Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => The Troubled Teen Industry => Topic started by: Anonymous on March 10, 2004, 11:33:00 PM
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A group home counselor (Utah) was killed and the 2 teens alleged to be involved have been arrested in Las Vegas.
:sad:
See:
http://www.teenadvocatesusa.homestead.c ... Ahome.html (http://www.teenadvocatesusa.homestead.com/TAUSAhome.html)
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Anybody know who owns and operates this group home?
http://www.maximumlifeskills.com (http://www.maximumlifeskills.com)
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http://www.maximumlifeskills.com/ (http://www.maximumlifeskills.com/)
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Not much info. It's not a wwasp/cedu/aspen affiliate that I can see:
Registrant:
Lucid Design
P.O. Box 277
St. George, Utah 84771
United States
Registered through: GoDaddy.com
Domain Name: MAXIMUMLIFESKILLS.COM
Created on: 11-Mar-03
Expires on: 11-Mar-06
Last Updated on: 11-Mar-03
Administrative Contact:
Rios, Mike mike@luciddesign.us (http://mailto:mike@luciddesign.us)
Lucid Design
P.O. Box 277
St. George, Utah 84771
United States
(435) 229-6085 Fax -- (435) 673-0447
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Sheesh, this is one God-awful tragedy. My heart goes out to the counselor's family and the teenagers, and their families.
:cry:
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Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Aide is slain; 1 teen caught
By Nancy Perkins
Deseret Morning News
CEDAR CITY ? A 31-year-old man who worked for a residential youth treatment center is dead, and police have arrested one of the two teenage boys they believe are responsible.
The two, who apparently fled to Las Vegas in a van owned by the center, were spotted by Nevada police late Tuesday night.
Police took one of the boys, Jesse Simmons, into custody at about 11 p.m. Police were still searching for the other teen, Sean Graham.
Anson Arnett, a counselor with Maximum Life Skills Academy, was attacked with a baseball bat late Monday and left for dead in a locked closet of the residential youth treatment home, Cedar City Police Lt. David Holm said.
Arnett died at 7:20 p.m. Tuesday at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City after being flown there from a Cedar City hospital, according to Holm.
Police were initially called to the youth home at 11:34 p.m. Monday on a report of a stolen vehicle, Holm said. The youth home is located at 1083 Bulloch Circle in a residential, multiple-housing zone.
"Mr. Arnett was found inside the home. He had been hit at least twice in the head with a baseball bat," Holm said. "It was a brutal attack."
The 17-year-olds also threatened the four other teenage boys staying at the youth home, according to owner Adam AhQuin.
"They (the boys) witnessed the whole thing. They were shocked," said AhQuin, 24, who opened the youth treatment center in May 2002. "Anson was checking a room, came up the stairs, and he was just attacked. We're all shocked."
Police said the teens stole a white 2002 15-passenger Dodge van with Utah license plate 953 WLU.
Graham, who is still being sought, is described as a black male, 5 feet 7 inches tall and 120 pounds with brown hair.
"Anson was just an awesome person. He was one of those people you can't imagine anyone ever trying to hurt," said AhQuin. "He was extremely talented, soft spoken and artistic."
Maximum Life Skills Academy is one of 196 licensed private residential treatment facilities across the state, Utah Department of Human Services spokeswoman Carol Sisco said. The company has had its license for about two years.
No problems had been noted nor complaints registered in that time, Sisco said.
Children in private facilities like Maximum Life Skills Academy are sent there by their parents and not through the juvenile court system or the Division of Youth Corrections.
Maximum Life is licensed to house up to 11 youths, ages 12-17. Six children were in the home Monday night, Sisco said. A DHS licensing expert was in Cedar City meeting with staff and reviewing facility logs to ensure the facility did not violate any of the licensing rules, she added.
"One of the things that concerns us is that there was only one counselor on staff at the time," Sisco said.
Two counselors are required at all times to ensure the safety of both staff and residents, Sisco said. AhQuin said Arnett was working the graveyard shift alone, which is routine.
"I had a really strong feeling that I ought to work that shift, but I guess I can play the 'what if' scenario over and over again and never really get anywhere with it," AhQuin said. "Anson was just really gifted with the boys. This is so completely left field."
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Posted: 2004-03-06 09:51:00
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From Fornits Archives: Key Word: liahona
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?So ... 9&start=10 (http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?Sort=&topic=2888&forum=9&start=10)
Posted: 2003-08-31 18:59:00
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Well here goes :
He has built or owns websites for that purpose(troubled teen referrals/schools). His website used to have an Ah Quin family member on it. A brother/son to people who run Liahona Academy. I also heard rumor that Steve helped finance a program started by Randall Hinton (formerly of Teen Help). They are all from Hurricane, UT. I have also heard that there is a lawsuit over the startup funds (Lemmon trying to sue Hinton).
Lemmon family very large in Hurricane/SO. Utah - some family members are real estate agents.
Another of his sites is : swlemmon.com calls himself a Business Consultant.
I would bet he refers to Liahona if any. I don't think WWASP would associate with him as he funded a person they basically told to go away (this would be Hinton). You probably already know this (I suspect Sue S. as the poster looking for info) as Hinton and Sue were/are pretty tight.
TheStudio.net actually had built a website for Casa by the Sea, but has been redone since.
No background in the industry known. He's a film/media buff trying to get in on the teen help industry craze of the internet these days.
He's associated with the Ah Quin people - so I'd watch out. They have a reputation for getting things done there way. One of the Ah Quin's (younger) worked doing concert promotions - thug like - also likes underage girls - pervert.
Now - in exchange for this information I would like to know your purpose. I was fair and open with this - can't you do the same? I have no beef with this guy, but you asked for info. Why are you asking questions about him? I suspect you've been thrown a name, but I think you are barking up the wrong tree. Do tell - I might be able to help you.
If you tell what you're up to - that might be worth some more information....
Internet has lot's of info - just have to know where to look...
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Clay AhQuin is Director of Liahona Academy, a residential treatment facility for male youth ages 12-17 located in Leeds, Utah. Licensed 11/01/2003 to 10/31/2004. Capacity 6
Adam AhQuin is Director of Maximum Life Skills, a residential treatment facility for male youth ages 12 -17 located in Cedar City, Utah. Licensed 9/1/2003 to 8/31/2004. Capacity 11
Source: Utah Department of Health Services
http://www.hslic.utah.gov/lists.asp (http://www.hslic.utah.gov/lists.asp)
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Aide is slain; 1 teen caught
By Nancy Perkins
Deseret Morning News (Wednesday March 10, 2004)
CEDAR CITY ? A 31-year-old man who worked for a residential youth treatment center is dead, and police have arrested one of the two teenage boys they believe are responsible. (Sean Graham ,
Jesse Simmons)
The two, who apparently fled to Las Vegas in a van owned by the center, were spotted by Nevada police late Tuesday night.
Police took one of the boys, Jesse Simmons, into custody at about 11 p.m. Police were still searching for the other teen, Sean Graham.
Anson Arnett, a counselor with Maximum Life Skills Academy, was attacked with a baseball bat late Monday and left for dead in a locked closet of the residential youth treatment home, Cedar City Police Lt. David Holm said.
Arnett died at 7:20 p.m. Tuesday at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City after being flown there from a Cedar City hospital, according to Holm.
Police were initially called to the youth home at 11:34 p.m. Monday on a report of a stolen vehicle, Holm said. The youth home is located at 1083 Bulloch Circle in a residential, multiple-housing zone.
"Mr. Arnett was found inside the home. He had been hit at least twice in the head with a baseball bat," Holm said. "It was a brutal attack."
The 17-year-olds also threatened the four other teenage boys staying at the youth home, according to owner Adam AhQuin.
"They (the boys) witnessed the whole thing. They were shocked," said AhQuin, 24, who opened the youth treatment center in May 2002. "Anson was checking a room, came up the stairs, and he was just attacked. We're all shocked."
Police said the teens stole a white 2002 15-passenger Dodge van with Utah license plate 953 WLU.
Graham, who is still being sought, is described as a black male, 5 feet 7 inches tall and 120 pounds with brown hair.
"Anson was just an awesome person. He was one of those people you can't imagine anyone ever trying to hurt," said AhQuin. "He was extremely talented, soft spoken and artistic."
Maximum Life Skills Academy is one of 196 licensed private residential treatment facilities across the state, Utah Department of Human Services spokeswoman Carol Sisco said. The company has had its license for about two years.
No problems had been noted nor complaints registered in that time, Sisco said.
Children in private facilities like Maximum Life Skills Academy are sent there by their parents and not through the juvenile court system or the Division of Youth Corrections.
Maximum Life is licensed to house up to 11 youths, ages 12-17. Six children were in the home Monday night, Sisco said. A DHS licensing expert was in Cedar City meeting with staff and reviewing facility logs to ensure the facility did not violate any of the licensing rules, she added.
"One of the things that concerns us is that there was only one counselor on staff at the time," Sisco said.
Two counselors are required at all times to ensure the safety of both staff and residents, Sisco said. AhQuin said Arnett was working the graveyard shift alone, which is routine.
"I had a really strong feeling that I ought to work that shift, but I guess I can play the 'what if' scenario over and over again and never really get anywhere with it," AhQuin said. "Anson was just really gifted with the boys. This is so completely left field."
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"They (the boys) witnessed the whole thing. They were shocked," said AhQuin, 24, who opened the youth treatment center in May 2002.
A 24 year old opening a "treatment center" for teens? That right there says something about the program.
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On 2004-03-11 07:24:00, Anonymous wrote:
""They (the boys) witnessed the whole thing. They were shocked," said AhQuin, 24, who opened the youth treatment center in May 2002.
A 24 year old opening a "treatment center" for teens? That right there says something about the program. "
What moron of a parent would entrust physical custody of their problem teenager, over a span of months, to a twenty-four year old?
Makes you understand why these kids grew up to be kids with problems, eh?
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Moronic is right, but how is this any different than parents allowing their child to be *disciplined* by 16 year old *upper level* program kids? With as much money as these programs are pulling in, trust me, they can afford to hire experienced, well-trained ADULTS.
:smokin:
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On 2004-03-10 23:54:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Clay AhQuin is Director of Liahona Academy, a residential treatment facility for male youth ages 12-17 located in Leeds, Utah. Licensed 11/01/2003 to 10/31/2004. Capacity 6
Adam AhQuin is Director of Maximum Life Skills, a residential treatment facility for male youth ages 12 -17 located in Cedar City, Utah. Licensed 9/1/2003 to 8/31/2004. Capacity 11
Source: Utah Department of Health Services
http://www.hslic.utah.gov/lists.asp (http://www.hslic.utah.gov/lists.asp)"
Who are the AhQuin's and what is their background in this industry? Do they own and manage any other programs?
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Teens May Face Death Penalty
http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Mar/03112004/utah/146652.asp (http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Mar/03112004/utah/146652.asp)
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On 2004-03-10 22:31:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Sheesh, this is one God-awful tragedy. My heart goes out to the counselor's family and the teenagers, and their families.
:cry: "
Me too. And to all the other kids who have been and who will be pushed almost beyond their limit. :cry: Bigot: One fanatically devoted to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and intolerant of those who differ.
Webster's
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How did these kids get their hands on a baseball bat? That is not something I would expect to see left unattended in a group home for troubled boys.
:eek:
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On 2004-03-11 12:31:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Moronic is right, but how is this any different than parents allowing their child to be *disciplined* by 16 year old *upper level* program kids? With as much money as these programs are pulling in, trust me, they can afford to hire experienced, well-trained ADULTS.
:smokin:
"
No kidding! That was one aspect of the Program that I know my dad never fully assimilated. Sr. Staff were usually younger than 30. And my dad was a WWII Navy vet. For a long time, he wasn't allowed around the house because he simply refused to take orders or listen to foul language from these smart-assed kids. But, in the end, he did start following orders, as much as it pained him to do it.
That's just part of the cult mindset, I think. They've got a sure fire, 100% guaranteed (as long as you comply flawlessly, completely and w/o question or reservation) solution. Anybody can use it, even a 14yo. It's the only thing that matters, so don't "get into your head" over triffling matters like age; criminal history; your own, invariably wrong, gut feelings or sense of reason. Johnny Wonderful completed the program! So he's endowed w/ an "Awareness" and insight far beyond your lowly, newcomer, ability to even comprehend, far less question! Do you want help or not!?!?!? . . .
< Siiiiiggggghhhhh > I feel better now. Thanks for letting me vent.
Anyway, yeah, that is sort of a red flag there. Also, where are the quotes from those 4 wittnesses? Journalists often quote and/or interview minors who wittness violent crimes. I don't know about you, but I'm less impressed w/ what the guy's boss has to say than his students who were actually there at the time.
Nother red flag there, if you ask me.
Still, if you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.
--Winston Churchill
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Check archives on Red Cliff Ascent where a couple of years ago, a small group of teens attacked their camp/field counselors, tied them up, and took off into the wilderness before they were finally captured. All of 'em were charged and convicted but I don't recall if any of them went to jail. I don't think so.
:smokin:
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On 2004-03-11 12:31:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Moronic is right, but how is this any different than parents allowing their child to be *disciplined* by 16 year old *upper level* program kids? With as much money as these programs are pulling in, trust me, they can afford to hire experienced, well-trained ADULTS.
:smokin:
"
The extremely poor judgment of the parents who put their kids in these schools with very little information about the schools is the main reason I think many of these kids would be better off in foster care, bad as it is.
I think it might work better if the teen section was run as a separate area of the foster care system, with social services and the foster family putting together a handout of the House Rules and daily and weekly family chores for that family *before* the teen is placed there, along with normal consequences for normal breaches of the rules.
(Like you might get your allowance docked a quarter for forgetting to call your foster parents Sir or Ma'am, or a dollar for a blatantly rude statement, with extra chores undertaken for money credited back at minimum wage.)
If you tell the teen up front what the rules are, and they're consistent and not stupid (don't ban talking to other kids or looking in mirrors, forex), then the teen can be evaluated for something like ODD on a more objective basis than the emotionally loaded situation with his/her own parents.
You know, kids *used* to be apprenticed or fostered out, routinely, at age 7, to perhaps return to their parents at age 14, with most of the rights and responsibilities of adults, or to continue under a Master in their craft as Journeymen.
A lot of the problems our society has with teens is we try to keep them children too long---we don't give them the opportunity to use their responsible behavior to get out from under their parents and the strictures of being a minor *before* age 18.
I think kids ought to have all the rights and responsibilities of eighteen year olds as soon as they can pass their state's high school exit exam (not GED--too easy), or at age 18, whichever comes first.
Most of these teens that are defined by our society as having some sort of pathology are just biological adults making the natural and normal youth separation-from-parents to independence response/rebellion. Many if not most of them, if they were given the chance to get out from under the control of their parents and out of the house into a job or college *early* just by studying hard would become some of the most enthusiastic scholars you've ever seen. Not out of love of learning, of course, but out of desperation to get away from their parents.
I get along fine with my own parents now, and I was never sent away, but *why* I get along fine with my parents is that *I* control how much I see them and how long the visits are. And I still have to see my parents and sisters in fairly small doses, because I love them dearly, but too much time around them and they drive me crazy.
Small visits work best. I love my family dearly, but I'm a very independent and introspective person and I can't stand being in anybody's hip pocket all the time for very long.
If I had to live under my parents roof, I *still* would be as frustrated with them as I was as a teenager. They're not bad people. I love them. But we're all stubborn and sot in our ways and just get along better in small doses.
