girl from Cross Creek:
The staff was untrained and uneducated to work in that type of environment. I have found out that my old therapist molested a girl in my group shortly after I left. I remember he always blurred the lines of our relationship, but luckily he didn't cross those lines with me. Not to mention the diet, I gained 60lbs from the unhealthy food, and I should now I worked in the kitchen with Andy. Bless his heart he did the best he could with the budjet they gave him. Most of the staff had control issues and enjoyed torturing the kids.
Boy from Casa:
While makeing my bed I dropped something and someone picked it up for me, I replied "thank you" to him nothing more... first cat-3 of the day, I think to myself as im sitting in worksheet its okay no biggie just work off this time my 50 points for the week are gone but hey I can get them back right? Then while eating my daily breakfest of raisin bran with raisins hard as rocks someone offers me a napkin I shake my head nothanks, well the worksheet father saw me and added on another 15 points in worksheet for "non-verbal communication" so now im pretty mad so I just finish my breakfest and im standing in line well an upper level comes by thinking hes all big and bad and power happy decides to give me a cat-2 for not having my feet together... he told me I should be greatful I didnt get 2 cat-2's for looking out of line.
(It gets worse)
They then take me up to R&R aka intervention. they told me to sit in formation. which is with your nose about an inch from the wall your back completely straight and your arms behind your back. I refused to do this and asked if I could just simply sit and have some time to cool off. So they decide .. hrmm well hey if he wont sit in formation let pull his arm behind his back until his wrist touches the back of his head.. then he should ! so they sit there pulling my arm back until it feels like its just going to pop off when that didnt work they decide well on of us hold his arms behind his back while the other punches him in the stomach and chest area about 20 minutes of this and im still refuseing to sit so they decide to take my dried up cuts on my hand from punching the windows and they twist them and make them bigger opening them all up again.. well I guess I made them mad by getting blood all over them so they decide to just kick me while I lay there for a couple minutes then for the rest of the day I decided it best that I sit in formation. well I was in intervention for about 2 months where everyday all I would think about is all the ways I could kill myself.
(and)
I faked my way all the way to level 5. it was ridiculous. I was just saying everything they wanted to hear acting exactly how they wanted me to. at pc1 I was looking my parents in the face telling them "Im so so sorry ! I love you guys so much" while thinking in my head you fucking pricks I cant believe youd put me in this shithole and try to tell me its just as hard for you to send me here as it is for me to be here when you are the ones eating your nice warm meals at night sleeping in your warm beds having the privledge of flushing your toilet paper down the toilet after it wipes your ass. god I want to murder you both right here right now... I finally got pulled a few days after christmas because of how "good" I was doing in the program. The first thing I did after I got out was tried all the new drugs and drug combinations the other kids in there told me about robbed houses did basically whatever I felt like. Well now I am in college clean and sober have a nice job and apartment of my own and im doing real good and its NO THANKS TO CASA that place is terrible.
(also)
there was so many things that they could of done to make that facility a good place that would actually help teens but it would of costed them money and that place is just a BUSINESS its just another business trying to make a profit so everything they tell you is gonna sound good cause they are trying to make money. the fathers there are mexicans hired off the street with no experience with kids or psychology or anything just random people who apply. the school system is ridiculous I got so many credits there but didnt learn anything and had to take all those classes over again so I could actually learn whats going on. it pisses me off so bad when people say stuff like " Yes, if you were a pain maybe you were restrained, etc. But if you followed the rules all was well. Get used to rules!!! They're every where. But all this whining. Grow up!! " I mean honestly youve never been there you dont know what you are talking about. I told my parents the EXACT same thing your daughter told you, you know why ? Cause I didnt wanna get sent back. Once I was sent there it was like I had to hide all my feelings and thoughts cause I could be punished for them. I wouldnt dare tell my parents how I really felt about the place. What little relationship I had with my parents was completely destroyed when i was sent there and now they think we have this huge good trusting relationship ... but its all fake.. they dont have a clue whats going on in my head. Its turned me into some sort of freak.
Girl from Casa:
i was at casa by the sea for 3 months. it was the 3 worst months of my life, i would never recomend for anybody to go there. the websites they have for the school are totally bogus and dont represent the true school, and what its all about. i have been out for 4 and a half months and i still cry when thinking about it b/c it was such a shitty experience. the seminars involve brainwashing, they try to con your parents into getting you to stay longer so they can get more money out of them, *the food sucks and makes you gain massive weight, i gained 25-30 lbs in 3 months. * they phsyically, mentally, and sexually abuse the kids sent there. it is a horrible place.
Girl from Casa:
When I got to Casa they made me strip in front of them which is understandable seeing as how they don't want drugs in the facility, however it should have been in front of all females not 2 females and 2 males.
(and)
Every one has to have permission to talk, stand up, sit down, eat, and everything else.
(and)
We would have a total of 5 minutes to get our food and to sit down and eat it. *Half of the time the food had hair in it, or even a couple times I found bugs. The kitchen was extremely unsanitary and that was just from what I could see at the window.* Some of the guys would even masturbate into the coolaid (this coming from one of the guys that said he played a part in it). My parents didn't have a clue about what went on there because whenever I would write to them about it "misteriously" my mail didn't get sent.
(and)
Not only did my parents not receive my letters stating what went on in the "program" I got punished for manipulation. I was smacked several times, the "mamas" (female staff) would pull my hair and they would threaten us.
Boy from Casa:
I went to Casa by the Sea and was there for four months. It was shut down while I was there. You may think that we are all a bunch of angry kids, but really you don't know anything so it's pretty easy for you to say that. We all went though hell and back being there. I was beat by a group of straff members for clicking a pen.
*I was fed not even enough food to fill a 3 year old. I went to Casa weighing 240. I was a football player. I came out weighing 210 in just 4 months. *
When you use the bathroom you have to wipe and put the TP in a bucket next to the toilet, thats if you have TP. A good amount of the time you didn't. Most of the staff were gang members and abused drugs which they would some times try to trade to kids for watches that they stole.
I am now home and I looked at some of the letters my mom got from me and they had alot missing.
I was beat very badly on 3 different days. My jaw is now completely broken and I have to have it re-broken and fixed in surgery.
I went through HELL for 121 days more than you will go through in your life. So please don't call us angry kids. Thank you for listening.
boy from cross creek and others:
I was in four WWASP programs over three consecutive years. Brightway, Spring Creek Lodge, Paradise Cove, and Red Rock Academy. I went through some of the worst abuses ever, like being beaten, pepper sprayed, *starved*, hog tied and left in a wooden closet for two days.
I'll look around for some more later. I think it might be worthwhile to compile student statments according to subject. . .
[ This Message was edited by: BuzzKill on 2004-11-13 19:32 ]