Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => Straight, Inc. and Derivatives => Topic started by: Anonymous on August 09, 2008, 05:09:39 PM
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If this aint the biggest pile of HORSE and BULLSHIT mixed together, what is?
From the PFC "Our Critics" page, LOL... jumpin through some hoops there are ya PFC? HUH????
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Response to Our Critics
Copyright © 2008 Pathway Family Center. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement. Back to top.
We are glad you are interested in Pathway Family Center regarding your child’s substance abuse issues. The singular goal of Pathway is to provide young people with the means to end their dependence on drugs and alcohol and transition to a productive life. We are confident that we can free your child of their substance abuse issues, as we have done for so many young people.
As you learn more about Pathway, you may come upon negative information from a small group of people. They falsely claim that Pathway engages in inappropriate and abusive treatment programs and provide other false, misleading and/or incomplete information. To our knowledge, none of these people are Pathway graduates or parents of graduates. Our attempts to have a dialogue with these people have not been successful. If you have any questions regarding our program, please ask one of our representatives. We can also place you into contact with several of our graduates and/or graduate parents.
Some have suggested that Pathway take legal action against these individuals. In this electronic age, however, it is unclear whether we could effectively prevent the dissemination of this information. We also understand that legal action can be very expensive. We prefer to dedicate our resources to the care of our patients. The following information provides additional information regarding our program and success rates.
Pathway Family Center has provided high-quality adolescent substance abuse treatment since 1993. Our program is based on the medical model of addiction as well as the 12 steps of Alcoholic's Anonymous. We use a combination of cognitive, behavioral and psychodynamic therapy, which involves to some extent the patient’s entire family. Our success is attributed to our well-rounded approach and our team of experts, consisting of Masters level therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists and medical doctors.
In 2001, Dr. John Franklin of the University of Detroit Mercy College of Education and Human Services, conducted an independent study of outcomes for Pathway patients. From a response of approximately 51 percent of all program participants, the survey found that 98 percent of those patients did not return to their prior drug severity and 82 percent remained clean and sober three years after treatment. Dr. Franklin, stated, “I have worked in the addiction field for almost 27 years and I have not seen any program with outcome percentages this high.”
The Pathway program meets the stringent accreditation requirements of the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and licensing agencies in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. In more than 15 years of operation, there has never been a lawsuit filed against Pathway for any reason, including the alleged mistreatment of a patient.
We hope this information is helpful and encourage you to address any concerns you may have with one of our representatives. We look forward to helping your child.
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If this aint the biggest pile of HORSE and BULLSHIT mixed together, what is?
From the PFC "Our Critics" page, LOL... jumpin through some hoops there are ya PFC? HUH????
*******************************
Response to Our Critics
Copyright © 2008 Pathway Family Center. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement. Back to top.
We are glad you are interested in Pathway Family Center regarding your child’s substance abuse issues. The singular goal of Pathway is to provide young people with the means to end their dependence on drugs and alcohol and transition to a productive life. We are confident that we can free your child of their substance abuse issues, as we have done for so many young people.
As you learn more about Pathway, you may come upon negative information from a small group of people. They falsely claim that Pathway engages in inappropriate and abusive treatment programs and provide other false, misleading and/or incomplete information. To our knowledge, none of these people are Pathway graduates or parents of graduates.
Discrediting the critics, claiming they have no first hand knowledge. Similar to blaming everything on a single disgruntled person. Effective tactic.
Our attempts to have a dialogue with these people have not been successful.
If by "dialogue" they mean stealing signs, calling the cops, sending moles out, and otherwise harassing people expressing their first amendment rights to protest, i'm not entirely surprised they haven't been successful.
If you have any questions regarding our program, please ask one of our representatives.
Here they're gathering evidence of harm. Brace yourself for a lolsuit.
We can also place you into contact with several of our graduates and/or graduate parents.
Yeah. Cherry picked ones who i'm sure will sign irrelevant declarations proclaiming the wonderful benefits of the saviour program.
Some have suggested that Pathway take legal action against these individuals. In this electronic age, however, it is unclear whether we could effectively prevent the dissemination of this information.
Not friggin likely, no. But I wouldn't entirely exclude the possibility that they could try something like that if they became desperate enough.
We also understand that legal action can be very expensive.
HE he he... Maybe they've taken some advice from a certain other program. LOL. Maybe they're realizing slapp suits can backfire. :D
As for the rest, it's your typical bunch of program bullshit propaganda.
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Well golly,they also seem to have forgotten to mention that they are :BASED ON THE STRAIGHT MODEL.
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Well golly,they also seem to have forgotten to mention that they are :BASED ON THE STRAIGHT MODEL.
You expect them to admit that? They don't like to talk about that, and given a court situation, expect them to deny it too. Expect anything. Never underestimate just how low they would go. Expect them to deny the most obvious.
Oh. But I forgot to mention: truth wins out eventually, so don't worry too much and just keep fighting.
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Seems to me that by mentioning legal action that they have discussed it at some point but realized that they are simply straight never ever closed eventhough on paper it "sort- of- looks- like- it -but -when- you- piece- it -together -very- carefully- it -never- ended-at-all". Line up all the manuals, rules, people, it's the program 100% hands down. Keep in mind that at any given PFC location there are only 3 or 4 newcomers, (don't quote verbatim on that, but there was 4 at Milford 3 weeks ago) so whatever... ALL the 5 criteria are there, steps according to the program, not AA like they say, FIRST PHASE, DIME THERAPY, you name it, it's all still there. They even go as far as doing exactly what they did when it was called straight inc and opened up a shop before they were licensed.
Now, before all you programmies out there get your undies all bunched up yer cracks, lol, um, Terri Nissley did say that we could visit Indianapolis if we wanted to, but that is not where we want to visit. We want to visit the Milford location since it is considered to be a LOCKED FACILITY and the deed to the property was acquired from the straight foundation. So, in other words, we are not being difficult about it, SHE is. If there's nothing to hide, let us in now regardless of the location.
Gee, why did they recently hand paint a white line at the end of the 6070 Branch Hill Guinea Pike driveway? Why did they put up PRIVATE PROPERTY signs at each corner? LOL You know, paint aint very tall, HAHAHA. It smears, fades, and looks really tacky done by hand with a cheap spray paint can, LOL. Was that line surveyed? DOUBT IT!
Pretty soon, they will have to post a 5th phaser at the end of the driveway to act as security or something. At what point will they realize there's a DAMN good reason why people come from all over the country to protest their methods? Do they really want to take legal action? Do they want to tell the court the WHOLE truth and nothin but the truth?
"Um, yer honor, we uh, well, we abused kids for a really long time until recently, but really, you know we have been abusing them even today just not as much as before. It is what they need to get off drugs. If they don't get our help they will die, go to jail or get put into an institution. These WACKOS over there who protest our place were in a different program"
O B J E C T I O N!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
plaintiff is being IRRATIONAL, The program is the modality used by an entity while attempting to get a person to choose life without drugs. PFC never stopped treating kids with the straight inc treatment method, are working with the DFAF and the CADC's throughout the country, and they have connections with the White House, ONDCP, etc (Judge interrupts) SUSTAINED!!!!
You see, the only reason they haven't got in trouble for abuse is because the people they abuse cannot contact the outside world and the agencies that license the place don't take 3rd party complaints. The other people are emotionally extorted into believing it's saving their life and their parents are happy with them and well, it's unlikely once the wash cycle gets that far that they will come out complaining about it. At least right away.
The Critic
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Do they really want to take legal action? Do they want to tell the court the WHOLE truth and nothin but the truth?
This is not legal advise and I am not a lawyer:
Aha. Now there is where the problem is. They can pick and choose what they sue you for, and hence pick and choose what is admissable in court. For example...
Out of three statements in this photo here (http://http://www.heal-online.org/HEAL%20KY%20Bastille%20Day%2008%20Protest%20Pics/IMAG0009.JPG) (abuse, fraud, and khk tortured me)... which one do you think they would sue you for if they wanted to avoid the issue of abuse or the origins of thier program? "Fraud", of course. They will claim that fraud is an accusation of criminal conduct, and defamatory on it's face as KHK has not been found guilty of fraud.
Of course if they do that, you can argue that you meant that KHK is a fraud (of a treatment centre).. i.e. KHK is a fake. An imposter! Etc. Now that, is opinion (cannot be proven false). And you can tack on, that even if you meant that they had engaged in fraud, "fraud" has been found to be opinion by various courts. (Friedman v. Boston Broadcasters Inc. 402 Mass. 376, 379-80 (1988), Orr. v. Argus-Press Co., 586 F.2d 1108 (6th Cir 1978)). You can then argue that your statements concern a matter of public interest (protects you), and that KHK is a public figure (collect their press releases and such for this) and as such, even if the statements are legally false, they must prove "actual malice", which means that you meant knew the statements were false and said them in order to injure them (almost impossible to prove). They also have to prove that the exact statement outlined in their complaint, in that instance, caused them harm. If they can't prove damages, malice, falsity, etc... any of these things, they lose... but...
What you can't do is try and bring in stuff not related to what is in their complaint (i.e. bring up "abuse" when the complaint is about "fraud"). This means that although you might have wanted to turn their complaint on their heads and bring forth evidence/testimony to support your opinion that they abuse kids, you wouldn't be able to unless they addressed it in their complaint and mentioned your allegations of "abuse" specifically. Even if they did... You'll learn the fun of the heresay rule, which basically states that anything you heard said about what happened at KHK is inadmissible (unless you use the state of mind exception, arguing that it's not for heresay purposes (to prove truth or falisity) and since it's a defamation cause of action and the plaintiff is a public figure, whether you believed the statements to be true is what matters (defense against malice), and as such falls within the state of mind exception to the heresay rule.) You would have to find people that are willing to testify as to what KHK did to them if you wanted to show truth... and KHK would have people on the defense as well who wouldn't see their treatment as abuse (since it's an opinion). All in all, it's easier to just say "abuse is an opinion" (lots of cases supporting this), raise every defense except truth, get it chucked out of court, and get back to protesting, hopefully sticking the program with your legal bills in the process (if you're in a wonderful state like California that allows that).
If you expect to prove abuse in the courts... Good luck! It's much easier, and effective, to do what you're doing and share your experiences and opinions with the press and the public.
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Why did they put up PRIVATE PROPERTY signs at each corner?
I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice:
Because they might try and claim that you trespassed (complicated, but there is a legal reason why such a thing is important ("wrongful conduct")). Don't put perjury past them. ALWAYS have a camera rolling and multiple witnesses. I can't stress that enough.
They might not even call the cops over the fictional trespassing and the first allegation you hear that somebody trespassed would be in a lawsuit. They'll attempt to paint that as wrongful conduct and sue you, in combination with the "save your kid" and "pull them now" signs for intentional interference with economic relations (requires "wrongful conduct", which is not the same as illegal).
The gist of their complaint could be something like this: Crazy druggie protesters have been defaming us, encouraging parents to "pull their kids" and engaging in other wrongful conduct which has required us to call the cops multiple times (but they probably won't state what the cops did or did not do). This wrongful conduct has caused extreme stress to the staff and students here and has caused families to pull their kids resulting in financial loss. etc...
Be careful. The first parent you convince to pull their kid establishes loss. If they can get the parent to testify/submit a statement in support of their complaint as to why he/she pulled their kid (otherwise it's heresay) and that parent says it was based on your statement or from talking to you, make sure you can back up every statement that that parent heard from you on which he/she made the decision to withdrawal the kid.
That being said. Don't let any of this frighten you. Legal "consequences" ain't shit compared to the "consequences" dealt out by a program. There is due process on the outside world. Ya ain't got shit to fear if you're telling the truth or expressing your opinion. They might sue you, but a loss of such a suit would still be devastating to them.
Info in anti-slapp legislature in states across the US here:
http://casp.net/statutes/menstate.html (http://casp.net/statutes/menstate.html)
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Ah, yes, the good ol tortamatic trick, LOL... no torts here, keep moving keep moving... neeeeext!
Would fraud be like when you claim $7500 in "Client Housing" expenses in 2005 but then in 2006 you claim $105,000 for the same category? I mean, an outpatient treatment program that has $105,000 worth of client housing expenses? Hmmmmmmmmm.... LOL I LOL'd cuz I talked to Terri about that and she was UM UM UM about it, like that Amway scam trial she lost a while back. WOOPS. Sorry, but I think that client housing claims are a bit ridiculous. Also, when you order a form 990 from PFC they refuse to oblige, eventhough the IRS rules specifically state that a non-profit org must present this form to a requestor in a timely manner. HMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I think fraud is a safe and good term for a sign. LIARS CHEATERS, yep... those too. Oh, and let's not forget that one "alleged" THIEF they got workin for em.
Now, if all else fails in the tax department, there's that FALSE ADVERTISING that they had to correct earlier this year. Funny how short their memories are about that issue. HMMMM!
The WHACKO comment, remember? That is a potentially actionable LIBEL statement, BTW. But, whatever... time is running out on that avenue and really, it doesn't solve the problem of running a program that keeps kids on first phase for 5 damn months. That's abuse, plain and simple.
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The WHACKO comment, remember? That is a potentially actionable LIBEL statement, BTW.
I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice:
Not if you can't prove it false (try... it's not easy, is it. That's why it's an opinion).
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running a program that keeps kids on first phase for 5 damn months. That's abuse, plain and simple.
I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice:
And that is an evaluative opinion. (stating a conclusion along with the basis on which you arrived at it... which a reader is free to agree or disagree with)
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Has anyone tried to sue pathway?
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Obviously, the protests have been effective, to some degree or another.....why else would they bother to respond with the statement they made in the "press release" (read:propaganda)? Good work, keep up the pressure.......
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So the programmies lied outright.
They claim none of the protesters were graduates or parents of graduates. That is an outright lie. I am a witness to that lie.
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Has anyone tried to sue pathway?
Has anyone recently tried to sue Pathways or Kids Helping Kids recently? How would they be brought on? Child abuse? Illegal foster homes? What has been tried? I'm trying to get as much information regarding lawsuits and these programs as I can. I am reading a lot of lets get a lawsuit posts, but I am curious how many lawsuits there have actually been. Especially with regards to KHK/PFC. Thanks for any information!!
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The only lawsuits I've heard of involve PFC suing delinquent account holders. You know, like when the parent finds out the truth about this place and stops paying the bill before the contract is over. Other than that, check out the clerk's office of the courts in the counties in which PFC operates to see what cases may have occured. You should be able to do that online, or through a phone call/fax or something like that. gOod luck ;)
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Well golly,they also seem to have forgotten to mention that they are :BASED ON THE STRAIGHT MODEL.
If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck...
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Sue,
I just joined this group today. I am a div dad, and my son has been committed to the PFC in Indy by my ex wife. I am gathering information about PFC and the treatment modality, (which seems to be non existant, except for the "straight" left over stuff. I would like to get to know more about Pathway, and am not just considering a lawsuit, but have been in contact with 3 attys for this specific purpose.
IndianaDad
.Has anyone tried to sue pathway?
Has anyone recently tried to sue Pathways or Kids Helping Kids recently? How would they be brought on? Child abuse? Illegal foster homes? What has been tried? I'm trying to get as much information regarding lawsuits and these programs as I can. I am reading a lot of lets get a lawsuit posts, but I am curious how many lawsuits there have actually been. Especially with regards to KHK/PFC. Thanks for any information!!
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Indiana Dad, what about the availability of information seems to be missing? It's all out there in plain view on the internet. The straight inc modality is what it is, pfc did not 'change' it to anything different. The only difference in this regard is the name of the business itself.
Corporate Lineage tied to STRAIGHT, INC.
Special Exceptions from licensing agencies
Phases
Host Homes
Altered 12 step credo
Rational Self Analysis
Mind Control/Though Reform Tactics
Heavy government support (mainly Republicans but some Democrats too)
Fraudulent Marketing Practices
etc etc
email me if you wish, metalgod8@yahoo.com
RG
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someone stole the t in Thought Reform, sorry... ;D
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Some have suggested that Pathway take legal action against these individuals. In this electronic age, however, it is unclear whether we could effectively prevent the dissemination of this information. We also understand that legal action can be very expensive. We prefer to dedicate our resources to the care of our patients. The following information provides additional information regarding our program and success rates.
Wow, LMAO. I bet an attorney told them they cant sue because they dont have a legal leg to stand on. We are protected by the first amendment and they know it.
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It's almost absurd how they think they will continue to evade justice somehow.
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It's almost absurd how they think they will continue to evade justice somehow.
It's not absurd of them to think that at all. Miller Newton has done no jail time for his crimes, hell, it was his insurance carrier that paid out all the civil claims against him. The Semblers have done no jail time for their part in contaminating the world with Straight and Straightlike facilities. These people have never been held accountable for their crimes. What makes you think the people that run PFC, AARC, or any other Str8-derived teen torture mindfuck camps are going to actually do any time for the child abuse they commit on a daily basis?
Sure, it may be harder for Virgil to get insurance were he to try to open up another KIDS or Str8, but he's too busy touching his parishoners' junk to try his hand at being a rehab guru---he'll leave that to some other sadistic, narcissistic fuck who thinks "Gone Way Down" and Str8, Inc. were the be-all, end-all final words on drug treatment. Until the fucks that run these places do jail time for their criminal antics, they will, indeed, have been able to "evade justice". I'm not trying to encourage any program survivor to flip out and go on a Virgil-maiming or killing spree, but I would definitely understand how some deranged victim of one of these programs, acting out of frustration that the perpetrators of these crimes (and the fact that their criminal enterprises continue to crop up like so many weeds) never seem to suffer incarceration for the abuse they shovel out on a daily basis(under the guise of 'treatment' or 'caring') would flip out and decide to hand out their own brand of vigilante justice. Personally, I would never be able to find a program survivor guilty of a crime were they to take matters (and, say, Virgil Miller Newton's cum-guzzling, lie-spewing throat) into their own hands, and mete out the justice that so far has been left undone by our courts, but there are those, who are far more likely to sit on some hypothetical jury that would. Face it--these programs, and those that ran/run them, have gotten away with (sometimes literally) murder. Shutting them down is fine, but until the perpetrators themselves suffer some kind of consequences for their crimes, they will just do as Str8 did and change the name of the corporate entity. Another equally abusively criminal program will (7 or 12) step in and replace them, often in the same location with the same staff. Until an example is made of the criminal, child-abusing shitheads that actually profit from and/or satisfy their insane needs for power by running these places nothing will change.
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From all the complaints, reports and allegations regarding the abuses, crimes, improprieties etc etc lodged with the licensing agencies against the program thus far over the last few years, the states in which these programs operate consider the treatment to be just fine. Unless a current client of one of these places cops out and immediately files charges... like you said, nothing will happen to those people who perpetrate and profit from this activity. It is getting harder for them to convince the public that they are the experts so over time, it is conceivable that kids will see this information before their parents place them and then they'll know what to do. Something on the order of hittin up the schools and churches with some flyers or something like that, preventative medicine so to speak.
T
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What I don't understand is how these people can threaten to sue or 'take legal action' against their victims. Understand meaning like comprehend, you know, like fathom or like believe or like well, you get the picture, I hope. Whatever they decide to do, I say bring it on sooner than later. The evidence of abuse and FRAUD just keeps piling up and up the longer they stay open. I envision the proceeding starting like this:
"your Honor, these people who are attacking us were systematically abused/tortured and thought reformed by our mentors and staff, while their parents were deliberately and psychologically manipulated into believing that we were charging them a good amount of money for a great cause. At no point, your Honor, did we ever do anything to deserve these incessant attacks by these self-proclaimed 'Survivors' "
LOL
Ok, yeah, that should go over like a lead balloon ;D
TC
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Folks,
As a Father of a son who was committed to PFC without my consent or agreement, I have several thoughts regarding the PFC operation: safety and well being of my Son;the torture and abuse that he is suffering; the criminal nature of the isolation that he is enduring; failure of the treatment modality, methods and strategy; and so on....