I think that feeling kicks in just after puberty and for most people never quite goes away.
Kids with severe personality clashes with their parents *need* to move out not long after puberty---but not to these over-punitive TBS's.
Too bad we can't bring back old-style fosterage where people basically traded kids, and kids being fostered were on good terms with and visited their own parents instead of living with them.
Oh, well. "The world will go as it will and not as you or I would have it."
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Someone asked why a base ball bat was there; I assume so the boys could play base ball.
Keep in mind; this was apparently a group home situation; not a lock down program of the type most often delt with on this forum.
There is an aspect of this so far uncommitted on; There are some parents who downplay how troubled their kids are. If they want a placement, they will sometimes describe a kid and their issues with something less than full disclosure; and this is how many kids end up in inadequate environments.
I know nothing more than what I can read in the articles; and am only speculating on how a couple of boys with the capability of such violence might have been placed in a family style open program.
I speculate; they might have been facing time in a juve facility; and the parents, meaning well, tried to find an alternative less restricting; and so fudged a little on the issues.
OR - the program director went against his better judgment and hoping he could help them, took in a couple boys beyond the reach of a group home program.
OR - There had prior to this been no sign the boys had this kind of violence in them.
Or - the vic was a brutal bastard when no one was looking, and had it coming.
NO telling at this point.
But I do feel sure the bat was there so the boys could play ball; and this is not unusual in a family group home type of program.
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Regarding the bat, reportedly the director does not know where it came from.
http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?sid=80311&nid=5 (http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?sid=80311&nid=5)
:cry:
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On 2004-03-12 15:18:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Regarding the bat, reportedly the director does not know where it came from.
http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?sid=80311&nid=5 (http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?sid=80311&nid=5)
:cry: "
More Updates, including statements from the Director regarding questions about the bat.
http://www.thespectrum.com/news/stories ... 49065.html (http://www.thespectrum.com/news/stories/20040310/localnews/49065.html)
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The reason why the boys did not attempt to get help from a neighbor is still under investigation.
...
Holm said police responded to the group home on a call regarding a stolen vehicle around 11:30 p.m. When they arrived, the attempted homicide involving Arnett was discovered. Holm could not comment on why the assault was not reported to dispatch on the initial call
...
Holm said police have responded to this home before but without running the reports, he could not specify how many times or for what reasons.
Still no direct quote from any of the wittnesses, only the owner's assurances that they were shocked and not cheering the boys on.If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.
--Thomas Paine
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:flame:
This reminds me that at Hyde School a couple of
guys set fire to the main building (the "mansion")
so desperate were they to get out. This was the
year before I was there so '75-'76 school year.
They were still repairing the fire damage when I
was there. The story was that they were
prosecuted for arson.Give me the youth, and Germany will rule the world.
--Hitler
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More info about the counselor, Anson Arnett, from family and friends.
http://thespectrum.com/news/stories/200 ... 73213.html (http://thespectrum.com/news/stories/20040313/localnews/73213.html)
:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
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I think the point has been forgotten... I live in Cedar City and this hits home for me...
I know of this situation personally... how easily words are spoken from some of you...
This ADULT counselor worked for very little money and had big hopes for this kids that he worked with. These particular kids had total disregard for the life of this man... they beat him over the head with a metal bat, hung him upside down, locked the closet and left him for dead... the intent was there... they CHOSE and PLANNED his death! That shows intent...
As far as I am concerned... they can kill a man like an adult, they should be judged as an adult.
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I think the point has been forgotten... I live in Cedar City and this hits home for me...
I know of this situation personally... how easily words are spoken from some of you...
Anson Arnett worked for very little money. Anson had big hopes for Jesse Simmons and Sean Graham. He was proud of the progress they had made. He wanted to make a difference in their lives... Jesse Simmons and Sean Graham, had total disregard for Anson's life... they conspired Anson's death, they planned to take that aluminum bat to use against Anson. They beat Anson's head with that baseball bat, hung Anson upside down, locked the closet and left him to die but not without cutting the phone lines and taking anything of value to pawn... Jesse Simmons and Sean Graham planned ahead- the intent to murder Anson was there... they CHOSE and PLANNED Anson's death before hand! There is evidence of this...
Planning a homicide and following through with the capacity to think like an adult, there actions should be judged as an adult regardless of age.
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"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of it's victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busy-bodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
-- C.S. Lewis.
Being sleepy can impair someone's ability to do thier job. People
can sleep at home and come to the job with sleepiness still in their system. The sleepiness can still be there long after the employee has slept. When someone is found to be sleepy on the job, they can claim that they went to sleep the night before. The only solution to this problem is to ban employees from sleeping.
--Arthur Slabosky
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This was a home for *trobuled* youth, was it not? Why only one counselor on duty that night? It was a violation of the DHS rules and regulations, from what I've read in statements from DHS officials. This is a horrific tragedy that has left one man dead and two teens possibly facing the death penalty. The boys are entitled to a fair trial and in my opinion, their lawyers should strongly consider bringing a motion for a change of venue.
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Ooops, that's "troubled" (not trobuled).
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On 2004-03-14 06:26:00, Antigen wrote:
""Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of it's victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busy-bodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."
-- C.S. Lewis.
Being sleepy can impair someone's ability to do thier job. People
can sleep at home and come to the job with sleepiness still in their system. The sleepiness can still be there long after the employee has slept. When someone is found to be sleepy on the job, they can claim that they went to sleep the night before. The only solution to this problem is to ban employees from sleeping.
--Arthur Slabosky
"
:nworthy:
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Deseret Morning News, Saturday, March 13, 2004
2 won't fight return to Utah
Murder charges filed in slaying of counselor
By Nancy Perkins
Deseret Morning News
CEDAR CITY ? Two 17-year-old boys arrested in Las Vegas just hours after they allegedly killed a Cedar City youth counselor will return to Utah to face murder charges.
Sean Graham and Jesse Simmons are accused of striking Anson Arnett, 31, in the head with a baseball bat as he came up a set of stairs in the group home around 10 p.m. on Monday.
Arnett, a counselor for Maximum Life Skills Academy, died Tuesday evening at a Salt Lake hospital after being flown there with critical head injuries.
Both teens waived their right to an extradition hearing during an appearance before a Las Vegas judge on Friday, said Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett.
"We're coordinating their transfer to Cedar City, but I think it will probably be Monday before we'll be able to go down and get them," Garrett said Friday afternoon, adding he is still weighing a decision on whether he will seek the death penalty against the teens.
Graham and Simmons were charged Wednesday with aggravated murder, a capital offense, and aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony. They also face charges of second-degree felony theft for allegedly stealing a company van and driving it to Las Vegas where it was recovered.
The teenagers were enrolled in Maximum Life Skills Academy, a residential youth treatment center for boys ages 12 to 17. A Web site for the company states tuition is about $4,500 per month for the program, which is licensed in Utah to enroll up to 11 boys at one time.
Graham and Simmons had been residents of the treatment center for between six and nine months, according to facility owner Adam Ah Quin.
The two were scheduled to go home later this month, he said, but those plans were changed when counselors caught the pair cheating in school.
"They had gotten into trouble, which showed they weren't ready to go home," Ah Quin said. "I think they planned to bust out, to escape."
Arnett, who had only worked at the youth home for around six months, had just completed a room check and was going upstairs in the split-level home when he was struck from behind, Ah Quin said.
The teens then stuffed the severely injured and bleeding counselor into a closet upside down and locked the door, according to a probable cause statement filed in 5th District Court.
Police were called to the scene around 11:34 p.m. after several boys from the group home ran to a counselor's home to report what had happened.
Arnett is described in an obituary as a gifted artist whose patience and respect for others, particularly those who were troubled, was courageous. A celebration of Arnett's life is scheduled this afternoon in Cedar City.
--------------------------------------------
$4,500 a month????
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Sounds to me like being told they weren't getting out after all pushed them over the edge.
It was only a matter of time. I wonder how many of these kids *know* that the conditions in real jail are a step up from those in these private jails.
Prisoners in real jail get phone calls and mail and can have visitors.We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.
-- Ben Franklin At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.
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From The Spectrum, the Southern Utah newspaper (published in St. George):
Family, friends have fond memories of Arnett
By ED KOCIELA
CEDAR CITY -- The tears had temporarily dried, but pain still creased the faces of a family in mourning.
"It is such a loss. ... He had so much more, so many more kids to help and teach," said Ann Kirton of her brother Anson Arnett, the 31-year-old group home counselor who died from injuries inflicted when, police say, he was allegedly attacked Monday night by two 17-year-olds with a baseball bat at the Maximum Life Skills Academy in Cedar City. "There was no need for any of this to happen. He would have said (to the two suspects), 'If this is what you need to do, you'll pay the price,' and he would have handed them the keys to the van. That's what's so tragic about this."
Family members -- his mother, one of his two sisters and one of his four brothers -- lovingly described a young man who was independent, warm, kind, scholarly and determined in the face of physical shortcomings that would have hindered many others.
He was told once when he wanted to learn to play the saxophone and guitar that because of a problem with his hands, he'd never be able to do so.
Arnett mastered both instruments.
He devoured books, loved art, writing and the arts in general, from drama to dance, in the rough and tumble world of high school sports and athleticism.
"The environment didn't really foster many of the things he liked," Kirton said.
"His interests were somewhere else," his brother, Adon, said.
And, when taunted or treated unfairly, instead of lashing out, he forgave.
"He's unlike any people I know," said his brother. "He reminds me, when I think of the nonviolence, of Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr."
"At one point (after his death) I became very angry, but I thought that's not what Anson would want," said his mother, Cheryl Fansler of Parowan. "The only time I saw him angry was when somebody made assumptions about his art or some of his writings before he perfected them, then he'd get really upset."
He was a committed educator.
"The last conversation I had with him, he was distraught because he didn't feel the school was doing enough to educate the kids he was working with," his brother said. "He had a teaching degree, was well-read, knew what it was like to educate. He was spending time outside of work exploring better ways of teaching these kids. He didn't believe, like most of society believes, that a kid gets into one of these homes and is lost."
He also had a great love of nature.
"One time he went to camp at the Parowan Gap," his brother said. "It was one of his favorite places because of his real affinity for Native American folklore and art, and he cared deeply about their spirituality. When he was driving, an eagle flew right in front of his car. He couldn't avoid it and hit it."
"He was so horrified," his mother said, picking up the story. "He got out, wrapped the eagle in his sleeping bag and drove all the way back to Cedar City to see if he could find somebody to help it. It was night and he couldn't, so he took the eagle back to his camp and put the eagle in his sleeping bag. I guess he just slept on the ground. The next morning, he woke up and the eagle woke up with him, then just flew off."
Kirton, who now lives in Evergreen, Colo., said she remembers a time when Arnett came to visit her while she was living in Steamboat Springs.
She said she waited and waited for his arrival, staying up most of the night without any sign of her brother.
"The next morning he drove in with a loaf of French bread and twigs all over his car," she said. "He smiled and said, 'I got lost so I slept in the field.'"
His thirst for adventure led him to travel throughout British Columbia, carrying only a backpack and small tent, his mother said.
"He wanted to go all the way to Alaska, but I was able to talk him out of it," she said. "He loved the outdoors."
"The outdoors was like his church," his brother, who lives in Portland, said. "Even if he was riding in a car, he couldn't stand it if the windows were up."
"He always slept with the windows open, no matter what the temperature was," Kirton added.
Arnett's brother spoke of character and courage.
"We're painting him out to be a really great guy who cared and looked out for others," he said. "He also had personal struggles. He struggled personally with the physical needs of his life because people are judgmental and it's hard to find just human needs in a situation like that.
"We didn't grow up rich, we grew up in a small town in rural Utah without a ton of opportunities, a single parent who worked hard for us, and he took that and used it as an advantage instead of a struggle."
"If he could say something now, he would probably want some sort of reform for homes like these," Kirton said. "Shutting down every group home in Southern Utah is not the answer. Refining the regulations is important to make sure this doesn't happen to somebody else."
*************************************************
Something very sad about this situation as it existed, way before the horror of a murder...
This nice, kind, outdoor-loving person seemed to really want to help wayward children. Coming from a large family in Utah, I can imagine that he was Mormon, and looked to an employment offer from a group home of the same persuasion. He had only worked for the place for six months or so, and was speaking to his friends and family about his unhappiness with the program of this home for his charges. As a teacher, he was aware of the poor education being offered the kids. It just seems that here was a young man with a real mission to help, and he was dumped into the reality of "teen help" in Utah. Notice that he said **reform**, not closing all the group homes in Utah was needed. He obviously had been aware of this option, maybe from conversations with folks about his concern for the teens in his care and their reaction that we should make all those facilities go away.
Who knows how abusive this home was. Its managers were cut from the Teen Help model, and could the young pup that was raking in...let's see, $4500 x 11 boys = almost $50,000 a month... try something new and truly therapeutic when he learned from The Masters that *nobody really cares* what you do with these kids, as long as you'll take them out of circulation. Were they allowed to talk to peers? Were they allowed to communicate with their parents? Were they being given help from accreditated licensed counselors? Arnett was a credentialed teacher, and, extrapolating his comments to his family, he appears to have been very unhappy with how his job was playing out. Would he have quit in frustration in the near future, had he been allowed to have a future? The boys had been nearing "graduation", yet had the threat of being incarcerated longer ("...they were caught cheating and were not ready to go home") pushed them to far toward violent escape?
This is not about a terrible crime, nor about the young men who committed it. This post is about the place those young men were in, how abusive, how like an old "snake-pit" mental hospital, how like WWASPS, the environment was.
Should all the group homes in Southern Utah be shut down? I think so, if Utah cannot stand up and enforce the laws that it has in place to protect the young people [these 2 boys were from "back East"] sent to Utah.
I'm sorry, but Utah has become a black hole to me. Forget its natural beauty, forget its great work with geneology, forget its successful hosting of the Olympics. Utah is synonomous with all the hick, red-neck, polygamous, downright nasty humans in this country. How can this state and its poli-theology support family values, when such depravity is going on within its borders? How come the planet seems tipped, with all the slime of youth correction sliding into the red rock canyons of one corner of one state [not including the red-neck abusive facilities in Mormon Idaho]. If laws exist, they should be enforced, and this group home should have been shut down if it did not benefit its charges.
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Statement from Karr Farnsworth, Cross Creek Manor
http://www.kcsg.com/module/news/categor ... cerns.html (http://www.kcsg.com/module/news/categories/KCSG_Local_News/articles/98648-Local_Youth_home_operators_address_safety_concerns.html)
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Spots Writes:
I'm sorry, but Utah has become a black hole to me. Forget its natural beauty, forget its great work with geneology, forget its successful hosting of the Olympics. Utah is synonomous with all the hick, red-neck, polygamous, downright nasty humans in this country. How can this state and its poli-theology support family values, when such depravity is going on within its borders? How come the planet seems tipped, with all the slime of youth correction sliding into the red rock canyons of one corner of one state [not including the red-neck abusive facilities in Mormon Idaho]. If laws exist, they should be enforced, and this group home should have been shut down if it did not benefit its charges.
AMEN!
:nworthy:
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desperation comes out in many ways as people are pushed to the edge- some commit suicide, some seek escape at any cost.
remember the boys from the robert land academy - 1 escaped and was returned by police- 2 days later he and a buddy were missing and later killed as they lay on railroad tracks...rather die that go back??
hard to imagine that you could feel desperate enough to end lives...
and some suffer with PTSD for life...
all for what? to help them in some way?- who's served here?
