Another Dundee News Article

[Carey]

There is another news article out on Dundee.

you can find it at:

http://www.ticotimes.net

It is called

More Questions About Tough Love Program

[Anonymous]

I like how Lichfield always says he has never paid off any lawsuit, yet he has paid out of court. Like that's any better, usually when you settle out of court is when you are guilty and don't want to put it all on the line.

"Lichfield estimates that WWASP has settled some 50 other cases out of court over the years." Tico Times

[Carey]

I don't understand how parents that are seemingly educated, or a least seem to be fairly successful in life, can not see the real picture.  How can they not see this place for what it really is.  Even Litchfield himself says "the only services that Dundee Ranch promises to  perform is supervision." "Our contract says we don't guarantee anything." Is that not a slap in the face to the parents of these teens.  That is what boggles my mind the most.

[FaceKhan]

I am getting the feeling that WWASP is in trouble. It seems like places are being exposed and shut down faster than Lichfield can build new ones. If his Costa Rica plan went sour it is only because he was shut down before he got started.

[anon]

You've both made very valid points. I've wondered about these very things. I could hardly believe Narvin would admit all they promise to do is supervise. I guess they count on people continuing to Trust the Program, no matter what.
And the out of court settlements Should be a red flag - but so many people just don't bother to Think. Its said in a manner that sort of indicates no one has ever had a successful legal action against WWASP, but as you point out, out of court settlements are what take place when a party is guilty, and wants the plaintiffs to shut up.

[Teen Advocates USA]

Out-of-the Country and in particular offshore behavior mod programs are an easy target for parents who often buy into these programs on the premise they are (1) Cost Effective (2) Culturally Rich (3) Hard to RUN AWAY from.

Also, the use of the term "academy" sells parents on the idea they are enrolling their child in a boarding-school-style treatment program with a strong **academic** component when in fact, their child may be receiving a substandard education.

Barbe

[Carey]

Barbe,

Do you think the parents of the youth at Dundee just look at the brochures and take them at face value?  Surely, they do more than that.  I would think that most responsible parents would do further investigating into a program like Dundee.

When my kids were young, I would not leave them in a day care that I could not walk into at any time.  I felt like that was something I had to do in order to be sure that they were being cared for properly and to be sure they were not being abused of neglected. They were to young to speak for themselves and therefore possibly not able to convey to me whether or not things were as they should be while in daycare.  I would think most parents who leave their children in the care of others in this day and age feel the same way.  How is leaving teenagers in a foreign country with no real means of communication any different? How can they know whether or not they are truely being cared for properly as they so desperately need to be.  How can they know for sure?  THEY CAN'T! When it comes to my kids, I want to know for sure.  Nothing less will do.

How do we make these parents look deeper into these programs? They need to go visit unannounced in order to see what really takes place.  That is what I did.  When I saw what I saw, there was no way I was leaving Dundee without my two boys.  If I had, I would never have been able to live with myself.

I am still dumb-founded by how gullable these eduacated adults can be.