Author Topic: Numbers  (Read 2170 times)

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Offline Elle

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Numbers
« on: August 01, 2001, 09:45:30 PM »
Numbers
I'm curious about exactly how many kids have been through Straight, Kids, and the more recent versions of the program. Actually I'd really like to know all the way back to Synanon. Does anybody have an approximate figure for how many graduates or clients there have been in any of the branches? Or any clue how I could find out?


         Elle.

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Offline jeff belflower

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Numbers
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2001, 06:19:01 AM »
Re: Numbers
Way too many, this disfunctunal family consist of way far beyond the horizon. I hate the Dr. Newton. Curse that sick f---.

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Offline FaceKhan

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Numbers
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2001, 01:20:55 PM »
Re: Numbers
I have heard estimates for straight as high as 50,000. Based on # of locations, multiplied by time in operation, times some number of clients at any given time, by the average length of stay. The math on that one seemed good, but I think that the figure was a bit large. However if you were to include, KIDS, SAFE, and Synanon, you may easily get 50,000 or more. Include Teen Help, Elan, CEDU and the hundreds of other longterm programs and you'll quickly get a figure in the hundreds of thousands. The number of people we need to make an impact and shut this industry down are there, we just need to find them.  

Slavish discipline makes a slavish temper... If severity carry'd to the
highest pitch does prevail, and works a cure upon the present unruly
distemper, it often brings in the room of it a worse and more dangerous
disease, by breaking the mind; and then, in the place of a disorderly young
fellow, you have a low spirited moap'd creature, who, however with his
unnatural sobriety he may please silly people, who commend tame unactive
children, because they make no noise, nor give them any trouble; yet at
last, will probably prove as uncomfortable a thing to his friends, as he
will be all his life an useless thing to himself and others... Beating them,
and all other sorts of slavish and corporal punishments, are not the
discipline fit to be used in the education of those we would have wise,
good, and ingenuous men...
John Locke, 1692

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Offline Elle

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Numbers
« Reply #3 on: August 01, 2001, 09:55:39 PM »
Graduates
Was anyone here ever a part of one of the locations around the time it was being shut down for good? Because I know that most bragged about how many graduates they had.


Face Khan, where did you hear that estimate?


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« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Antigen

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Numbers
« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2001, 06:05:13 PM »
Re: Graduates
Well, the Semblers brag about 12,000 graduates of Straight, Inc. In my experience, I'd guestimage that maybe 1 in 10 intakes actually graduate, so there's 120,000 just under that trademark. Add to that all of the religious boarding schools, state and county run boot-camps and TC based treatment in the juvenile and adult prisons and all of the upper-crust boarding schools along the lines of Elan. I think it's quite possible that nearly or over a million people have some firsthand experience with behavior-mod.


Not all of us are willing or able to 'do something' about it. For the past 6 or 8 years, I never even thought much about the Program still being in operation in any form. I knew The Seed was still in operation, but they're not doing the business they were when the group size was near 1000 and every high school had some Seedling students. Tragic for those caught up in it, but not a major threat to society or my kids.


I did take up drug policy reform because what they're saying makes a whole lot more sense to me than the Program-like propaganda coming out of the ONDCP, NIDA, DARE and all the rest. Jetandra, it seems, has taken a similar path. I know of a few other Program vets, who shall remain nameless unless and until they deem otherwise, who have become very active in drug policy reform over the years.


Other folks pass on the radical legalization ideas and just do what they can in response to the overt abuse in these programs. Still others will just quietly go about living their lives, raising their kids (or not) and withhold support for Program ideals and attitudes in public policy and in their private dealings. That's fine, we all have the right and obligation to do what we think is best, all things considered.


For those of us with a desire to do something right now, I think the most effective thing we can all do is to get involved in public dialog. The most effective avenue available to us is the opinion page of our local and non-local newspapers, call in radio/tee vee shows, etc. The second most effective and even more easily available avenue to us is forums like this one. Here we can hash things out, debate issues, compare notes and share research on any related topic. Then those of us who like to write letters and articles can go at it with the benefit of what we've learned from eachother in these forums.


And then there's the influence we have on the lurkers. You never know what that influence might be; by definition, they won't tell us. But ya' gotta love `em, those studious folk with the restraint and wisdom to just listen and learn and go quietly about their lives with all of it under consideration. (`course, it's a big rush when you can inspire one of them to actually post! Even if it's just an anger response ;-)

-If there's a worse idea going than locking kids up for victimless crimes, it's probably locking them in close proximity to some tyrannical altruist bent on helping them even if it kills them.
http://trebach.org/conference.html'>Saving our Children from Drug Treatment Abuse

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