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no i dont remember the boys from robert land. is robert land in business still?
Hard for us to imagine how it would feel to get to that point.
thats sad. ptsd must be awfulfor them, i cant imagine but, i sure see how it affected my family. the ptsd seems to have subsided in my son. i could see it was awful for him and it was heartbreaking to watch him deal with that. i was so scared he would kill himself. i enlisted everyone, family, friends, his friends' parents, doctors of course, and one lady at school cared too. Between all of us he is finally coming around, back to himself he needed a lot of help, love, and understanding to start to heal. A lot of people, a lot patience, and love.
WP
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***As far as I am concerned... they can kill a man like an adult, they should be judged as an adult.***
"A STUDY IN DOUBLE STANDARDS- When kids kill, it's a crime; when they die, it's an accident"
http://www.nospank.net/double.htmWhen (http://www.nospank.net/double.htmWhen)
Although, it would be more accurate if it read, "when they are 'killed', it's an accident"
Many who have killed teens out of ignorance or neglect in this industry should have faced the death penalty. Most walked.
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Teens to be tried as adults. Article says it took an hour and a half before a call was made for help.
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595048181,00.html (http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595048181,00.html)
:cry:
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Wait a minute here. There were four other boys present. According to the director, all four were just shocked and horribly upset to see their beloved mentor getting roughed up. So they ... what, prayed for an hour and a half before deciding to call for help?
"One commentator pointed out that when the mafia commits violence, no
one suggests we bomb Sicily. Today it seems we are, in a symbolic way, not only bombing "Sicily," but are thinking about bombing "Athens" (Iraq)."
Ron Paul, 11/29/01 Speech before Congress
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The article says the phone line was cut, the boys had to run quite a distance to the director's house but he wasn't home, so they ran to another counselor's home.
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595048181,00.html (http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595048181,00.html)
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License has been revoked: :wave:
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595049226,00.html (http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595049226,00.html)
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According to the news article, it appears their license was apparently revoked by DHS for 3 violations:
(1) One counselor on duty, state law requires 2
(2) The group home failed to obtain background checks for Mr. Arnett and several other counselors at the home before "giving them direct access to children".
(3)Facility in violation of National Interstate Compact Laws, which required the facility to contact the state officials in Delaware before taking Simmons, originally from Wilmington, Del., into their care. The other teen is from Rockville, Md.
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policymakers, what say you?
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On 2004-03-14 06:56:00, Anonymous wrote:
"This was a home for *trobuled* youth, was it not? Why only one counselor on duty that night? It was a violation of the DHS rules and regulations, from what I've read in statements from DHS officials. This is a horrific tragedy that has left one man dead and two teens possibly facing the death penalty. The boys are entitled to a fair trial and in my opinion, their lawyers should strongly consider bringing a motion for a change of venue. "
What is the population of Cedar City????
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Cedar City, with a population of 13,500, is the largest community in Iron County and is located at the mouth of Coal Creek in south-central Utah. Cedar City 's elevation is 5,800 feet above sea level, and it lies in a semi-arid part of the state with 10,000-foot mountains to the east and a vast desert area to the west.
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According to the news article, it appears their license was apparently revoked by DHS for 3 violations:
(1) One counselor on duty, state law requires 2
(2) The group home failed to obtain background checks for Mr. Arnett and several other counselors at the home before "giving them direct access to children".
(3)Facility in violation of National Interstate Compact Laws, which required the facility to contact the state officials in Delaware before taking Simmons, originally from Wilmington, Del., into their care. The other teen is from Rockville, Md.
************
I am so pleased to see the Compact sited!!! Yes!!! ::drummer:: ::cheers::
A precedent needs to set on the violation of this existing law. I've never seen them cite a program for this before. Wonder why now?
Based on Utah's past, if they cited 3 violations, you could safely bet there were actually many more. No mention of appeal. Guess they're weighing their options.
[ This Message was edited by: Deborah on 2004-03-15 20:32 ]
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On 2004-03-15 19:34:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Cedar City, with a population of 13,500, is the largest community in Iron County and is located at the mouth of Coal Creek in south-central Utah. Cedar City 's elevation is 5,800 feet above sea level, and it lies in a semi-arid part of the state with 10,000-foot mountains to the east and a vast desert area to the west.
"
:tup: Thanks Anon!
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Wait a minute here. There were four other boys present. According to the director, all four were just shocked and horribly upset to see their beloved mentor getting roughed up. So they ... what, prayed for an hour and a half before deciding to call for help?
The article says the phone line was cut, the boys had to run quite a distance to the director's house but he wasn't home, so they ran to another counselor's home.
What is the population of Cedar City????
Not very big if they could only find two houses. :???: Where is this place? In the middle of the dessert?
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:wstupid:
The topic is about the tragedy of 3 lost lives... dont you get it?
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Deborah:
These two were sent to this program because they were unruley at home. Their parents were not able to control them themselves... due to the parents not disciplining them as children. Where is the responsibility of the parents? Did these parents fully investigate the program before they entrusted them to Maximum Life Skills Academy'? What setting would they be living in? the educational program? the program itself? what about the credentials of the persons working there? were there credentials?
Part of the responsibility belongs to the parents. Why were they not actively involved in their progress? Disinterested? shipping them off to be 'fixed'? pawning their responsibility on to another?
Shame on them
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I'm not sure why you directed your comments to me, but yes, I believe that parents should do their homework if this is the option they are going to choose for their kids. Fact is, they don't. They trust that the state is monitoring these facilities. And as I and others have said over and over, parents can not know what is happening on a day-to-day basis. Neither parent knew their sons were there with one staff that night. I'm sure there are many other things they didn't know. If I were the parent, I'd be considering a suit against the program for neglecting the safety of the teens and staff. If they had been properly supervised, this tragedy might not have happened.
The blame for this attrocity can't be placed solely with the parents. It was reported that the deceased counselor was not happy with the protocol at the facility. He could've spoken up or quit. He could have refused to work alone that night. He could've reported the violations at the facility to licensing- IF he knew they were in violation. I wonder if he was ever given the regulations to read? Since the programs can't seem to comply, perhaps it's time for the state to ENSURE that all staff receive a copy of the regs. I know they require an orientation. If the staff chooses to work in violation of the regs, it's their choice, as are the consequences.
The owner could've abided by regs or have chosen to work alone with the boys that night himself, or to work with Arnett if short handed; which might have prevented the tragedy. He knew he was in violation and even expressed regret. I spect it was a financial decision since he wasn't at full capacity. He put Arnett's life in jeopardy. Arnett chose to work in violation of regs. These two adults made poor choices which resulted in a tragedy.
If I were the family of the deceased I'd be considering a suit against the owner for putting my family member's life at risk.
The real tragedy here is that two young men may be put to death because the families, schools, the program, and society in general failed to prove their real needs.
Cheating? These two obviously came from distressed homes and chances are good that they didn't have the attention for academics. How bout cooperative learning? What a concept. The only people who need to take standardized tests are heart surgeons, rocket scientists, and the like in order to prove competence before they tamper with other health/well being. If educators/programs would recognize the value in teaching cooperation from a place of genuine respect for the individual we'd have less distressed kids, taking legal/illegal drugs to be able to function in a dysfunctional system.
Think these boys were offered options along the way. Mentorships? Training? I imagine these square pegs were expected to fit in round holes. How many times does this tragedy have to repeat itself before the masses get it? Square pegs don't fit in round holes, and no amount of chiseling (mind fucking) and hammering (punishment) is going to change that. They have unique needs that should be respected and provided. Society is dependent on diversity. We need people of all vocations and specialties in order for society to function well. If someone is not an academic, then aid them in being the best mechanic, plumber, carpenter, cook, whatever, they can be.
Society failed these boys and they may loose their lives for the sins of others. Sounds like a famous biblical icon, doesn't it? Two thousand years and no change. They will never know the joy of feeling respected (loved) and finding their true passion in this lifetime.
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Just a side note on cheating and cooperative learning, otherwise unrelated to the thread.
There is a difference between assigned group projects and cooperating on homework or projects versus cheating on tests.
"Cooperating" on tests may *rarely* result in the person who didn't know the answer remembering it from copying the answer of the person who did. More usually, it results in the person who didn't know the answer *still* not knowing the answer and the teacher not knowing they don't know.
The bad part about that last is the student then doesn't get the help he/she needs to actually learn that material, which can be a big problem when later material builds on earlier material.
I tutored a 7th grade kid who was flunking math. His problem was that while he was understanding the teacher's explanations of geometry and pre-algebra near-perfectly, he couldn't reliably work 4 addition/subtraction/multiplication/division operations and get 4 right answers. Since the test problems involves at least four sequential operations, by the time he got to the end of the problem, he had made at least one mistake and had the wrong answer.
The problem with saying, "Oh, only doctors and engineers need to know all that" is that if you decide a particular kid doesn't need to know "all that" and don't ensure that he knows then you've foreclosed the possibility of that kid ever becoming a doctor or an engineer---usually when the kid doesn't know yet what he wants to be.
Social determinism by lack of educational basics is a bad, sad thing.
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The trial should be moved. Cedar City is a small, close knit community. Also, the fact that the boys did not run to a nearby neighbors house to call 911 is troubling. Need to hear from all the residents of the home but suspect that won't happen until the trial is well underway.
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News reports did say that after the police investigation is over, DHS will continue their investigation into possible other violations. Revocation of license is effective March 26, 2004. I believe I read somewhere the remaining youths have been relocated to another program, is this correct?
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Deborah, won't it be interesting to learn how these parents came to choose this particular program? Internet? Ed Consultant? Independent Program Referral Service? Word-of-Mouth-Referral, etc. WE NEED TO KNOW!
Second, look at the cost of this program. It is/was not cheap.
:???:
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On 2004-03-10 23:06:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Posted: 2004-03-06 09:51:00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Fornits Archives: Key Word: liahona
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?So ... 9&start=10 (http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?Sort=&topic=2888&forum=9&start=10)
Posted: 2003-08-31 18:59:00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well here goes :
He has built or owns websites for that purpose(troubled teen referrals/schools). His website used to have an Ah Quin family member on it. A brother/son to people who run Liahona Academy. I also heard rumor that Steve helped finance a program started by Randall Hinton (formerly of Teen Help). They are all from Hurricane, UT. I have also heard that there is a lawsuit over the startup funds (Lemmon trying to sue Hinton).
Lemmon family very large in Hurricane/SO. Utah - some family members are real estate agents.
Another of his sites is : swlemmon.com calls himself a Business Consultant.
I would bet he refers to Liahona if any. I don't think WWASP would associate with him as he funded a person they basically told to go away (this would be Hinton). You probably already know this (I suspect Sue S. as the poster looking for info) as Hinton and Sue were/are pretty tight.
TheStudio.net actually had built a website for Casa by the Sea, but has been redone since.
No background in the industry known. He's a film/media buff trying to get in on the teen help industry craze of the internet these days.
He's associated with the Ah Quin people - so I'd watch out. They have a reputation for getting things done there way. One of the Ah Quin's (younger) worked doing concert promotions - thug like - also likes underage girls - pervert.
Now - in exchange for this information I would like to know your purpose. I was fair and open with this - can't you do the same? I have no beef with this guy, but you asked for info. Why are you asking questions about him? I suspect you've been thrown a name, but I think you are barking up the wrong tree. Do tell - I might be able to help you.
If you tell what you're up to - that might be worth some more information....
Internet has lot's of info - just have to know where to look..."
Hope the trial gets moved to another county or SLC.
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On 2004-03-16 09:03:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Deborah, won't it be interesting to learn how these parents came to choose this particular program? Internet? Ed Consultant? Independent Program Referral Service? Word-of-Mouth-Referral, etc. WE NEED TO KNOW!
Second, look at the cost of this program. It is/was not cheap.
:silly:
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"Society failed these boys and they may loose their lives for the sins of others."
That statement is ridiculous. The boys ARE responsible for their actions. They did not have to murder the man. Quit making blanket statements about what has happened given you were not there and you do not know everything about what has happened. All you have to go on is what a news reporter has written. Those are not necesarily the facts and even if it is in part factual it is not all of the facts.
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Indeed. And all those counselors in the industry who oversaw the deaths of their charges due to dehydration, hyperthermia, treatable ailments left untreated and, especially, suffocation during restraint are at least as responsible for their actions or inaction.
You can't have it both ways.Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake when you make it again.
-- F. P. Jones
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On 2004-03-16 11:10:00, Antigen wrote:
"Indeed. And all those counselors in the industry who oversaw the deaths of their charges due to dehydration, hyperthermia, treatable ailments left untreated and, especially, suffocation during restraint are at least as responsible for their actions or inaction.
You can't have it both ways.Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake when you make it again.
-- F. P. Jones
"
:nworthy:
http://www.teenadvocatesusa.homestead.c ... erapy.html (http://www.teenadvocatesusa.homestead.com/wildernesstherapy.html)
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"You can't have it both ways."
Who is tryiing to have it both ways?
If the counselors has done something wrong, if he has hurt a child in the past he is responsible. He should be held accountable.
Individuals who have been victims of abuse do not have a liscense to commit murder. It is not right to just assume the man deserved to be beat over the head with a baseball bat just because he worked in a program.
At this point we don't know if the counselor was doing something wrong or not. We can not say this dead man was guilty of wrong doing just because others in the past may have done so. At this point we can not draw the conclusion that someone else, society and/or others, are responsible for the action of those two boys. WE DON'T HAVE ALL OF THE FACTS. That was my point.
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Ginger you say "You can't have it both ways."
Well you can not say it is the programs fault these children have murdered this adult unless you are willing to say it is the program who is due credit for the others who have turned out for the better.
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On 2004-03-16 12:29:00, Anonymous wrote:
""You can't have it both ways."
Who is tryiing to have it both ways?
If the counselors has done something wrong, if he has hurt a child in the past he is responsible. He should be held accountable.
Oh no! Not according to Narvin, Ken and other industry bigwheels! When a kid dies as a result of "treatment", it's the kid's fault for making them treat him or her so rough. Never, ever is it the fault of the program staff who actually caused the death.
Individuals who have been victims of abuse do not have a liscense to commit murder.
Agreed. I never once hurt anyone in an attempt to either break out of Straight or to disrupt group. However, I saw others respond to the abuse w/ violence on nearly a daily basis. As noted prior in this thread, this isn't the first time a couple of kids have hurt or killed a staffer during an escape. And you can expect it to happen again and again unless and until the adults in this story quit inflicting the kinds of abuse that will reliably drive some kids to violence.
It is not right to just assume the man deserved to be beat over the head with a baseball bat just because he worked in a program.
Funny, that's what Hermann said!http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/nuremberg/meetthedefendants.html
At this point we don't know if the counselor was doing something wrong or not. We can not say this dead man was guilty of wrong doing just because others in the past may have done so. At this point we can not draw the conclusion that someone else, society and/or others, are responsible for the action of those two boys. WE DON'T HAVE ALL OF THE FACTS. That was my point.
"
His job was to prevent these kids from escaping. To characterize the place as a "group home", asif any of these kids could just walk away from the place if they felt threatened, is a sorry joke.
By your reconing, hit men are not guilty of murder, only the people who hire them.
