Petition to close the abusive Provo Canyon School is gaining

[Anonymous]

I recently rescued my daughter from PCS on October 29, 2005. My daughter is having difficulty adjusting to being home. I pray the damage is not permanent.

[bandit1978]

Can you please tell us what your story?

[Anonymous]

I was in PCS from 1986-1988.  I went there when I had just turned 14 years old.  I stayed there for 2 years, by the time I left I had become so accustomed to being abused, pinned dowm, drugged up and locked up in the time-out room in my bra and underwear that I actually became institutionalized.  The abuse that occurred there was on a daily basis.  They make the school seem as if it will be fun for the children once they are there after a few weeks.  However, there was no fun involved.  After I left Utah I was much worse than when I went there.  I also never lived at home again with my parents.  I survived a terrible childhood and am amazed I am even alive today.  PCS caused great emotional scars for me.  I also developed claustrophobia and panic attacks after I was there from so frequently being locked in the time-out room, standing all day or being mistreated by the staff members there.  If we (the kids there) looked at them wrong, walked wrong, or talked wrong they dialed a code 911 which was real fun to have huge men come in your unit and tackle you often times causing extreme physical harm to your body.  It has been 18 years since I was there and I still have bad nightmares to this day.  I now have children of my own and I now understand that my parents sent me there in desperation trying to protect/help me, they were truly afraid that I would otherwise die.  However, in retrospect PCS damaged me more than ever and destroyed our family for years since I was sent there.  Each day my heart breaks at the thought that PCS is still open and for every person that is there.  It should be shut down.  The school lies, manipulates and convinces parents that their children will "say" all these bad things about PCS to get out of there and that it is not true but it is.  Parents please believe that it is a living hell for each child there.  I was so drugged up on Thorazine and many other drugs by the time I left I was incoherent daily and locked in the time out room for 3 weeks straight when my parent's finally came and pulled me out of PCS.  The school decided to highly medicate me instead of deal with any emotional outbursts, feelings, or thoughts of my own.   PLEASE SHUT IT DOWN!

[swordofthespirit]

I want to thank all of  you for sharing your stories here and other places on the inet and the work you are doing to stop this kind of abuse.

I am terribly shocked, horrified, feel sick to my stomach and sorry that anyone had to suffer in these ways. Because you shared, my husband and I were able to cancel plans to have our daughter admitted to Provo. We were just hours away from her transport and called off everything just this morning.

I couldn't sleep lastnight after reading these stories. I don't understand yet all the cult stuff (seed or synon, pure??) but feel we have been pretty lucky to have not made this horrible irreversable mistake.

[cherish wisdom]

You made the right decision - Provo Canyon School may look good and sound good - but it's not. It has a long history of patient abuse in the guise of treatment and rehabilitation. What they are most interested in is $$$$$. They will take anyone with excellent insurance or whoever can pay $13,000 per month.  :tup:

Ministers say that they teach charity. That is natural. They live on hand-outs. All beggars teach that others should give.
--Robert G. Ingersoll, American politician and lecturer

[Anonymous]

It is so important that these places be SHUT DOWN.  They ARE NOT therapy.  They are places of torture where after kids "get out," they suffer years of physical and psychological trauma: depression, PTSD to name a few.  I cannot understand why ANY government that espouses a democratic philosophy and ANY good parent that wants the "best," for their child would send their child there.  Healthy individuals are shaped by positive and healthy experiences, PCS and programs like it ARE NEITHER.  They aren't healthy or positive.  They are an affront to all that is good because they strip the human being of their dignity.  NO HUMAN BEING SHOULD EVER BE TREATED THE WAY THEY TREAT HUMAN BEINGS AT PCS.  Assaulting kids, injecting them with mind-numbing drugs, locking them in a room for days to urinate on themselves, forced labor...IS NOT THERAPY IT'S TORTURE!  SHUT PCS AND ALL PROGRAMS LIKE IT DOWN!
K.S. Provo Canyon School Survivor

[Anonymous]

I WAS SENT TO PCS FROM SAN DIEGO, CA. I WAS 12 I AM 28 NOW AND I STILL WAKE UP FROM NIGHTMARES WHERE I'M TRAPPED THERE AND CAN'T GET OUT. THEY BROKE A BOY'S ARM WHILE I WAS THERE DURING A "TAKEDOWN". I WAS PERSONALLY RESTRAINED FORCED FACE DOWN ON A COUCH ON THE "DOWN UNIT" I COULDN'T BREATH WHILE 3 MEN SAT ON ME AND THEN I WAS DRAGGED TO SECLUSION. SOMEBODY HAS GOT TO STOP THESE PEOPLE. I NEEDED HELP AND SUPPORT NOT FORCE AND DEGRADATION. BY THE WAY MY THERAPIST WAS LARRY WINN, DOES THAT SOUND FAMILIAR ANYONE? PLEASE DON'T LET THEM TORMENT ANY MORE LIVES OR ANYMORE DREAMS.

[Anonymous]

Provo Canyon School has done more harm than good. Parents, former patients and staff members have all made reports to the authorities who have done nothing to protect the current 350 children from abusive treatment and modalities. It should be shut down for the years of institutionalized abuse of children and youth.

[Anonymous]

Shut ?em down!  This ?institution? does nothing in the way of helping students.  I saw things go on there that would boggle the mind.  It?s a shame that too many youths (such as myself at one time) that needn?t be exposed to the conditions of PCS were sent to this poor excuse for a ?school.? PCS survivor

[Anonymous]

Keep signing the petition

[Anonymous]

So many sad stories here. Keep signing that petition...

[Anonymous]

I wonder when this petition is going to be sent out? Does anyone know?

[Anonymous]

I was sent to PCS when I was sixteen.  I soon realized that the only way to get through the program was to 'fake it til you make it'  I was so scared of doing anything wrong because of the punishments.  My therapist told my parents confidential things that we had talked about.  He also told another patient what i thought about her  He would try to make me mad to see my reactions... wouldn't allow me to go on "outings" I was there for three months and never got to go anywhere... funny how the website and video shows kids outside and rockclimbing.  The staff are a bunch of 20-30  year old women who are uneducated and abuse their power.  They would ridicule us and make fun of us and you had to sit there and take it or else you'd get into trouble.  They try to brainwash you as well as your family by telling everyone that there is something wrong with you.  They forced me to take "vitamins" everyday but wouldn't tell me why i needed them or let me look at the bottle. This place needs to be shut down.  It only made things worse for me and when I got home I felt alienated and alone.  No one could understand what i went through.  Parents please do not send your kids here!! and please get this place shut down!