In the case of my Son, he was using and abusing drugs, low level stuff, and had the corresponding teen age behaviour issues that go with that substance abuse, "friend" network, and the rage against the machine mentality. Pathway and the methods as I have found them is not only not working, it has the opposite effect, further driving the kids/young adults into denial, and using submission as the only tool in the toolbox.
I know that my viewpoint and perspective is clouded by my involvement with my Son, so forgive me if I get some of this wrong.
Those of you reading this, please feel free to contact me here regarding legal action, I am just getting started in my legal strategy against PFC, and would appreciate any viewpoints and/or history and am willing to help where I can, even if to just share information.
To those survivors out there, I am sorry for what was done to you. Stay strong, stay in touch with each other, and never ever give up!
Indiana Dad
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Folks,
As a Father of a son who was committed to PFC without my consent or agreement, I have several thoughts regarding the PFC operation: safety and well being of my Son;the torture and abuse that he is suffering; the criminal nature of the isolation that he is enduring; failure of the treatment modality, methods and strategy; and so on....
In the case of my Son, he was using and abusing drugs, low level stuff, and had the corresponding teen age behaviour issues that go with that substance abuse, "friend" network, and the rage against the machine mentality. Pathway and the methods as I have found them is not only not working, it has the opposite effect, further driving the kids/young adults into denial, and using submission as the only tool in the toolbox.
I know that my viewpoint and perspective is clouded by my involvement with my Son, so forgive me if I get some of this wrong.
Whether your perspective is clouded or not (it seems pretty clear to me, for what it's worth; anyway you have a right to a perspective, you're his dad), I believe you have every reason to consider what is going on in that place. PFC is a spin-off of Detroit Straight (that in and of itself would be enough for me, personally.)
Your take on their methods is accurate; coercion and the removal of choice for the kid along with the LGAT style confrontation by unqualified peer staff tends to backfire in a bad way. Ultimately, this abuse masquerading itself as therapy does much to hurt families and kids, to say the least.
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Folks,
As a Father of a son who was committed to PFC without my consent or agreement, I have several thoughts regarding the PFC operation: safety and well being of my Son;the torture and abuse that he is suffering; the criminal nature of the isolation that he is enduring; failure of the treatment modality, methods and strategy; and so on....
In the case of my Son, he was using and abusing drugs, low level stuff, and had the corresponding teen age behaviour issues that go with that substance abuse, "friend" network, and the rage against the machine mentality. Pathway and the methods as I have found them is not only not working, it has the opposite effect, further driving the kids/young adults into denial, and using submission as the only tool in the toolbox.
I know that my viewpoint and perspective is clouded by my involvement with my Son, so forgive me if I get some of this wrong.
Those of you reading this, please feel free to contact me here regarding legal action, I am just getting started in my legal strategy against PFC, and would appreciate any viewpoints and/or history and am willing to help where I can, even if to just share information.
To those survivors out there, I am sorry for what was done to you. Stay strong, stay in touch with each other, and never ever give up!
Indiana Dad
dear indiana dad,
if your son is still in pathway i think that your only focus should be on getting him out, not suing them. maybe you will get some good advice on this forum but i think there are some better resources for you. i would say get in touch with the international survivors action coalition to see if they have knowledge of how parents have been able to get their child out of a program when the other parent has custody, and if they can direct you to other research and resources, legal, etc. maybe just giving the other parent some good research will help to convince them, hey let's try something else, not something that is coercive thought reform that could really mess him up. otherwise your son will need a legal advocate, and/or help from social child abuse protection agency, if they know about pathways. someone might have reported them locally or to the state already, so call those agencies and find out.
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if there are survivors out there why cant they come together for a class action, be it fruad, breach of contract,personal injury suffered, false imptisionment, federal laws protecting civil rights, slander, what else? there is a 2 year statue. if there are people willing to come out, then do it. there is enough info out there to support the illegitimate functions of the operation of these places. more than enough to create a doubt to what they portray in writing
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khk and pathway survivors where are you.... you dont have to tell your parents, if you speak up to the right coordinator of "persuit for justice" the indiana father is out there waiting to hear your testimony, thats right your testimony along with the others who are strangers yet endured the same treatment. looks like a pattern to me. even if you feel cured and still resentful speak up, your word counts too. one will confirm the others account, and so on