Necessity never made a good bargain
--Benjamin Franklin Apr. 1734
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Bottom line, these are troubled teens, are they not? To suddenly expect (demand) that they be tried as adults is preposterous. No one knows why they wanted to escape and what their intentions were when they hit the counselor. Without a second staff member on duty, the only witnessess are the children, themselves. Will they be believed? Can the 2 teens get a fair trial in a small, close-knit community like Cedar City? Why murder and not manslaughter? Where are the facts to support these boys intended to murder their counselor? Other kids who have planned and attempted escapes have attacked their counselors (RED CLIFF ASCENT), tied them up, stolen food and supplies, etc. They were not trying to murder anybody.
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According to what you are saying Ginger, this man was beat over the head and he deserved it. You are sayihg you don't need to know the facts or hear the facts...you are saying he is guilty just because you say he is guilty and he deserved to be beaten to death.
I guess with that line of reasoning...Amberly also deserves to have been beaten to death. Now, don't misunderstand me, I don't think anyone, not even Amberly deserved to be beaten to death...but had one of the teens there done so to her while she was at Dundee, if I bought into your line of thinking, she would have deserved it. Sorry, I don't think that is the case.
Oh no! Not according to Narvin, Ken and other industry bigwheels! When a kid dies as a result of "treatment", it's the kid's fault for making them treat him or her so rough. Never, ever is it the fault of the program staff who actually caused the death.
First if they have said that, I would like to see where. If you haven't actually heard them say that and you are assuming that is how they feel about it, well I don't know that I agree that that is the case. Second, if they do beleive "its the kids fault," it does not mean that is the way it is. I don't base my beliefs and opinions on those of others. So, I agree with anon, I don't think that that gives the kids a liscense to commit murder.
If you can blame the program when kids who have been in one commit outrageous crimes, then you need to give the program credit for those who are doing much better than they were before they went in.
If the actions (good or bad) of kids is a result of program placement....then the actions (good or bad) of kids is as a result of program placement. You can't have it both ways. You have to look at each individual case. You have to have the facts surrounding them.
Does this mean I am for programs. NO. I am not. I think everyone has a right to their freedom. I think until they have broken a law and been found guilty of a crime deserving of jail time, they should not have that freedom taken away.
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On 2004-03-16 14:21:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Bottom line, these are troubled teens, are they not? To suddenly expect (demand) that they be tried as adults is preposterous. No one knows why they wanted to escape and what their intentions were when they hit the counselor. Without a second staff member on duty, the only witnessess are the children, themselves. Will they be believed? Can the 2 teens get a fair trial in a small, close-knit community like Cedar City? Why murder and not manslaughter? Where are the facts to support these boys intended to murder their counselor? Other kids who have planned and attempted escapes have attacked their counselors (RED CLIFF ASCENT), tied them up, stolen food and supplies, etc. They were not trying to murder anybody.
"
Unfortunately, leaving him in a closet to die of his injuries counts as depraved indifference, which makes it murder.
If they had called 911 and ordered the guy an ambulance before they finished running off, or told another kid, or given the guy first aid and slid a note under another kid's door to help him, or phoned 911 from a pay phone (free call) as soon as they got to one to get an ambulance to him, their lawyer would be able to use that to argue the case down from murder to manslaughter *if* the guy had still died.
By making no effort to see the guy got help or medical care, even if they didn't intend to kill him, they showed depraved indifference to whether he lived or died. Hence the murder charge.
I suspect they were just trying to get away. Where they made their biggest mistake was in not calling the guy an ambulance just as soon as they could get to a phone.
It was also a mistake to beat the guy unconscious, rather than just overpowering him and gagging him with a pair or two of socks, tying him to a chair, and then also calling 911 for an ambulance at their earliest convenience (risk of positional asphyxiation).
The 911 call would have pinpointed their location, but if they then took off immediately they had as much chance of escaping as they did in the first place.
Problem was, they were kids and kids lack judgement---which is one reason in favor for trying them as juveniles.
If they're tried as adults, if I were their defense attorney I'd argue that they weren't indifferent, but that due to their poor judgement (as a result of their not being fully adult) they didn't perceive that the counselor was in danger of dying.
But that's the defense's job. The prosecutor's job is to push hard enough he can maybe talk the defense into a plea agreement before they have to take it to court.
Their best option is probably to cop a plea if they can get one.
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Carey, let me clue you in here: DHS has revoked this program's license. Among the 3 violations cited, DHS alleges the program did not do a background check on the counselor. As a parent, I would think this would greatly concern you, not whether WWASPS said or didn't say something, though I understand the point you were trying to make. NO ONE KNOWS what was going through those kid's minds. Until all the evidence is revealed, the least people can do is presume them innocent. That is the law.
:smokin:
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***If they're tried as adults, if I were their defense attorney I'd argue that they weren't indifferent, but that due to their poor judgement (as a result of their not being fully adult) they didn't perceive that the counselor was in danger of dying.***
How bout temporary insanity. Distressed beyond being reasonable and rational.
No one in their right mind- at peace with themselves and the world- kills another person, ever. I believe all murders could be classified as temporary insanity.
No one can know for sure what went down- what might have provoked the boys to such a drastic reaction.
One huge mistake these programs make is to provoke the teens, then punish them for having a reaction. They know they're being manipulated. This isn't respectful. And doesn't illicite a respectful response. The teen either surrenders to the will and manipulation of the adult or defends themselves in whatever way comes to mind at any given moment.
We live in a sick, sick country that would try a kid as an adult. Fear rules society's reaction as well.
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***Carey, let me clue you in here: DHS has revoked this program's license. Among the 3 violations cited, DHS alleges the program did not do a background check on the counselor. As a parent, I would think this would greatly concern you, not whether WWASPS said or didn't say something***
"Never look at the trombones, it only encourages them."
Richard Strauss
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Deborah you nor I are judge and jury!
You and I do not have all of the facts! I myself would not dare say he deserved to die nor would I dare to say these boys committed murder...because I don't know. What I do know is that there are alot of people out there who really don't care about facts. Where we differ, you and I and a few others, is on the fact that I am open to the truth. I am open to the WHOLE truth, not just the parts that I want told and that I want heard.
Oh, and you don't need to clue me in, I am following the news just like you. The fact that the school was not liscensed properly does not give the boys the right to committ murder (if that is what happen) nor does it mean the counselor deserve to die.
As a parent, I would think this would greatly concern you, not whether WWASPS said or didn't say something***
Deborah I did not know you were so in the know on what my concerns are. Nor did I think you cared. But just so you can be "in the know" on whether or not I am concerned about what "WWASPS said or didn't say," well I am. I am concerned to the point of knowing what the truth really is. Hey, you learn something new every day, don't ya Deborah? I guess you and I just learned that YOU don't know everything there is to know.
[ This Message was edited by: on 2004-03-16 18:34 ]
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While there may have been some degree of familial and societal breakdown that impacted these boys lives, the reality is they chose to end the life of this person with whom I had worked both as his mentor when he was attending Southern Utah University, and also when working in the national parks system. I know and care deeply about this person who these thugs destroyed. Cedar City is on I-15. It is only 160 miles from Las Vegas. These kids could have run and caught a lift easily. There was no reason (justifiable or unjustifiable) for them to kill him.
Anson was not a big bouncer type person. He suffered from some pretty serious birth defects that limited his strength and dexterity. His physical appearance was also altered due to the defects and the numerous surgeries required to correct problems.
I think these guys saw his physical form and not the person who they destroyed. Like so many of their generation, they focused not on greater good, but on their own selfish desires.
How pathetic is it to think that these boys are merely a product of their environment. They chose to kill. Let them suffer the maximum penalty allowed by State law.
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It is a terrible tragedy what happened. My heart aches for the family of this young man, as it does for the family of the 2 boys accused of his murder. I also grieve for these boys, who for reasons unknown, committed an act for which they could spend the rest of their lives in prison. However, to crucify them in the court of public opinion is a terrible injustice. Calling for their execution/incarceration without examining the evidence against them is uncivilized. Clearly, there is much more to this than has been reported and I for one, care deeply that the facts, not supposition, will determine their fate.
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What in God's name was this young man doing working all by himself in a group home for troubled teens? Could this tragedy have been prevented had another counselor or staff member been on duty, as mandated by the terms and conditions of the group home's operating license which states there MUST BE TWO? I wonder ....
:cry:
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Carey wrote:
Deborah I did not know you were so in the know on what my concerns are. Nor did I think you cared. But just so you can be "in the know" on whether or not I am concerned about what "WWASPS said or didn't say," well I am. I am concerned to the point of knowing what the truth really is. Hey, you learn something new every day, don't ya Deborah? I guess you and I just learned that YOU don't know everything there is to know.***
Carey, just so you KNOW the truth, let me clue you in- You are confused. I didn't make the comment you responded to, an Anon did.
I resent your assinine comment that "you are open to the truth" and I and a few other aren't. :roll:
I didn't read that anyone felt the counselor "deserved to die". It appears to be a unfortunate consequence of the hotbed created in BM facilities. It was bound to happen eventually, and could likely happen again. When you provoke someone beyond their breaking point and don't have adequate "controls" in place to suppress their potential violent reasctions to the blatant disrespect associated with BM techniques, you have a situation in which this could happen.
That's why prison have guards who tote guns.
And, so you're not confused by that comment; I'm not suggesting that staff tote guns. I do wonder why the sports equipment wasn't locked away? I wonder if the knives in the kitchen were secured?
I can guarentee that if I worked in a house full of unjustly incarcerated young males, and was required to provoke them to anger, I'd be damn sure they didn't have access to anything that could be used as a weapon. Is this not common sense?
These boys had just learned that they were going to be detained longer than expected- very common in programs. Did the ones in charge think they would be happy about that decision? Might some extra "contols", supervision, counseling, been called for until they adjusted?
We're coming up on the anniversary of Aaron Bacon's murder at Northstar. I damn sure wish he'd taken a bat to the idiots who denied him medical care.
http://courtlink.utcourts.gov/opinions/ ... r12_98.htm (http://courtlink.utcourts.gov/opinions/appopin/fisher12_98.htm)
I wish Ian August had taken a bat to the counselor/EMT who made him sit in the sun while he slowly died of heat exhaustion.
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?topic=662&forum=9 (http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?topic=662&forum=9)
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?topic=2802&forum=9 (http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?topic=2802&forum=9)
Skyline Violations of Regs
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?mo ... 9&start=20 (http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=662&forum=9&start=20)
You think either of these boys would have been charged with murder if they had been wise enough to know they were dying and taken action to protect their lives, even if it meant taking the counselor's life? Or would it have been perceived as self defense?
Not suggesting that the boys at MLS lives were in jeopardy, but we really don't know. They obviously perceived a threat great enough to act; whether that's rational or not.
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***Bottom line, these are troubled teens, are they not? To suddenly expect (demand) that they be tried as adults is preposterous.***
They were not given the "rights of an adult" when they were unjustly incarcerated and stripped of their rights.
But they will be tried as adults?
Can we say double-standard,incongruent?
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You think either of these boys would have been charged with murder if they had been wise enough to know they were dying and taken action to protect their lives, even if it meant taking the counselor's life? Or would it have been perceived as self defense?
YOU sure are assuming you know what has happened.
Not suggesting that the boys at MLS lives were in jeopardy, but we really don't know. They obviously perceived a threat great enough to act; whether that's rational or not.
Once again, you are assuming you know what was happening. How do you know they obviously perceived a threat great enough to act? How can you state that as a fact? YOU do not know that. All you know is what you read. And what you read is not written by any witnesses who were there.
***Carey, let me clue you in here: DHS has revoked this program's license. Among the 3 violations cited, DHS alleges the program did not do a background check on the counselor. As a parent, I would think this would greatly concern you, not whether WWASPS said or didn't say something***
YOU did not write that? Then why is your name next to the post? It is posted by Deborah (from Texas).
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that was me.
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You think either of these boys would have been charged with murder if they had been wise enough to know they were dying and taken action to protect their lives, even if it meant taking the counselor's life? Or would it have been perceived as self defense?
Sadly, I think they would have been. It would
have been too easy for a drug crusading DA to
portray the staff as giving them the "help that
they need" and to pooh-pooh the testimony about
abuse as coming from disgruntled "druggies" who
just want to go back to their "druggie" waysThe great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able may have a gun.
-- Patrick Henry
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The teenagers in our disintegrating society who have been thrown into the disfuntional system of group homes, behavioral schools, and psych units are dangerous. They are too young to understand that life can get any better than the hell that their life has become.
The world has become a scary place of twisted values and uncertainty. It is no wonder so many young people choose drugs. And when you take those drugs away, watch out! You're taking away the one thing that never fails them. They have nothing to lose by turning on the society that has failed them. Call them terrorists and have George Bush dump a billion dollars into fighting it here in this country.
I do not advocate violence. I do see the writing on the wall. Until our society provides our children with hope for a future, we can simply expect these frightened, caged, young individuals to rise up at any cost.
So, how do we deal with the wild animals we created? We don't protect them from the consequences of their behavior #1. That creates more problems. Besides, the fore runners of any good revolution are always severely consequenced.
I understand why these boys did what they did to that man, and it has nothing to do with that man. They should be punished to the fullest extent of the law if they are guilty, but our society needs to wake up! We have been anesthsized with homes and cars and cheap goods and more cars, so a few people can get wealthy beyond our wildest dreams at the expence of real values. The real values are spending time with our children - all of them. The real values are also spending time in the present enjoying our freinds and family. The real value is time, but we give it away, so we can have the biggest, newest techno-gadget they come up with or that 100th pair of shoes. We will be grinding away for the rest of our lives like slaves paying for all this cheap crap while our children die from the inside out because children extinctually know what real values are.
I, for one, am stepping off this treadmill going nowhere. I am a contrarian at heart, so it's not so hard. However, I know that the masses will not change unless they have to. Do you realize how ugly thing will have to get before the masses will stop? It's going to be ugly, but that is where we're going.
The Contrarian
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Update:
Cedar City Mayor and several council members complain that Cedar City has become "a dumping ground" for youth group homes. A public hearing was held today to address community concerns, one of which is reportedly there are 16 such facilities in the community of Cedar City. Also, a district representative has said he would consider sponsoring a legislative bill "to better control the facilities".
http://www.teenadvocatesusa.homestead.c ... Ahome.html (http://www.teenadvocatesusa.homestead.com/TAUSAhome.html)
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:wstupid:
quote:
However, I know that the masses will not change unless they have to. Do you realize how ugly thing will have to get before the masses will stop? It's going to be ugly, but that is where we're going.
It took the death of the counselor AND people to disapprove of 16 such homes in their community and demand regulation. (community uniting, what a concept!)
sure hits home when they describe the counselor's physical features. They are not going to be forgiven for that.
there was a man who murdered but also sexually assaulted a young man (teenager). after 4 years in IL he got out and moved to Michigan. A mother of a teenager was outraged. He was not on the sex offender registery, he had MURDERED someone. 4 years. of his life in exchange for the life of someone's son. HOW BOGUS. BUT, these young men. They are in the media. There will (already is) a FRENZY. They are toast now.
Will they be made an example?
I think the people on this forum know that there are "counselors" who are just as cruel as the 2 kids that killed the counselor.
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The media will affect the outcome. will it affect it for the good or bad? who knows.
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Carey,
I know as much as any other person who followed the stories of Aaron Bacon and Ian August and more than the average. Ian was my neighbor.
