Author Topic: Your testimony needed ASAP!  (Read 8089 times)

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Offline Anonymous

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Your testimony needed ASAP!
« on: January 11, 2007, 03:38:31 PM »
ATTN: MT Program alumni



Your letter of testimony are needed!!

We are also seeking folks who can fund their own transportation to MT to testify!



DEADLINE FOR LETTERS - 1/13

NOT MUCH TIME LEFT!!!!

For those who would like clarification, in a nutshell Senator Schmidt is trying to pass a law which would require oversite, regulation and monitoring of currently unregulated programs like SCL, like MMS. Just as the state is required to do with all other child-caring institutions, ie. residential treatment programs, juvenile justice programs.

Places like SCL and MMS have fallen through a legal loophole by calling themselves therapeutic boarding schools, that way they don't get looked into by the state or any health care acrrediting body. In a recent informal study, we found MT does not investigate allegations of abuse at 'UNregulated facilities' because of this loophole and the private nature of the schools. That's why programs have effectively been able slide on by, mistreating children and calling it therapy.

Hopefully, with all of your hard work, our letters will put a stop to that.

Obviously this will not be easy to do. The Senator has no funds to bring folks in to testify - so if any of you are anywhere near Helena, MT please let us know if you would be willing to travel and cover expenses. Perhaps we (CAFETY) may be able to secure funding, this is tentative but an effort we are focusing on.

We all know there will be many current students and alumni expressing, in person, their devotion to both facilities. Few understand the mental break down that allows youth to become complicit in their own mistreatment, for this reason it is IMPERATIVE we work to present the flip-side of the industry to the MT State legislature.

So please take a moment to express your grievances and help spread the word!!

This is our big shot to help protect youth and stop the mistreatment so many of us both witnessed and experienced. Please ACT NOW!


Lenore Behar, Phd is collecting the stories to submit to Senator Schmidt.

Please e-mail her:

[email protected]

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Best,

kat & the CAFETY team

The Montana legislature meets from early January until the end of April, so things will move fast. They also meet every other year, so if Sen. Schmidt isn't successful, it will be another 2 years before she can try again. Also, MT has limits on congressional terms and 2009 will be her last one.

The bill that was passed last time was put in the Department of Labor, which was an attempt by the lobbyists/program directors to weaken it. In addition, the bill only called for a committee to determine what kind of oversight to provide. Their report, after 2 years, was that they need more time! To decide anything.

The new bill can be seen shortly and tracked at:

http://laws.leg.mt.gov/pls/laws07/law0203w$.startup

It is LC 1004 (use the second box for the bill #)


ALSO SEE:

Online PBS Doc on MT Industry

Who's Watching The Kids?

www.montanapbs.org
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Anonymous

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Your testimony needed ASAP!
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2007, 04:08:36 AM »
MMS doesn NOT abuse girls who go there in any way.  It may have been awful in the past, but a lot has changed, and if you were not there for the change, I am sorry, but please stop ripping on the school we worked to change and build up.  I gradded in August, and it started getting better in about April or May.  You may have had a bad experience, I know I did for the first 20 months or so, but John is truly helping the girls.  Yes, he still makes mistakes and gets mad and does dumb things, but belive it or not, he tends to take responsibility now, and that is the best we all can do.  Again, I am sorry if you have pain from your MMS stay.
Love and hugs to all,
Simonie
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Anonymous

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hi...
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2007, 06:15:44 PM »
hey, i know its too late for the court stuff, but does anyone know anyone i could talk to about my experience there who could help w/stuff like that?
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Anonymous

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Your testimony needed ASAP!
« Reply #3 on: March 12, 2007, 11:05:50 AM »
Quote from: ""rustydevil7""
MMS doesn NOT abuse girls who go there in any way.  It may have been awful in the past, but a lot has changed, and if you were not there for the change, I am sorry, but please stop ripping on the school we worked to change and build up.  I gradded in August, and it started getting better in about April or May.  You may have had a bad experience, I know I did for the first 20 months or so, but John is truly helping the girls.  Yes, he still makes mistakes and gets mad and does dumb things, but belive it or not, he tends to take responsibility now, and that is the best we all can do.  Again, I am sorry if you have pain from your MMS stay.
Love and hugs to all,
Simonie


woa, this is just... wow. you justify not only the absence of clinical skill by someone who RUNS the school, explain 20 months were a 'bad experience for you, explain that his anger still comes out inappropriate ways, then go on to say in wishy washy way that "he 'tends' to take responsibility for his continual poor behavior" and then ask we don't 'bash' ( MMS lingo to prevent criticism and real accountability) the school. This issues are, in large part, a serious part of the problem with the school and your experience points to the numerous problems that the school faces given Mercer's involvement.

II just know Mercer so well, we all do... forgive if it's INCREDIBLY hard to believe John is miraculously, beginning the months of April (of what year?) no longer an abusive, degrading, dehumanizing man... he's  a sociopath w/ NO CLINICAL SKILLS AT ALL.  He's manipulative, shrewd and... anyway, maybe that's just the man I know but regardless we're all entitled to share our experiences and concerns. predicter of future behavior is past bvehavior.  he needs to be monitored, his school needs to be regulated.  he also could probably use a great deal of therapy, oh, and some basic education in psych, or perhaps social work would also be useful...

At this point, all that he has going for him is his own addiction history.  Surely that qualifies him?  heh.
 
oh, and he's a meglomaniac x100000000
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »