Questions About Congressional Hearing 10-10-2007

[Anonymous]

What happened to the survivors who had planned to speak to the media?  Have any of them been interviewed?  If so, can you post the links?  I would like to hear what they had to say.

Also, I read a brief comment in one of the Utah newspapers made by Cathy Sutton (whose child died in a wilderness therapy program) about the hearing.  Apparently she was there but didn't testify.  Anybody know why?

[Anonymous]

There were survivors at the hearing, Psy for one, who said he gave an interview.  I think Cafety founders were there too, and Maia Szalavitz.  Maybe we need to start a STICKY for media coverage on the hearing to post all the media reports and interviews in a central location?  Surely the interest hasn't already waned.  I do think the parents did a great job but realistically, I think the plan to "shock and awe" may have backfired in that the three stories were so similar.  It would have been more effective to have a couple survivors testify to the day-to-day horror of surviving one of these death camps, or at least include them to peak more interest by the media.  

Thoughts anyone?  How can we keep the momentum going or at least build from it?  The parents had their 15 minutes (literally, at 5 minutes a piece) in the spotlight - now is the time for survivors to speak up and tell the other side of the story.  I'd like to see a journalist do an indepth series on survivor stories and also, get some perspective from former staff who have become activists (like TSW, the CEDU ex-counselor, Ginger of Fornits, etc.).  I think that would really be effective and reach far more people who didn't watch the hearings or read the few stories that came out.

[hanzomon4]

I agree, one correction: Ginger was never a staff person.

[Che Gookin]

Thoughts anyone? How can we keep the momentum going or at least build from it? The parents had their 15 minutes (literally, at 5 minutes a piece) in the spotlight - now is the time for survivors to speak up and tell the other side of the story. I'd like to see a journalist do an indepth series on survivor stories and also, get some perspective from former staff who have become activists (like TSW, the CEDU ex-counselor, Ginger of Fornits, etc.). I think that would really be effective and reach far more people who didn't watch the hearings or read the few stories that came out.

Three springs staff member not CEDU. Further, I'm no damn advo-ca-idiot either.  You may address me as "His Lordship of The Lower Bowels of Hell".

And to be frank and honest I'm not really sure I'm keen on having any involvement with this due to my loathing of the government. I'd be ok with an interview, but no more.

To me the government side of this is a waste of breath. The best we can hope to use this is to make the leap from the hinterlands of the wilds we are in now right into the mainstream conciousness.

[try another castle]

To me the government side of this is a waste of breath. The best we can hope to use this is to make the leap from the hinterlands of the wilds we are in now right into the mainstream conciousness.

Agreed. This country is a republic... that is.. a capitalist republic. If there is money in it, administration won't touch it. And there is a LOT of money in this. Therefore, the demand must be diminished.

[Che Gookin]

Amen.. hit the money train and you strangle the industry.

Personally if you ask me targeting the parents is the smarter gamble in ending this multi-headed hydra.

[ZenAgent]

Interesting blog:  http://schoolsmatter.blogspot.com/2007/ ... ubled.html

Thursday, October 11, 2007
Shut Down the Torture Camps for Troubled Children

Where can you have your troubled teen warehoused, forced to eat her own vomit, marched until heat stroke sets in, and then charged $500 per day?

Only in a free country that is also free of state and federal oversight for the thousands of boot camps, er, "wilderness training" schools, where troubled children are first discarded by negligent or just plain stupid adults.

Instead of meddling in the business of accreditation for colleges, I am wondering if Sec. Spellings has checked into the credentialing of this PR outfit that lies, dissembles, and covers up for the sanctioned sadists who torture thousands of innocent teens in their sanctioned hell schools: the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP). From reading a bit of their public school bashing in their propaganda literature, I would guess NATSAP postion gets warm receptions from the ed industry enablers. From a NATSAP white paper:

    In the past 25 years the level of structure and protection for youth in our society has deteriorated. More than 33% of public high school students drop out of school. Drug use is rampant in junior high and high school, and these drugs are more powerful, addictive, and dangerous. More and more young people have addictions such as cutting, and eating disorders. More are being diagnosed with depression (including bipolar disorder), anxiety, attention deficit disorder, and oppositional defiance. Use of prescription medications to manage emotional and behavioral problems has increased. These facts are symptoms of an adolescent culture that is stressed, overwhelmed, and struggling to cope.