No one knows exactly what happened except those who witnessed it, but some god aweful information came out in the court testimony in both cases while people were under oath. Did you read the links I provided? If you had you might know a little more. Read their stories and see if you formulate any opinions. While you are reading about their murders, ask yourself what you would want your son to do in a similar situation, to protect his life.
You asked, How do you know they obviously perceived a threat great enough to act? How can you state that as a fact?
Because that is my belief. That rational and reasonable people (in their right mind) don't kill other people. Period. It doesn't matter to me if it's premeditated murder or spur of the moment. The person was not in their right mind. I don't and never will believe that people are born malicious killers.
Carey, take a deep breath, slow down, focus, and read page 7 of this thread. Scroll very slowly and notice who first posted that comment. It weren't me. I only responded to it, appropriately I might add. :grin:
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why is Carey posting anonymously after screaming at other people for doing the same?
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I realize my post comes out of left field not knowing the boys, the man, the school, or any facts for that matter. My post was meant to be generic, and I stand by what I said. I know how hard it is to look at these issues uemotionally. I don't think I could if I knew any of these people personally; however,it's very, very important that we focus on what we are dealing with. Are these horrible boarding schools the biggest waste of people's valuable resources? YES! Is it possible that these boys were justified in killing this man? Maybe. The point is what do we do with all of these teenagers who have no where to go? I wouldn't want most of them in my home. I know what I am talking about. I worked at the most despicable boarding school in the country. I would like to think we could re-educate the parents to deal with them at home, but call me the biggest sceptic in world. I don't think that's going to happen. I believe that it will take a complete break down of our society for people to wake up and realize that our non-value based society is killing our kids.
The Contrarian
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I vote try them as adults and give them the death penalty if found guilty. By the way,I heard the firing squad is no longer an option in Utah as of today. Too bad.
For all of you who don't agree, why don't you volunteer to take them to your house. After all, the poor little guys have probably been misunderstood their whole lives.
The unfortunately loosers here are the parents and the family of the counselor.
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Or perhaps you might like to see them sentenced to the military, front line. They could direct their rage at innocent civilians half-way around the world who pose no threat to you or I, AND THEIR KILLING WOULD BE REWARDED !!
Has the threat of incarceration, loss of rights, death penalty been successful at detering acts of violence, or greed? I don't see that it has. Daniel Quinn, "Cultural Mantra: If it doesn't work, do it more."
If these boys are sentenced to prison or killed, how will that improve your life personally, anon? How will that make this country- the most violent on the planet- a better place? What do you perceive to be at stake for yourself, other than the need for retaliation?
I didn't know we were taking a poll, but I vote that you have a lobotomy. Your mind is diseased, probably beyond repair. I think the country would be a better place if people like yourself would voluntarily suppressed their out-of-control fear (manifesting as arrogance, anger, and a need for 'sanctioned' violence) whether chemically, surgically- whatever works to help you find some peace. I hear they have some drugs that are excellent for this purpose if you're opposed to the violence of ECT or lobotomy.
Short of that, you might benefit from some long-term counseling with a hard-line counselor who will force you take a look at your fear. Someone who will keep your feet to the fire while you squirm and writh in your chair attempting to justify your fear-based opinions.
You wouldn't be fearful if there weren't people capable of murder in the world, you say; they must be irradicated. Bullshit. Be thankful there's not a campaign to round up all angry and vindictive citizens- people who might be capable of murder. You just might find yourself in that group, being shuttled toward a concentration camp where you'd be subject to the whims of another group of fearful people. People kill for ONE reason, FEAR. :scared: And you're full of it.
PS- Give this a read:
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?to ... forum=32&0 (http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?topic=4753&forum=32&0)
And this:
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/wackoattacko/ (http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/wackoattacko/)
Gun Homicides:
The U.S. figure of 11,127 gun deaths comes from a report from the Center for Disease Control. Japan's gun deaths of 39 was provided by the National Police Agency of Japan; Germany: 381 gun deaths from Bundeskriminalamt (German FBI); Canada: 165 gun deaths from Statistics Canada, the governmental statistics agency; United Kingdom: 68 gun deaths, from the Centre for Crime and Justice studies in Britain; Australia: 65 gun deaths from the Australian Institute of Criminology; France: 255 gun deaths, from the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Question: Why is the most "POWERFUL" nation the most "FEARFUL"?
Answer: Its "power" is an illusion. Its acts of "power" (violence at home an abroad) are actually acts of fear, designed to instill fear in others- kinda like the spreading of a disease. And the majority of its inhabitants are actually scared out of their minds- as scared as their "enemies".
[ This Message was edited by: Deborah on 2004-03-18 04:10 ]
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On 2004-03-18 00:43:00, Anonymous wrote:
"I vote try them as adults and give them the death penalty if found guilty. By the way,I heard the firing squad is no longer an option in Utah as of today. Too bad.
For all of you who don't agree, why don't you volunteer to take them to your house. After all, the poor little guys have probably been misunderstood their whole lives.
The unfortunately loosers here are the parents and the family of the counselor. "
If a jury found that a reasonable person in the same situation would be in fear of their life, and if it turned out these boys were sent off for as little reason as the one person I have personal experience of who got sent to a TBS, sure, I'd put one of them up in the guest room.
And, innocent until proven guilty, not knowing the facts of this case, I'm not going to *presume* that they were in a TBS for a *good* reason or that they *weren't* in fear of their lives before the case even gets to a jury.
Nor am I going to just be absolutely sure their actions were justifiable.
I'm going to reserve judgement until we see what a jury says about it. *GASP!* Imagine that!
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On 2004-03-17 04:51:00, Deborah wrote:
"Carey wrote:
I didn't read that anyone felt the counselor "deserved to die". It appears to be a unfortunate consequence of the hotbed created in BM facilities. It was bound to happen eventually, and could likely happen again. When you provoke someone beyond their breaking point and don't have adequate "controls" in place to suppress their potential violent reasctions to the blatant disrespect associated with BM techniques, you have a situation in which this could happen.
That's why prison have guards who tote guns.
Exactly. I remember reading about a case where a couple of boys killed a guard during an escape from some government run boot camp out in Big Cypress reserve in So. Florida. Plenty of times when I was in Straight I saw kids pushed past the breaking point and get violent, even though they knew from hard experience it would land them up on the floor underneath a half dozen of their fellow clients.
I never understood their thinking at the time. And I don't condone the way these boys went about their escape. But I can tell you that it's happened before and it will happen again, no matter how many guards they set for night watch or how thoroughly they complete their paperwork. When you work the Program on immature people, some of them will reliably respond w/ violence, no matter how many of them land up in prison.
One of the differences between adults and children is knowledge. The adults in this story, having been involved in the troubled parent industry for a number of years, should know that this sort of thing is fairly common in BM facilities. They have some culpability in this.
I do wonder why the sports equipment wasn't locked away? I wonder if the knives in the kitchen were secured?
Oh, now this brings back memories! One of the means the Program uses to wear you down is to treat all inmates asif we were all dangerous, possibly suicideal lunatics. No shoelaces, no knives, constant surveilance. And we were constantly reminded that it was for our protection, in case we got suicidal, and for the safety of staff and other clients. It was more than just undignified. It wore on you after awhile.
After I got out, some joker on the bench in Florida actually signed an extradition order to try and force me back into the Program from Georgia (where 17 is the default age of imancipation) So, between the warrant service and their completing whatever processes they had to do, I spent a number of weeks in the Macon County Juvenile Detention Center.
The first night or two were very frightening. For years, I'd suffered all kinds of stress and privation just to avoid juvenile detention. It acatually wasn't all that bad. Just boring, more than anything else.
The reality of it all really set in one day when a guard came out and asked us girls who knew how to cut up a chicken. I and another girl said we did and we were led out of the day room and into the kitchen. There we were handed 6" prep knives, pointed to a pile of chickens and told to part them out in 8 pieces each for that night's dinner. The guard then left the room, leaving the two of us inmates armed w/ deadly weapons and only one little old lady who worked the kitchen and a pile of chickens for company.
It was just one of those epiphany moments for me. My mind shot back to all those months of refuting --clandestinely in my mind-- the suggestion that I would hurt myself or someone else if given the chance. I remembered one moment of open rebellion when a newcomer, who was like 6'2" and built like a linebacker, handed me a sharp knife to put away while we were cleaning up the kitchen in a host home. There were some graduate staff trainees there for some reason. One of them called me down for not getting all bent out of shape over a newcomer handling a knife. Don't know what came over me, except just being sick and damned tired of the bullshit and of everyone fucking w/ Kim's mind all the time. I looked at Robyn (the trainee) and just said "You know as well as I do that Kim's not about to hurt anyone. If she wanted to, she could squash me like a bug w/ one hand anyway." Robyn was shocked, Kim cried and said thanks. We all silently agreed to pretend it never happened.
And here we were, two actual inmates in a juvenile detention facility, alone w/ a little old lady, eachother and a couple of knives and no one seemed nervous or upset. The old lady (sweet old lady, I should say... she really was!) had her back to us as she finished up some dishes from breakfast. I don't remember a single violent or even tense incident in the weeks I spent at that facility.
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I just want to clarify that that "quote" above was not anything I said. It could be confusing as it says "Deborah wrote" then "Carey wrote."
Carey did not write what is displayed in the box.
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And, of course, that was me. Forgot to log in.
Whenever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force.
Thomas Jefferson: Kentucky Resolutions, 1798
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Thank God Utah has officially banned death by firing squad. It was barbaric in the first place as is the practice of trying children as adults where if convicted, they can do hard time in an adult prison or worse, be executed by lethal injection.
:flame:
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You're right, and there's plenty of fear to go around in America. Why? Maybe because our government uses fear to control us. War in Iraq is a good example.
The Contrarian
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FYI - It appears the Maximum Life Academy website is no longer online.
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On 2004-03-16 14:42:00, Carey wrote:
Antigen
Oh no! Not according to Narvin, Ken and other industry bigwheels! When a kid dies as a result of "treatment", it's the kid's fault for making them treat him or her so rough. Never, ever is it the fault of the program staff who actually caused the death.
First if they have said that, I would like to see where.
Finally found the time to look up a documented quote.
Kay called the controversy "absolutely absurd," especially because the complaining teens have centered their lives around deceit and disrespect, he said.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/educat ... -education (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/education/sfl-tranquil14mar14,0,232544.story?coll=sfla-news-education)
I'm not assuming anything. This has been a consisten theme in the TOUGHLOVE hategroup for as long as I can remember (iow, since I was around 5 years old and my family became involved w/ The Seed) Every time a kid or parent manages to get a reporter, judge or anyone of influence to take seriously their firsthand experience w/ these programs, the program supporters just attack the kids' character and insinuate that it's all a pack of lies.
Next the statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception."
Mark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger, 1916, Ch.9
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Oh no! Not according to Narvin, Ken and other industry bigwheels! When a kid dies as a result of "treatment", it's the kid's fault for making them treat him or her so rough. Never, ever is it the fault of the program staff who actually caused the death.
Ginger I did not find that quote in the article. Can you please cut and paste it from the article. Maybe tell me which paragraph it is in. I can't find it.
Kay called the controversy "absolutely absurd," especially because the complaining teens have centered their lives around deceit and disrespect, he said.
I don't see these two statements as saying the same thing. I think unfortunately his quote, his actual words, have a ring of truth to them. That is not to say that everthing that comes out of their mouths is a lie. However in most cases, not all, they have landed themselves in a program because of their past behavior.
But in this instance you have twisted his quote into something it is not. Maybe that is your perception of what he is saying. It is not mine. As a matter of fact, I would imagine that most of society would not perceive it the way you do.
I'm not assuming anything. This has been a consisten theme in the TOUGHLOVE hategroup for as long as I can remember (iow, since I was around 5 years old and my family became involved w/ The Seed) Every time a kid or parent manages to get a reporter, judge or anyone of influence to take seriously their firsthand experience w/ these programs, the program supporters just attack the kids' character and insinuate that it's all a pack of lies.
There is a lesson in those words. Who you are, and what you do, can and will influence how others perceive your words and your actions.
[ This Message was edited by: Carey on 2004-03-19 10:36 ]
[ This Message was edited by: Carey on 2004-03-19 10:42 ]
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Carey Writes:
"There is a lesson in those words ..."
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Other criticism of the organization came earlier this year from a company executive shortly after he temporarily left its staff.
"These people are basically a bunch of untrained people who work for this organization," Ken Kay told the Denver Rocky Mountain News in an interview before he rejoined Teen Help as a vice president. "So they don't have credentials of any kind. ...
"We could be leading these kids to long-term problems that we don't have a clue about because we're not going about it in the proper way. ...
"How in the hell can you call yourself a behavior modification program -- and that's one of the ways it's marketed -- when nobody has the expertise to determine: Is this good, is this bad?"
Source:
http://www.denver-rmn.com/desperate/sit ... rate.shtml (http://www.denver-rmn.com/desperate/site-desperate/mpg2-desperate.shtml)
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:???:
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I have read that article many times. I also will add that that is one of the reason I did not want my kids at Dundee. I did not and still do not believe that those who worked at Dundee had the proper training to work with "at risk" youth, Amberly included.
However the quote in the Rocky Mountain news is not saying:
Oh no! Not according to Narvin, Ken and other industry bigwheels! When a kid dies as a result of "treatment", it's the kid's fault for making them treat him or her so rough. Never, ever is it the fault of the program staff who actually caused the death.
As a matter of fact, Kay is saying just the opposite in the Rocky Mountain news, than that of which Ginger stated above. Also the news article, it is not a sworn statement. And keep in mind sworn statements can change (example the 3 sworn statements made by Amberly Knight, all of which are different).
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On 2004-03-18 17:13:00, Anonymous wrote:
"You're right, and there's plenty of fear to go around in America. Why? Maybe because our government uses fear to control us. War in Iraq is a good example.
The Contrarian"
I think it has more to do with our unrealistically sanguine world view (double entendre intended)
Folks, the 50's never happened. We, as a nation, are scared shitless because, for a variety of reasons, we're increasingly forced to face facts and realities that are inconsistent w/ our consensus trance. We are suffering low grade mass hysteria due to cognitive dissonance as a direct result.
At least, that's one theory.
:wink:
Any Irishman who doubts the reality of selective enforcement ought to take just a moment to comtemplate the etymology of the term "paddy waggon".
--Antigen
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On 2004-03-19 11:38:00, Anonymous wrote:
Source:
http://www.denver-rmn.com/desperate/sit ... rate.shtml (http://www.denver-rmn.com/desperate/site-desperate/mpg2-desperate.shtml)
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Temporary lapse of insanity, maybe? Sudden attack of scrupples? Necessity is the excuse for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of the tyrant and the creed of the slave.
-- William Pitt, 1763
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Carey, sworn or not, one of the prime tenets of the TOUGHLOVE hategroup philosophy has always been that it's alright to use mental and emotional torture on teenagers because they are, after all, deceitful, manipulative and hell bent on destroying themselves and taking the rest of us with them. According to every last one of these forced behavior mod programs, that's the only reason they ever complain about the way TOUGHLOVE hategroup members and organizations go about trying to help them. Oh yeah, and toss in ungrateful and undeserving, too!
Are you trying to say that Ken Kay and other private prison operators don't feel that way? If so, then where do you get the idea that they don't?To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical.
