy the power trip, but this has nothing to do with treatment centers or programs unless, like you mentioned, they knowingly hire them. Then yes they would considered abusive in my opinion.
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