And, of course, the NATSAP has a dues-paying torture camp just right for all these children.

Today's Arizona Republic has a story on the latest GAO report ( Full Report PDF, 34 pages) on these private youth boot camps, and it looks specifically into ten cases where teens died. Recommendation from Congress: Don't go there until regulation and oversight are put in place:

    The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, also announced it has identified thousands of allegations of abuse, some involving death, at boot camps since the early 1990s. It cataloged 1,619 incidents of abuse in 33 states in 2005.

    "Buyer, beware," said Greg Kutz, who led the GAO investigation. "You really don't know what you're getting."

    Kutz said the GAO closely examined 10 closed cases where juveniles died at residential treatment camps. In half of those cases, the teens died of dehydration or heat exhaustion. Other factors were untrained staff, inadequate food or reckless operations, the GAO said.

    Five of the 10 camps are still operating, some in different locations or under new names.

    "Ineffective program management played a key role in most of these deaths," Kutz testified before the House Education and Labor Committee.

    Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., who chairs the committee and requested the investigation, has sponsored a bill designed to encourage states to enact regulations.

    "This nightmare has remained an open secret for years," Miller said in a statement. "Congress must act, and it must act swiftly."

    The death of Bacon's son was one of the 10 cases studied by the GAO, but not the only one with an Arizona connection. The sample cases did not include names, but some were identifiable through news reports.

    One was the death of Anthony Haynes, 14, at the American Buffalo Soldiers boot camp in Arizona in 2001.

    One of the state's most high-profile camp deaths was that of Nicholas Contreraz, a 16-year-old Sacramento youth who died in 1998 while being subjected to discipline at the Arizona Boys Ranch near Queen Creek.

    Bob Bacon's account was among those Wednesday that outraged House committee members.

    Bacon said Aaron was sent to the camp because of minor drug use and poor grades. The father said he was fooled by the owners of the Utah facility into believing his son would be well cared for.

    Instead, Aaron was forced to hike eight to 10 miles a day with inadequate nutrition and was not given protective gear to withstand freezing temperatures, Bacon said. When Aaron complained of severe stomach pains and asked for a doctor, his pleas were ignored even though he had dramatically lost weight and suffered from other serious symptoms, Bacon testified.

    According to court documents, the boy's condition was ignored for 20 days, until he collapsed. The autopsy showed he died of an acute infection related to a perforated ulcer.

    Five camp employees pleaded guilty to negligent homicide, and another was convicted of child abuse. All were sentenced to probation and community service.

    Kutz testified that camp employees studied by the GAO were often poorly trained. He said kids weren't properly fed and were exposed to dangerous conditions, their cries for medical assistance ignored.

    He said that in only one of the 10 sample cases was anyone found criminally liable and sentenced to prison.

    The residential programs, designed to instill discipline and character, can be privately run or state-sponsored programs and sometimes include an educational or school-like component. They are loosely regulated by states. There are no federal laws that define and regulate them.

    The programs are marketed to parents who are at a loss as to how to help emotionally troubled teens, Kutz said.

    Jan Moss, executive director of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs, a trade group, said many kids have been helped by the treatment programs.

    She said the industry is taking steps to improve, but she added, "Clearly we still have a very long way to go."

    Kutz said there is no comprehensive nationwide data on deaths and injuries in residential treatment programs.

    Auditors found thousands of allegations in lawsuits, Web sites and state records.

    "Examples of abuse include youth being forced to eat their own vomit, denied adequate food, being forced to lie in urine or feces, being kicked, beaten and thrown to the ground," Kutz said, adding that one teen was reportedly "forced to use a toothbrush to clean a toilet, then forced to use that toothbrush on their own teeth."

    At the boot camp where Anthony Haynes died, children were fed an apple for breakfast, a carrot for lunch and a bowl of beans for dinner, the GAO said.

    Haynes became dehydrated in 113-degree heat and vomited dirt, according to witnesses. The program closed, and the director, Charles Long, was sentenced in 2005 to six years in prison for manslaughter.

    The autopsy on Nicholas Contreraz showed that after Boys Ranch staffers punished and humiliated the teen for days, he suffered from a severe infection in the lining of his lungs. Five employees were charged criminally, but all counts were dropped. The ranch now operates under the name Canyon State Academy.

    Julie Vega, Contreraz's mother, recently told The Arizona Republic, "I feel like he was sacrificed, and some good things changed for the better because of him. But nobody really paid a price for his death."

[Anonymous]

Okay, maybe TSW by his own statement ain't no advocate but I know who anon is talking abou.   There was an ex-CEDU staff member or THERAPIST who used to post on the boards.  He was one of the first staff of any program or facility to speak out on behalf of survivors.  I wish I could remember his name or nic because he was all about confirming the statements of survivors not a teen-torment-apologist in any way, shape or form.  It might have been Rocky Mtn. b/c I think he was from Idaho but it was awhile ago so I could be wrong (except about it being a CEDU hellhole).  Anybody else remember this guy?  Be nice  to have him resurface and lend a hand.

As for Ginger - heck, she could write her own book and call it Rampant Talking Out of Group - How Fornits took down an Empire.   :wink:

[TheWho]

Thoughts anyone? How can we keep the momentum going or at least build from it? The parents had their 15 minutes (literally, at 5 minutes a piece) in the spotlight - now is the time for survivors to speak up and tell the other side of the story.

To me the government side of this is a waste of breath. The best we can hope to use this is to make the leap from the hinterlands of the wilds we are in now right into the mainstream conciousness.

This country is a republic... that is.. a capitalist republic.

Personally if you ask me targeting the parents is the smarter gamble

The government isn’t going to help you or anyone else,  there are many other agendas going on behind the scenes and these hearings may be a backdrop for some larger picture.  one of the most successful marketing campaigns in modern political history was the "abortion rights movement".  Roe vs. wade was a nothing lawsuit (nobody liked abortion in the 60’s) until a group of activist (who were very small and unorganized) decided to play the human rights card and used the timing of the Roe vs. wade lawsuit to get noticed.  When people hear the words “Constitutional rightsâ€

[Anonymous]

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Forensic accounting

Another firm:

Specific examples of services that we can provide include:

• Damage calculations, such as compiling exposure levels from fraudulent billing allegations
• Assisting in the drafting, implementations and reporting requirements of Corporate Integrity Agreements
• Assisting in settlement negotiations with government agencies or payers
• Investigation of "hotline" reports
    - Initial investigation of patient abuse issues
    - Investigation of reports of mismanagement of programs or subsidiaries
    - Initial investigation of reports of Human Resource issues/violations
• Defense of false claim allegations
• Billing compliance reviews
• Reviews of recruitment procedures, and other business process reviews related to anti-kickback violations
• HIPAA compliance reviews


Accountants playing private dicks.  Forensic accounting/IDD is a bottom-feeder's gig, and it's a troubled program's wet dream.  To what extent will they go to protect clients? And why is an accountant investigating "hotline" reports?  What info do they have access to?  How many or these guys are scurrying around under the boards of the industry, especially now?

[Deborah]

There were survivors at the hearing, Psy for one, who said he gave an interview.  I think Cafety founders were there too, and Maia Szalavitz.  Maybe we need to start a STICKY for media coverage on the hearing to post all the media reports and interviews in a central location?  Surely the interest hasn't already waned.  I do think the parents did a great job but realistically, I think the plan to "shock and awe" may have backfired in that the three stories were so similar.  It would have been more effective to have a couple survivors testify to the day-to-day horror of surviving one of these death camps, or at least include them to peak more interest by the media.  