Thomas Jefferson
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hi i wasnt sure if u were talking about sean graham and the jesse simmons subject...but i have a lot to say about it me and sean go way back we were together for almost 2 years august 1st u may not believe me but its true...i know sean better than anyone better than his father mother and sister...hes not a killer and he never EVER meant to kill that guy and HE didnt even hit the guy with the base ball bat he punched him once but never ever did he hit him with the base ball bat...i dont think its fair how there say THEY beat him with the base ball bat sean never did that...and i just found out last tuesday night that the guy died my step mum talked to his sister and i came home and she told me i was so upset..cuz i know sean is not a killer annd kids do stupid stuff i talked to sean when he was in las vagas and he was palnning on coming up here to see me and i told him not to and he should turn him self in but him being thick headed he didnt care if he got in trouble he wanted to see me...if those ppl would of let him out when he was supposed to come home this would never of happened i talk to sean the day before he was supposed to come home and he was so excited and then the next day he told me they wouldnt let him come home he was so upset but i told him i will be waiting for him but now i wont beable to see him for a very long time if i get to at all...he tried calling me fromt eh prison 2 days ago and my dad isnt allowing me to talk to him only if my dad knew how i feel i love sean with all my heart he was my frist true love...i just hope he doesnt get the death penalty kids are dumb and i know that he made a big mistake and im sure he knows know...dont get me wrong i feel awful for that guy that died and im sad for his family and im so agry and upset with sean but i love sean witha ll my heart and when this shit happens u cant help but how u feel...so now im just praying and im keeping intouch with his mum i love him so much...he really not a bad kid i know it may be hard for u ppl to believe that but yet again u dont even know him i dont think its right for them to be charging a 17 year old as an adult and to sentance them with the death penalty :cry:
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Are you trying to say that Ken Kay and other private prison operators don't feel that way? If so, then where do you get the idea that they don't?
No I am not trying to say what they say or what they don't say. I don't know what they say. I am not trying to assume what they say.
What I am saying is that he did not say what you have said he said which is, "When a kid dies as a result of "treatment", it's the kid's fault for making them treat him or her so rough. Never, ever is it the fault of the program staff who actually caused the death. " Now you might think that is how he feels or that is what he thinks, but saying that he said that is not true.
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Lady, I lived it! As a child, as a teenager, as a young adult faced w/ the choice of going along w/ the (soul crushing, demoralizing) Program or leave my family.
How many times have I seen Program parents actually use the words "Well, he/she needed a good brainwashing!" when faced w/ undenyable evidence of psychological abuse? or "a little ass kicking" when we're talking about physical abuse?
Here's a good one:
[After describing OP for months at a stretch]
"I say to the parents,' says Kay, leaning back in his office seat. 'The bottom line is, what's the end result you want? Getting there may be ugly, but at least with us you're going to get there.'"
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine ... 72,00.html (http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,987172,00.html)
These are the conditions under which many of the kids who've died in bootcamps and BM schools have seen their final day. And this is the attitude of 'leaders' in the troubled parent industry toward this very dangerous type of 'intervention'. Even when one of them dies, this is still their cockey attitude.
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Lady, you are applying your experience in the program you were in to all programs. That can not be done. Second your new quote from Kay is still not saying the same thing as your original quote. I once again, unfortunately, can see some truth in this new quote "I say to the parents,' says Kay, leaning back in his office seat. 'The bottom line is, what's the end result you want? Getting there may be ugly, but at least with us you're going to get there.'
Do I condone abuse no, do I beleive in programs that restrict communication no, do I beleive in locking kids up when they have not been areested, convicted of a crime and gone through due process, no.
However, I have seen some of these kids pointing the finger lie and I have seen some of these parents who are pointing the fingers lie. I think the truth "lies" somewhere inbetween.
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On 2004-03-20 06:48:00, Carey wrote:
"Lady, you are applying your experience in the program you were in to all programs. That can not be done.
Yes I can. Carey, I'm hearing the same stories from kids who weren't even born yet when my older brothers and sister went through the Seed. And I'm hearing the same dumb excuses from Ken Kay, Narvin Lichfield and apologists for Bethel School and other of these places that I heard come right out of Art Barker's and my mother's mouths all those years ago.
If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and smells like a duck, it might be a duck.
Second your new quote from Kay is still not saying the same thing as your original quote. I once again, unfortunately, can see some truth in this new quote "I say to the parents,' says Kay, leaning back in his office seat. 'The bottom line is, what's the end result you want? Getting there may be ugly, but at least with us you're going to get there.'
Do I condone abuse no, do I beleive in programs that restrict communication no, do I beleive in locking kids up when they have not been areested, convicted of a crime and gone through due process, no.
However, I have seen some of these kids pointing the finger lie and I have seen some of these parents who are pointing the fingers lie. I think the truth "lies" somewhere inbetween."
Yeah, no kidding! The trouble here is that, like other industries, this one is just lousey with people. People are flawed and some of them make shit up. But that doesn't mean that everything they're saying is untrue.
Your boys, aparently, had enough restraint and forethought to not respond violently to their treatment at Dundee. Kudos to them. So did I. Even after two years of it. But not all kids have that kind of restraint.
Bottom line; do you think Kay and other 'leaders' in the troubled parent industry are remourseful for all these kids who have died as a result of Program treatment methods? Do you think they will ever accept responsibility for the results of their actions? Do you think that the next time a kid injurs or kills somebody during an escape that they'll suddenly have a change of heart and realize that this is to be expected when you push young people to and beyond their limits? Or do you suppose they'll keep on towing the same line and blame it on the kids?
Ken keeps promising to 'provide' kids as witnesses to his claim that no abuse ever goes on in WWASP facilities. I think he believes what he says. Really, I do. He's not lying, exactly. He just doesn't view what he and his employees and followers do as abusive. Neither did I. Even when I was the one at the bottom of the pile for refusing to apologize to Group for having tried to run away. I thought I deserved it because I could have just said what they told me to say and not gotten sat on.
The trouble here is that people involved in the TOUGHLOVE hategroup refuse to even acknowledge the harm their cherished Program has done to people over the years. We try to tell them, they just call us bitter druggies. I shit you not, while I was out of town, Bill got a series of phone calls from one of these places--it was a father/son team--who insisted that Fornits is a druggie site and all the people posting less than complimentary things about their (recently closed) school were druggies too.
They believe it. Doesn't mean it's true.
Either cocaine and marijuana are terribly dangerous substances, and breaking the law by consuming them is a major offense that should be severely punished, or these are minor, personal matters that do not really count in the big picture of a man's life. If the latter is the case, then the rationale for a bloody, costly and futile war against drugs simply disappears.
--Jorge G. Castaneda, Newsweek International, September 6, 1999
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On 2004-03-19 15:28:00, Antigen wrote:
On 2004-03-19 11:38:00, Anonymous wrote:
Source:
http://www.denver-rmn.com/desperate/sit ... rate.shtml (http://www.denver-rmn.com/desperate/site-desperate/mpg2-desperate.shtml)
----------------------------------------------
Temporary lapse of insanity, maybe? Sudden attack of scrupples?
Temporary removal of an incentive to lie.
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It would be interesting to know if either were taking or had recently taken SSRIs or other psych drugs.
This from drugawareness.org:
Today the LA TIMES ran a large article discussing the violence associated with the SSRIs. Note this statement from the article:
"And GlaxoSmithKline, during clinical tests on children with obsessive-compulsive disorder or depression, found that the percentage of children taking Paxil who became hostile â?? which was defined as everything from angry thoughts to violent acts â?? ranged from 6.3% to 9.2%. For those taking the placebo, the range was zero to 1%, according to published records."
This is critical information that needs to get out. Once again I would encourage you to get this information to your local papers, BUT once again I stress the urgency of including what this article left out:
#1 The warning that abrupt or rapid withdrawal (which most doctors continue to do) is VERY dangerous and can lead to even more serious problems as the patient can experience seizures, heart attack, suicidal or homicidal ideation along with psychosis, severe flu-like symptoms, electric shocks, etc. from coming down too rapidly. It is not worth taking the chance.
#2 Too many patients on these drugs will sit back and say, "Oh, those people were that way before the drug. The drug had nothing to do with their behavior and I am not that kind of person."
But they need to understand that this is a drug reaction the patient has no control over. As I explain in detail in my book about SSRIs, Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? - Our Serotonin Nightmare, when one reaches a point where the REM sleep has been repressed for long enough the body and brain WILL force one into REM while awake to compensate.
Add to that this: The impairment produced by the drugs of one's ability to metabolize serotonin produces nightmares. Then you, in that REM state -the dream state, begin act out that nightmare.
The only control one has over this type of response is whether or not he chooses to take the drug that produces the nightmares and represses REM leading to this end result.
We now know that 80% of the cases being diagnosed with this disorder (RBD) are on SSRIs. Another 6% are on the older antidepressants.
#3 Before these drugs hit the market this sleepwalk nightmare known as RBD was known as a "drug withdrawal state." This will give you some idea of why it is so important to avoid serious withdrawal from an SSRI antidepressant. I cannot tell you how often I hear from people that they have tried and tried to come off these drugs before, but after getting my tape on withdrawal they were FINALLY able to come off without serious problems and make it off and get well.
If 80% of the patients being diagnosed with this horrible sleepwalk state in which the large majority hurt themselves or someone else, how many more will experience RBD in withdrawal from SSRIs? It is clear to me that we can expect a
high rate.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, with all of this information coming out about the dangers of SSRIs, get this warning to people everywhere about the dangerous withdrawal! We have far too many horrible cases coming in already without having the numbers absolutely skyrocket due to the lack of warning about withdrawal -
especially with children.
Ann Blake Tracy, PhD
Executive Director, International Coalition For Drug Awareness
Author: Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? - Our Serotonin Nightmare
& audio tape or CD on safe withdrawal: "Help! I Can't Get Off My Antidepressant!"
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There are so many questions ?
Was Anson mentally handi-cap
I think the Facility and the State should be sued by the Counslers family and by the two boys families.
What is the relationship between the Ah Quins that own the Liahona facility and Adam Ah Quin
Who is Max Ah Quin ?
What is the Teen Help Model ?
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All the parents should be wondering how they ended up placing their child in a program that is alleged to have been in violation of at least 3 DHS licensing rules. Were they referred by an educational consultant? Independent referral agent (who gets paid by programs)? Word-of-Mouth support groups? HOW?????
:roll:
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International Coalition for Drug Awareness is a scientology front group:
http://www.holysmoke.org/cos/cult-front ... latest.htm (http://www.holysmoke.org/cos/cult-front-groups-latest.htm)
The bottom line on antidepressants is that both suicide and violent crime ARE DOWN DRAMATICALLY DURING THE PERIOD THAT THEY BECAME WIDELY USED.
It's almost certainly the case that some people do have terrible reactions to these drugs-- which is why the FDA is issuing this warning-- but to claim that the bad reactions are the majority is simply to defy the evidence.
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Adam AhQuin, the owner and director of this now-closed group home is 24 years old. The victim, Anson Arnett, was 31 years old. How old were the other staff members and what was their background
and training?
:???:
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hi this is a pretty crazy subject. im just following along but u said sean graham didnt intend to kill that guy and that he only hit him once. how cum they had to hit him atall? they must have planned on escaping right since u had talked to sean before they escaped and he was desparate to get back to you (i know how that is) they had a bat and were going to get away no matter what, right? it sucks that that guy had to die just so sean and jesse could get away. do you think jesse will be in longer than sean? sorry your boyfriends in jail right now that must suck since you and him were so close for so many years. :sad:
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Anson was not "mentally handi-cap" whatever that means. He graduated from high school with honors, had a college degree, had a Utah state teaching certificate and was an excellent artist and teacher. In addition, he had criminal background checks through the state of Utah as a result of having a teaching certificate. He worked for other like treatment facilities throughout the state and he was there to help those kids. He was kind, patient, gentle, and was the anti-thesis of the kids who killed him. :evil:
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On 2004-03-27 20:04:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Anson was not "mentally handi-cap" whatever that means. He graduated from high school with honors, had a college degree, had a Utah state teaching certificate and was an excellent artist and teacher. In addition, he had criminal background checks through the state of Utah as a result of having a teaching certificate. He worked for other like treatment facilities throughout the state and he was there to help those kids. He was kind, patient, gentle, and was the anti-thesis of the kids who killed him. :evil: "
Clearly, there is a reason why the state of Utah mandates licensed facilities to have two, not one, staff member on duty at all times. Why Anson was apparently working alone, I do not know, but I feel terrible about the loss of this young, apparently very gifted and dedicated young man. God Bless Anson, his family and friends, and also the 2 boys and their family and friends. This is a horrific tragedy that has touched many lives and my heart goes out to everyone.
:cry:
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Why are the boys the only ones facing CRIMINAL charges in light of the violation of DHS rules by the program owner and/or operators? Anson should not have been working alone according to Utah state law. I do not get this at all.
:eek:
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How many people, counselors, youths have to die before we (society) wake up and DO something?
What is the answer?
All I know is that someone who was and still is very dear to so many, is dead. FACT!
Murdered? The justice system will decide. The "alleged" killers, tried as adults, worthy of the death penalty or life in prison? How can they possibly benefit from either?
"An eye for an eye makes the world blind". Ghandi
What, if any, benefits were the youths receiving in this "subtance abuse treatment center"?
If you were the family members of Anson where would your concerns lie right now? If you were the family members of the alleged killers where would your concerns lie right now?
This is fact: The Ah Quins are attempting to obtain a license to open/re-open another facility in Cedar City. I am speechless! A man has been KILLED, his life is OVER and the owners of the facility are getting "back in business". Big issue due to the fact that the facility where this tragedy occurred was in violation of state laws. Do I trust the Ah Quins can operate a lawful facility now?
Anson HAD rights, Jesse and Sean still HAVE rights, what about the rights of the community to feel safe, to assume rules are being followed and that these facilities exist to BENEFIT the youths placed in these facilities?
So many questions, so few answers. So much speculation, so few facts.
Hard core facts: rules put into place to protect Anson and the youths were violated. Anson is DEAD, the youths accused of the crime await their fate. Anson is DEAD. What does that mean to the youths? What does that mean to anyone? Family members and friends VALUED Anson's life, who values Jesse and Seans' lives? Whose lives do the Ah Quins' value, if any?
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On 2004-03-27 23:20:00, Anonymous wrote:
"How many people, counselors, youths have to die before we (society) wake up and DO something?
What is the answer?
All I know is that someone who was and still is very dear to so many, is dead. FACT!
Murdered? The justice system will decide. The "alleged" killers, tried as adults, worthy of the death penalty or life in prison? How can they possibly benefit from either?
"An eye for an eye makes the world blind". Ghandi
What, if any, benefits were the youths receiving in this "subtance abuse treatment center"?
If you were the family members of Anson where would your concerns lie right now? If you were the family members of the alleged killers where would your concerns lie right now?
This is fact: The Ah Quins are attempting to obtain a license to open/re-open another facility in Cedar City. I am speechless! A man has been KILLED, his life is OVER and the owners of the facility are getting "back in business". Big issue due to the fact that the facility where this tragedy occurred was in violation of state laws. Do I trust the Ah Quins can operate a lawful facility now?
Anson HAD rights, Jesse and Sean still HAVE rights, what about the rights of the community to feel safe, to assume rules are being followed and that these facilities exist to BENEFIT the youths placed in these facilities?
So many questions, so few answers. So much speculation, so few facts.
