http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/2 ... -4985r.htmJustice refuses child welfare probe
By Thomas Houlahan
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- The Justice Department has declined a request from a California congressman for an investigation of a controversial program designed to modify the behavior of troubled teenagers.
On Nov. 3, Rep. George Miller, senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, asked the department to launch a formal investigation of the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools and its founders.
WWASPS is an umbrella organization based in St. George, Utah, that oversees seven behavior modification facilities in the United States and two abroad. Many of the facilities are owned or run by family members of the corporation's founders. An estimated 2,400 children are enrolled in these residential programs at a yearly cost of between $30,000 and $54,000 per child in tuition and fees. The program's first facility was opened in 1987.
On Tuesday, Miller's office received formal notification of the department's decision not to investigate WWASPS. Assistant Attorney General William E. Moschella said while the Justice Department has the authority to investigate complaints concerning conditions in public institutions, "this authority does not extend to facilities outside the United States or purely privately owned facilities."
"I find the Justice Department's decision puzzling," said a congressional staff member on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Congressman Miller asked the DOJ (Department of Justice) to investigate a number of allegations, including fraudulent and deceptive advertising, fraud and unjust enrichment under the Internal Revenue Code, and violations of other federal civil or criminal laws. These are allegations that the Justice Department clearly has the authority to investigate. It seems that DOJ has chosen one narrow area over which it has no authority and is using it to justify sidestepping the problem." Moschella declined to comment in response.
In his letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft, Miller said "there have been serious allegations that hundreds of children have been mistreated or neglected," and that there are "hundreds of parents who assert that they were drawn into the program by misleading advertising."
Miller cited an "extensive and consistent pattern of abuse," and said that he was "very concerned that the health and welfare of hundreds of children may be in jeopardy."
"WWASPS, formerly known as Teen Help, has had problems with the law since its inception," Miller wrote. He said since 1996, seven WWASPS/Teen Help facilities (two in the United States, five abroad) have closed after running afoul of the law.
In May last year, a facility called Dundee Ranch Academy in Costa Rica closed after authorities there charged the facility with violating the children's civil rights and the health code. A Costa Rican government inquiry found that:
-- Many of the youth appeared to be ill;
-- The levels of nutrition and food provided were limited;
-- The hygiene of the facilities was inadequate;
-- Living quarters were overcrowded;
-- Medical care was inadequate, and
-- The punishments given were considered physical abuse and psychological abuse and were prohibited under Costa Rican law.
"The Federal Government must take greater action and initiative to safeguard American youth in WWASPS programs in the United States and overseas," Miller wrote.
"There is a laundry list of abuse of children at WWASPS schools: deprivation of food, deprivation of contact with their peers, physical abuse, mental abuse, sexual abuse, and parents are paying big money for services not rendered," Miller added in a Nov. 6 news release.
A written response to Miller from Ken Kay, president of WWASPS, said the organization had been unfairly portrayed in the news media.
"We feel strongly that WWASPS and its schools have been distorted by the media," Kay wrote. Kay invited Miller to visit WWASPS' facilities. Miller declined, contending that such visits should be undertaken by trained investigators with law enforcement powers.