Thoughts anyone?  How can we keep the momentum going or at least build from it?  The parents had their 15 minutes (literally, at 5 minutes a piece) in the spotlight - now is the time for survivors to speak up and tell the other side of the story.  I'd like to see a journalist do an indepth series on survivor stories and also, get some perspective from former staff who have become activists (like TSW, the CEDU ex-counselor, Ginger of Fornits, etc.).  I think that would really be effective and reach far more people who didn't watch the hearings or read the few stories that came out.

I hope you weren't implying that these parents were seeking the spotlight.
Just want to remind people of Cynthia Clark-Harvey's opening statement:

Our story is a personal tragedy, but please remember that for each family that has suffered the ultimate damage, the death of a beloved child, there are perhaps thousands of others who have suffered physical or psychological neglect and abuse. For those individual and family victims, there is no public acknowledgement of their sorrow and pain, as there has been of ours.

And Bob Bacon's comment

I implore you, as I know Aaron would, to PLEASE stop paying lip
service to “family valuesâ€

[Anonymous]

Investigative Due Diligence

The XXXXXXXX Investigative Due Diligence (IDD) practice helps counsel, investors and financial institutions to identify and avoid risks by exposing the hidden elements of prospective transactions and relationships. Our multi-disciplinary team of investigative professionals discover, verify and analyze information to alert you to potential risks and advise on their mitigation.

Comprehensive Background Checks

Investigative Due Diligence is an essential service for companies concerned about the unknown dimensions of a potential acquisition, investment, partner, client or other commercial relationship. Through a comprehensive process of in-depth background checks, interviews and detailed analyses, we surface information for personnel decisions, strategic negotiations and disclosures in potential transactions.

Corporations engaged in mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances and significant vendor or customer relationships can benefit from the awareness that IDD provides for transaction teams, investment banks, private equity firms, hedge funds, institutional investors and their legal counsel.

Types of Risks Identified by IDD:

    * Undisclosed related-party transactions
    * Misrepresentations or omissions
    * Unreported financial difficulties
    * Allegations of illegal or unethical business practices
    * Troubled transactional history
    * Undisclosed legal proceedings
    * Questionable associations or relationships
    * Criminal or regulatory actions
    * Trade with controversial entities or embargoed countries
    * Deficient director independence or corporate governance
    * Financial reporting issues
Forensic accounting

Another firm:

Specific examples of services that we can provide include:

• Damage calculations, such as compiling exposure levels from fraudulent billing allegations
• Assisting in the drafting, implementations and reporting requirements of Corporate Integrity Agreements
• Assisting in settlement negotiations with government agencies or payers
• Investigation of "hotline" reports
    - Initial investigation of patient abuse issues
    - Investigation of reports of mismanagement of programs or subsidiaries
    - Initial investigation of reports of Human Resource issues/violations
• Defense of false claim allegations
• Billing compliance reviews
• Reviews of recruitment procedures, and other business process reviews related to anti-kickback violations
• HIPAA compliance reviews


Accountants playing private dicks.  Forensic accounting/IDD is a bottom-feeder's gig, and it's a troubled program's wet dream.  To what extent will they go to protect clients? And why is an accountant investigating "hotline" reports?  What info do they have access to?  How many or these guys are scurrying around under the boards of the industry, especially now?

[try another castle]

Okay, maybe TSW by his own statement ain't no advocate but I know who anon is talking abou.   There was an ex-CEDU staff member or THERAPIST who used to post on the boards.  He was one of the first staff of any program or facility to speak out on behalf of survivors.  I wish I could remember his name or nic because he was all about confirming the statements of survivors not a teen-torment-apologist in any way, shape or form.  It might have been Rocky Mtn. b/c I think he was from Idaho but it was awhile ago so I could be wrong (except about it being a CEDU hellhole).  Anybody else remember this guy?  Be nice  to have him resurface and lend a hand.

As for Ginger - heck, she could write her own book and call it Rampant Talking Out of Group - How Fornits took down an Empire.   :wink:

I remember them. Their username was "former CEDU therapist." I don't recall if they had spaces in their name or not, of whether the f or the t were capitalized.