Hard core facts: rules put into place to protect Anson and the youths were violated. Anson is DEAD, the youths accused of the crime await their fate. Anson is DEAD. What does that mean to the youths? What does that mean to anyone? Family members and friends VALUED Anson's life, who values Jesse and Seans' lives? Whose lives do the Ah Quins' value, if any?
"
Nobody should give these guys a second chance to run a program. Not with the kind of violations they are alleged to have committed. Makes no sense. Cedar City residents should do what they have to do to keep these programs out of their community b/c if the programs aren't going to follow basic rules, there will only be more tragedy. Don't let Anson die in vain like so many teens have. Anson deserves to be remembered for his accomplishments and commitment to his work. Make the programs pay dearly for disobeying rules instead of giving 'em a small fine or slap on the wrist. This is serious business.
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"Clearly, there is a reason why the state of Utah mandates licensed facilities to have two, not one, staff member on duty at all times."
What then, should be the punishment suitable for the State of Utah as an entity, and for its hired lackeys, who were paid by the citizens of the state to enforce these rules - but didn't?
Why was the MLSA facility not shut down on 10 March 2003, one year PRIOR to the murder, when an inspection by the state of Utah revealed 15 violations of Utah law? - rather than closing the facility 5 days AFTER the murder was committed?
How many murders does it take for the State Of Utah to pull its collective head out of its collective ass?
Is murder in Utah accounted for like mouse turds in a soup can: "up to [this many] is OK, but more than [that number] is not" ? What is that number?
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"State-sanctioned murder" is the ultimate crime against its citizens.
"State-sanctioned murder" is an outrage against the people.
"State-sanctioned murder" is, a priori, "terrorism" of the worst kind.
"State-sanctioned murder", when committed in collusion with the owners of facilties like this is the ultimate criminal conspiracy, and the ultimate state-perpetrated fraud against the people.
Heads of state agencies who through their gross negligence facilitated, and aided and abetted this murder, and who ran their agencies with reckless abandon and with utter disregard for human life, are, by definition, 'terrorists'.
Will they be demoted? or promoted? Surely, they'll not face any firing squad...[run by the state...]
What is the 'legislative value' of human life in Utah?
If the rules-enforcers won't enforce the rules, who's left to do that?
How more agregiously can the compact between the people and the state be broken than by an event like this?
What is the last line of defense citizens have against criminals - if those who have the exclusive power to enforce the rules, won't?
What is the appropriate punishment for those who had the mandate and the power to enforce the rules - but (obviously) chose not to?
How culpable were the owners, operators, Directors, and the members of the Board of Directors of the MLSA facility in this murder?
What is an appropriate punishment for them?
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Three Words:
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
http://www.teenadvocatesusa.homestead.c ... erapy.html (http://www.teenadvocatesusa.homestead.com/wildernesstherapy.html)
The lessons are not being learned. 10 years after the death of Aaron Bacon, in Escalante, Utah.
Who is ultimately responsible for the safety of staff members? The owners/operators. No two ways about it.
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The dirty little secret of states colluding with group home owners in the placement of incorrigible youth in unsecure facilities is a dirty little secret that needs to be exposed.
An "Anson Law" should be demanded:
A law that specifies that owners, directors and state employees who do not protect the lives of the staff and counselors of "group homes" be fined and jailed so severely that they WILL enforce the laws they are paid to do.
When the various states pay the various group home owners tax money to house incorrigible kids in unsecure facilities and then conduct no oversight, too infrequent inspections, or do not insure adequate safety/security measures are in place, the states and the facility owners become co-conspirators in the criminal activities that must eventually occur.
An unsecure facility with no safety measures in place to protect the staff becomes a "constructive nuisance", [a death or serous injury waiting to happen] and as such the owners and operators and the state overseers become culpable in the subsequent disastrous events that occur there through their negligence.
How many murders of this type must occur before there is national reform?
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The owners, operators, Director, and some of the staff knew at least one day BEFORE the murder of Anson Arnett that a "break-out" was planned.
Those clients who were known to be the ones who were going to try to break-out were moved from their usual bedroom to the living room where they were put on "High Watch" status (whatever that is...).
BUT, even though some knew this and took these measures, the owner, Max Ah Quin, and Director, Adam Ah Quin, still put only one staff member on duty that night! - Anson Arnett. (Even though it is against Utah law to have only one staff membmer on duty at ANY time.)
Adam Ah Quin, Director of the MLSA facility told the press that "he 'had a feeling' he should have taken that shift that night" (or something to that effect).
Ya right - He knew goddamned well that that night was going to be a higher risk night than a normal night, and yet he put only one staff membmer on duty that night. And when the two eyewitnesses ran to his home to get help from him, he was not home!
Where the hell was Adam Ah Quin when he knew the facility was going to be under siege and he had only one staff membmer, Anson Arnett, on duty?
Sean Graham's step-sister/lover posted here that SHE knew at least two days BEFORE the murder that he was pissed about not being able to get out and go see her when originally scheduled, and that he was so insensed about it that he would not let anything get in his way.
She was in NH/Deleware(?) and he was in Utah.
How many others across the nation knew about the planned "jailbreak of 8 March 2004", that resulted in the murder of Anson Arnett?
How many more goddamned shitheads are there in this country that are culpable in this murder?
Ya suppose the Ah Quins called the state and told them too? "Hey guys, there's going to be a jail break tonight; make sure you're out of town and the phone's off the hook"!
Rotten f**king bastards...
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"Or - the vic was a brutal bastard when no one was looking, and had it coming.
NO telling at this point.
But I do feel sure the bat was there so the boys could play ball; and this is not unusual in a family group home type of program."
Ya, shithead; there IS telling at this point; the 'vic' was NOT a brutal bastard; he gave his life trying to help those killers.
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Why in God's name didn't the kids who ran for help think to call 911 from a neighbor's home instead of running all the way to the director's home (who wasn't even there)? If help had arrived sooner instead of taking an hour and a half, could Anson have survived? Also, what statements have the other boys given about what they witnessed that night? Is this info going to be made public? Lastly, who ARE the AhQuin's anyway and what's their background in the teen help industry? Have they ever had any problems in the past?
:???:
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There are a lot of nagging little details about this story; things that just don't add up.
There were other kids in the house at the time, but no one tried to stop them? They left the guy hanging upside down in the closet, but none of the other boys took him down?
Here's a theory. Mind you, this is just a theory. I wasn't there, but I may have been in a somewhat similar situation.
The time I split from my mother's appartment, there were a couple of girls sleeping on the fold out bed, pretty much in front of the door (you had to squeeze by, but it could be done) and a couple more locked in the room w/ me. Getting past the lock wasn't a big problem, but I figured I'd probably wake someone up by opening the front door. But Program protocol dictated that, when a newcomer splits, they have to call staff before doing anything else. So, before I tried the front door, I took a phone off the hook and stuffed it under a pillow in a drawer.
Sure enough, just about the time I had the door open almost enough to slip out into the night, the hinge made a loud creek, the porch light seemed to flood the room and I heard someone shout "Oh shit! She's splitting!!" So I ran down the stairs, jumped past the last few and dove behind a bush to wait and see if anyone would run out immediately. They didn't. They were too busy trying to figure out what to do since the phone was dead, giving me plenty of time to make it all the way accross the appartment complex and into the ditch along the back of the property.
Maybe these boys didn't do the normal things you would expect in such a situation because they were following a strict protocol.
If once [the people] become inattentive to the public affairs,
you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, Judges and Governors,
shall all become wolves. It seems to be the law of our general
nature, in spite of individual exceptions.
Anonymity Anonymous (http://fornits.com/anonanon)
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Word is, Sean Graham was the Alpha male, bigger, stronger, more fearsome than the rest; what he said was the law...
[look at the pics; he's no "kid"]
The others were scared shitless of him. They did what he said, no ifs, ands, or buts
Jesse Simmons was a parolee from Maryland; drugs; shipped to Utah in violation of the National Interstate Compact Law. (who all are complicit in THIS part of the deal???)
It was the Maryland Probation and Parole Officer (NOT the facility or its staff) who made the decision to not let them out on the scheduled release date because of cheating on the tests.
Neither killer should have been housed in a normal, unsecure home in a regular residental district with no security or redundant alarms or buddy system staffing.
Looks like the city, the county, and the state f**ked up - big!
This was a murder waiting to happen. It just took the right elements and it was a done deal.
Max Ah Quin (owner-of-record) is a former, full scholarship law student from BYU so he can't plead ignorance of the law...
And Adam Ah Quin (Director-of-Record) had prior knowledge of the planned break-out - and was conveniently gone when the murder occurred...
Sweet - huh?
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On 2004-03-28 15:56:00, Anonymous wrote:
Neither killer should have been housed in a normal, unsecure home in a regular residental district with no security or redundant alarms or buddy system staffing.
If it had been anything like a normal, unsecure home, why did they have to do anything to anyone to get away? Why wouldn't they just walk away like so many ppl do from juvenile halfway houses and adult work release programs?
Here's a funny story. A girl named Kim was court ordered to Straight. Serious charge. She had been involved in some kinky group activities and had been the las one holding the whip before the girl died. And she was over 18. FWIW, having lived w/ Kim in several foster homes, I believe to this day it was an accident. She was built like a linebacker; could have easily squashed any two of us with one hand but never hurt or intimidated anyone in all the time I knew her.
Anyway, one day Kim decides she just can't take it any more. She picks up a table and uses it to smash through a plate glass window at her foster home and makes a run for it. The foster parents were going to file charges against her for it, but they couldn't or they would have had to explain why it was necessary for Kim to break a window to escape their home.
This could be a very interesting investigation. Our country right or wrong. When right, to be kept right; when wrong, to be put right.
--Carl Schurz, German-born U.S. general and U.S. senator
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Here are the reasons why the group home's license was revoked by Utah's DHS on March 12, 2004 effective March 26, 2004:
1. MLSA failed to obtain agreement from the state of Delaware (not Maryland) in compliance with the National Interstate Compact Laws before accepting Jesse Simmons.
2. The group home failed to obtain criminal background clearances for Anson Arnett, Faa Taupau, Austin Beardall and Mona Kula before giving them direct access to children. Director Adam AhQuin's background screening expired last September 2003. It wasn't renewed.
3. Only one employee was on duty the night of the incident and again the following day. Two are required AT ALL TIMES.
These are the results of a DHS preliminary investigation. Other rule violations may be added after the Cedar City Police Dept. release's the home's files enabling DHS to complete their own investigation.
According to news reports, ALL the boys were sent to MLSA by THEIR PARENTS, none had been sentenced there by a court.
To date, no reason has been given as to why the 2 boys who ran for help did not attempt to get help from a neighbor.
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Authorities had to pry the locked closet door open.
How many locked closets do you have in your home?
:eek:
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"If it had been anything like a normal, unsecure home, why did they have to do anything to anyone to get away? Why wouldn't they just walk away like so many ppl do from juvenile halfway houses and adult work release programs? "
They could have; that's what makes the whole thing so sad - and criminal!
While they were "kept there against their will", Arnett was not dumb. He would NOT have tried to prevent their escape by physical force if they had asked him to step aside; it was not his job to physically restrain anyone.
"According to news reports, ALL the boys were sent to MLSA by THEIR PARENTS, none had been sentenced there by a court. "
Not quite: Simmons was "on probation" and was "put there by a Maryland Probation and Parole officer". It was the MP&PO that required that the test be passed prior to being released, and it was the MP&PO that rescheduled their release date for cheating on the test. [data provided by the State of Utah...]
The closet has a dead bolt, but the fit is so wide that it can be picked by a pocket knife...
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On 2004-03-28 18:14:00, Anonymous wrote:
""If it had been anything like a normal, unsecure home, why did they have to do anything to anyone to get away? Why wouldn't they just walk away like so many ppl do from juvenile halfway houses and adult work release programs? "
They could have; that's what makes the whole thing so sad - and criminal!
While they were "kept there against their will", Arnett was not dumb. He would NOT have tried to prevent their escape by physical force if they had asked him to step aside; it was not his job to physically restrain anyone.
"According to news reports, ALL the boys were sent to MLSA by THEIR PARENTS, none had been sentenced there by a court. "
Not quite: Simmons was "on probation" and was "put there by a Maryland Probation and Parole officer". It was the MP&PO that required that the test be passed prior to being released, and it was the MP&PO that rescheduled their release date for cheating on the test. [data provided by the State of Utah...]
The closet has a dead bolt, but the fit is so wide that it can be picked by a pocket knife...
"
Anon, you seem to be privvy to info not available to the public. My question to you is this, how is it that the state of Maryland is even involved with Jesse Simmons, who is from Delaware?
Also, it does not appear anyone is taking responsibility for leaving Anson Arnett alone to care for 6 boys. Where was the Owner? The Director? The other counselors/staff? Why wasn't one of them pulling the night shift with Anson, for his safety, the kid's, and of course, in obedience to the law?
:???: :???: :???: :???: :???:
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(my source may have mispoken,) but the person did say "Maryland"
No one seems to be able to make contact with the owners of the facility...
Adam Ah Quin's home in Cedar City was listed For Sale with ERA Realty on the very day that the State of Utah revoked the MLSA license.
The Ah Quins have already tried to have the business license 'transferred' to a different address in Cedar City so they can continue business without having to be re-licensed. The city attorney nixed that.
Their neighbors say they are also trying to reopen the existing facility as a "sex offendor" house.
The Ah Quins seem to be keeping pretty quiet regarding their roles in all this...
This tragedy is just in its beginning stages.
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On 2004-03-28 19:19:00, Anonymous wrote:
"(my source may have mispoken,) but the person did say "Maryland"
No one seems to be able to make contact with the owners of the facility...
Adam Ah Quin's home in Cedar City was listed For Sale with ERA Realty on the very day that the State of Utah revoked the MLSA license.
The Ah Quins have already tried to have the business license 'transferred' to a different address in Cedar City so they can continue business without having to be re-licensed. The city attorney nixed that.
Their neighbors say they are also trying to reopen the existing facility as a "sex offendor" house.
The Ah Quins seem to be keeping pretty quiet regarding their roles in all this...
This tragedy is just in its beginning stages.
"
Thanks Anon, I'm curious as to what exactly the AhQuin's background is in this industry? I read somewhere that the police had been called to the youth home before but no details were given. Who are these people? Also, in light of the post below, I am beginning to wonder if there is some reason why people in the industry or community might feel intimitated by the AhQuin family? What do you think?
Posted: 2003-08-31 18:59:00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well here goes :
He has built or owns websites for that purpose(troubled teen referrals/schools). His website used to have an Ah Quin family member on it. A brother/son to people who run Liahona Academy. I also heard rumor that Steve helped finance a program started by Randall Hinton (formerly of Teen Help). They are all from Hurricane, UT. I have also heard that there is a lawsuit over the startup funds (Lemmon trying to sue Hinton).
Lemmon family very large in Hurricane/SO. Utah - some family members are real estate agents.
Another of his sites is : swlemmon.com calls himself a Business Consultant.
I would bet he refers to Liahona if any. I don't think WWASP would associate with him as he funded a person they basically told to go away (this would be Hinton). You probably already know this (I suspect Sue S. as the poster looking for info) as Hinton and Sue were/are pretty tight.
TheStudio.net actually had built a website for Casa by the Sea, but has been redone since.
No background in the industry known. He's a film/media buff trying to get in on the teen help industry craze of the internet these days.
He's associated with the Ah Quin people - so I'd watch out. They have a reputation for getting things done there way. One of the Ah Quin's (younger) worked doing concert promotions - thug like - also likes underage girls - pervert.
Now - in exchange for this information I would like to know your purpose. I was fair and open with this - can't you do the same? I have no beef with this guy, but you asked for info. Why are you asking questions about him? I suspect you've been thrown a name, but I think you are barking up the wrong tree. Do tell - I might be able to help you.
If you tell what you're up to - that might be worth some more information....
Internet has lot's of info - just have to know where to look...
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So what is the story about the AhQuin family? Who are these people? How did they get involved in the teen help industry????
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Whip 'em into shape before it's too late!!!
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Jesse Simmons was sent there because his parents chose to send him there. He had been failing school and was slowly getting into drugs such as alcohol and marijuana. He was never arrested, nor has he even been in any trouble with the law for that matter. I know this because I am a close friend. So whoever is saying that the state of Maryland sent him there is talking out of their ass because that's bullshit.
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On 2004-03-29 17:24:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Jesse Simmons was sent there because his parents chose to send him there. He had been failing school and was slowly getting into drugs such as alcohol and marijuana. He was never arrested, nor has he even been in any trouble with the law for that matter. I know this because I am a close friend. So whoever is saying that the state of Maryland sent him there is talking out of their ass because that's bullshit. "
Thanks Anon, it is important to keep the facts straight, especially in a case as highly prejudicial as this one apparently is. I had a feeling the other anon was talking out of their *** based on statements made which were reported in the news. Bottom line, both boys are presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law. People need to remember that, no matter what their personal opinion. Especially parents who have children in programs .... where the old adage "but for the grace of God, go I" definitly applies.
:smokin:
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Do ya'll have any idea how many people found out after the fact that their court orders were a bluff? I wonder if Jesse knows he wasn't court ordered?
Or what if there is an order, but it's one of those shaky orders like the ones they teach about in TOUGHLOVE circles? You know I've had a cop suggest to me that I lie in order to get assault charges against my daughter cause he thought she belonged in the County's bootcamp? They might not even have to lie about it anymore :roll:
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The people who ran straight had the best of intentions. I hope they reached their destination.
James Lloyd
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so mabee it was the other perpfrom marllind-big diff!
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I knew jesse for over 7 years and this whole ordeal is really hard for me to take in. I find it hard to believe a lot of the things that I hear about this case, but sometimes when people get mixed up in drugs and get off the track, the line between right and wrong gets blurred, and you find yourself in situations where you have to do whatever you can to do what you "think" will help you get out of the situation. Because you are almost out of touch with reality and can't see that it is wrong. I don't know all the facts, I don't know what really happened. But I know that something was failing jesse for him to be a part of this. There are times when the parents are to blame, but his parents DID try to help him, they couldn't help him from their own home, so they sent him to a place that was "supposed" to help him, but unfortunately, the home failed him too. I don't believe in the death penalty at all, and to see 17 year olds who are legally NOT adults, be tried as adults saddens me. These kids CAN be rehabilitated, it just seems as if nobody really wants to try hard enough. The easy thing to do is to lock them up or put them to death. It's a tragedy for all of the families here. We'll see what happens.
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Believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see. That's almost always good advice anyway. In this case, the stakes are very high and everybody's got compelling inducement to color things their way.
My guess is that this kid had all the "help" he could stand and just wanted to be free. I have NO idea if he was the one to hit the guy, if he had any clue that might happen or anything else. But just don't buy into a bunch of bullshit that doesn't mesh with what you know about this kid. The people most able to get publicity right now have some very good reasons to want us all to view this kid as a total monster when, in all liklihood, he may have been acting rationally in his own defense. I don't know, I wasn't there. Just please do all you can to keep the prosecutors and victim's contingency honest.
The most fundamental fact about the ideas of the political left is that they do not work. Therefore we should not be surprised to find the left concentrated in institutions where ideas do not have to work in order to survive.
--Thomas Sowell
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I agree with Ginger. God only knows what really happened that night. Just pray the boys attorneys move for a change in venue if there is any chance they can't get a fair trial due to prejudice. Cedar City is a small town and has something like 16 similar programs for troubled youth operating in their community. Second, the boys are being tried as adults and if convicted, could be sentenced to death. Personally, I think that is as senseless as the tragic death of Anson Arnett and hope the prosecutor will decide not to ask for the death penalty.
:sad:
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We all want to know what "really" happened that night. Those of you speaking for the alleged killers may be forgetting that as a result of Jesse and Sean's actions, for whatever reasons, Anson is dead! Were they provoked? The information available states that Anson was unaware that the youths were lying in wait. If Jesse and Sean are not "killers" why did they attack Anson with a baseball bat? Why did they hit him more than once? Why did they cut the phone lines preventing any type of help directly from the facility? I'm sure for those who know Jesse and Sean personally, it is hard to believe. It must be just as difficult for the family to believe that their loved one is dead after having been brutally beaten at work.
I don't know how I feel about the youths being tried as adults. They are closer in age to 18 than 16, so maybe they should be tried as adults. After watching a Dateline or 48 Hours program March 31st, specifically about youths committing crimes, being tried as adults and spending years in prison, I still don't know how I feel. The death penalty? That simply accompanies the charge of aggravated murder, and how can you call the actions of the youths resulting in the death of Anson anything but aggravated murder? Change of venue? The crime occurred in Cedar City. Anson was a Cedar City resident. Why should the youths be tried anywhere else? The family has rights as victims to follow the steps the justice system will be taking. If losing Anson isn't hardship enough, moving the trial could most certainly add to the familiy's hardship.
I do believe the youths have the right to a fair trial, unfortunately, Anson cannot speak for himself, which means the youths can say whatever they want and we can only hope and pray what they say is true. Same for the witnesses, who are, I would guess, traumatized by what they saw.
As has been previously stated, all families are suffering and let's not forget why. The actions of Jesse and Sean are like a small stone thrown into water, the rippling effects crippling so many. The youths had choices, made poor choices and now everyone suffers. One can only hope the reason WHY, will be addressed by Jesse and Sean themselves in the days to come. Perhaps this information will provide closure for the many who suffer now.
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While your focus is on what the boys did, many of us are more focused on what the program DID NOT DO to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
While the comments here may sound unempathic to the couselor who lost his life and his family, the problem with regulations violations is rampant within the industry; and should not be overlooked in this situation. This tragedy is yet another example of why programs found in violation should be shut down immediately. I personally hold the owner of the program responsible. He should be standing trial for putting the teens/counselor at risk. Should never be allowed to work with youth again in any capacity.
Had another counselor been on duty as the state requires, had the program better handled the frustration the boys were dealing with as a result of being detained longer, we might not be having this discussion.
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Excuse me, the death of Anson Arnett is absolutely horrible. But I blame the state of Utah as much as anybody else for not monitoring the program properly and also, the director of Maximum Life Skills for disobeying the DHS regulations that there must be 2 staff members on duty AT ALL TIMES.
Where is the accountability? This was a home for TROUBLED YOUTH, you would think the Cedar City community would be outraged that this home was not operating in accordance TO THE LAW. Why do you think these laws exist? To protect the kids, the staff AND THE COMMUNITY.
Cedar City should decide if they want programs like this in their community if the programs aren't going to follow basic rules, why do they condone them? 16 PROGRAMS IN ONE TOWN!
:flame:
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On 2004-04-02 07:37:00, Anonymous wrote:
"We all want to know what "really" happened that night. Those of you speaking for the alleged killers may be forgetting that as a result of Jesse and Sean's actions, for whatever reasons, Anson is dead!
And you may be forgetting that, as a result of the actions of the troubled parent industry, a lot of kids never got to grow up, grew up too fast as virtual orphans or live marginally today.
Were they provoked? The information available states that Anson was unaware that the youths were lying in wait. If Jesse and Sean are not "killers" why did they attack Anson with a baseball bat?
Uh, so he couldn't prevent their escape?
Why did they hit him more than once? Why did they cut the phone lines preventing any type of help directly from the facility? I'm sure for those who know Jesse and Sean personally, it is hard to believe.
I don't think Sean and Jesse knew eachother before the Program. So there probably isn't anyone who knows both of them. And we still don't know who hit the guy or why.
It must be just as difficult for the family to believe that their loved one is dead after having been brutally beaten at work.
They should have seen it coming, don't you think? I mean, it's not asif this is the first time a staffer has ever been injured or killed during an escape attempt. If you're going to hole fully grown people against their will, you should first educate yourself extensively on prison procedures and psychology. It's a fools gambit to think you can just hang out a shingle and start holding people against their will w/o their fighting back once in awhile.
I don't know how I feel about the youths being tried as adults. They are closer in age to 18 than 16, so maybe they should be tried as adults. After watching a Dateline or 48 Hours program March 31st, specifically about youths committing crimes, being tried as adults and spending years in prison, I still don't know how I feel. The death penalty? That simply accompanies the charge of aggravated murder, and how can you call the actions of the youths resulting in the death of Anson anything but aggravated murder? Change of venue? The crime occurred in Cedar City. Anson was a Cedar City resident. Why should the youths be tried anywhere else? The family has rights as victims to follow the steps the justice system will be taking. If losing Anson isn't hardship enough, moving the trial could most certainly add to the familiy's hardship.
I do believe the youths have the right to a fair trial, unfortunately, Anson cannot speak for himself, which means the youths can say whatever they want and we can only hope and pray what they say is true. Same for the witnesses, who are, I would guess, traumatized by what they saw.
Well, having walked a mile more or less in their shoes, I'm guessing the wittnesses were probably more vindicated than traumatized by what they saw. And I'll go further out on a limb and guess that their testimony will be oddly limited, as they will remain in the control of the Program operators to the greatest extent possible; and just for that reason stated above.
When I told the people of Northern Ireland that I was an atheist, a woman in the audience stood up and said, "Yes, but is it the God of the Catholics or the God of the Protestants in whom you don't believe?"
-- Quentin Crisp
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'in all likelihood he was acting in his own defense'??? Please explain to me why it would take such brutal and vicious action as beating someone to DEATH, just to get out of the house? As someone who knew Anson Arnett, well, it's unthinkable that Jesse Simmons or Sean Graham needed to beat him nearly to death and lock him in a closet to get away. It would appear from witness statements that Anson was simply walking up the stairs and I can't believe for one moment that beating him to death was an action taken in self-defense. I was not there either, but I think that Sean Graham and Jesse Simmons could easily have overpowered Anson and made thier getaway without the extreme violence and brutality that resulted in Anson's death. It's disgusting to read the posts that speculate that Anson was a 'brutal bastard' or that he may have provoked this attack???? Disgusting.
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On 2004-04-04 07:23:00, Anonymous wrote:
It's disgusting to read the posts that speculate that Anson was a 'brutal bastard' or that he may have provoked this attack???? Disgusting.
Know what? I feel just the same way whenever I hear about Program people who've ridden their ties right to the top of the heap. Like, for example, when Brother Jeb! declared Straight cofounder, Betty Sembler's birthday a state holliday.
Walk a mile in my shoes, honey!
I stand by my initial assessment. The more important point here is that Anson was not the first and likely will not be the last person injured or killed during an escape from a teen gulag. One of the troubles with the Troubled Parent industry is that they seem to think that good intentions, like the grace of God, cover a multitude of evil. They don't.
Our country has deliberately undertaken a great social and economic experimanet, noble in motive and far-reaching in purpose. [The Eighteenth Amendment, enacting Prohibition.]
Letter to Senator W.H. Borah
--Herbert Hoover (Feb 28, 1928)
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I'm not going back through 16 pages of comments in order to dispell your accusation that "posts speculate that Anson was a 'brutal bastard' or that he may have provoked this attack." I think you are over reacting and misinterpreting what has been said.
If you are new to this industry, then you probably don't understand that the OWNER defines the policies and procedures. The counselors carry them out, and are the ones who deal with the fall out. Many of the p&p are designed to provoke the inmates to anger. Anson was probably just carrying out orders, and unfortunately received the brunt of their anger. He may even have been the one who made the decision to detained the boys longer. I don't know. Do you?
It's quiet common that teens are detained over minor infractions, which can provoke anger, even rage. What was in place to help these two deal with the obvious disappointment and anger that surfaced? The truth is, none of us know what really went down. For all we know, they didn't cheat but were falsely accused in order to detain them longer. Detainment = $$$$. We may never know.
Yeh, the violence and brutality doesn't make sense. But neither does many of the p&p employed in the BM industry.
Don't loose sight of the most important points that have been made here. I'm sure it's easier to direct your anger at the boys, but the program was in violation of regulations that put all involved at risk. Direct your anger and frustration at the owner. Anson should have had another counselor there with him. Obviously important, especially given that the inmates had just learned of their unexpected detainment.
Anson also had options. He could have demanded the owner follow regs and get another counselor in there. Or he could have walked out- refused to work alone. He didn't take care of himself and defered to the owner's poor judgement. It proved to be an unwise choice.
I'm sorry that choice cost him his life, but he knew he was working in violation of regs. He took the risk. If he didn't know, then that is one more violation to chalk up against the owner for not informing his employees of regs- Improper training and enforcement.
I think your anger toward the boys and the posters in this thread is misdirected. How do you feel about the owner's blatant disregard of regulations? Can you fathom the possibility that there wouldn't have been a death if the program was in compliance? THAT'S DISGUSTING !!!
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The death of Anson is tragic, but there are 3 victims here. What are the chances of these boys even getting a fair trial in a small, sleepy whitebread community where there are 16 of these kinds of programs for troubled youth? Remember what happened in the Aaron Bacon/Northstar Expeditions trial in Escanlante? The town folk were extremely biased in favor of the program owner and his wife, who happened to be a home town girl. To them, Aaron Bacon was a druggie and it did not seem to matter to them that he died a prolonged, tortuous death as a result of not receiving life-saving medical attention.
If Anson was the kind of person his family and friends describe, I seriously doubt he would want these boys sentenced to death, or even life in prison. Hate is a terrible injustice. Who is to say these boys intended to murder anybody, least of all their counselor? What if instead of cold-blooded murder, it was an "escape" plan gone tragicaly wrong?
Second, why isn't the program/owner/director facing *criminal* charges for failure to abide by the law? Didn't Anson have a right to work in an environment that met basic/minimal safety standards? Obviously this is a high-risk occupation, as evident by the rules and regulations intended to minimize the risk by insuring that 2 staff members were on duty at ALL TIMES. As we know, there was only 1 person on duty that night. Anson.
God bless him and help his family, friends and the residents of Cedar City to lay down their hate and anger.
:sad:
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You are exactly correct. I know one of the boys. He has been ignored most of his life by parent who really just couldn't be bothered. The parents should be tried with the children, if you ask me, and should share in the sentence. A man died ... who should pay? Everyone in the chain of responsibility, including the parents, and the owner of the group home.
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I know that in one case, the parents simply spent an hour or so looking for places on the internet. They contacted this home, and the next morning the child was picked up and taken from the East Coast to Utah.
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Here are some more facts that may sway your opinion.
The boys were surprised to learn, upon being arrested, that the counselor had died. The counselor had been complaining to friends and colleagues about the quality of the program. The program (and most others like it) appears to have been some sort of organized crime money-maker.
Doesn't seem just a little suspicious to you that when the counselor was killed he was left alone when two counselors were supposed to be one duty, AND the boys had a baseball bat that was supposed to be under lock and key, AND that the other children in the home, who knew what had happened, didn't do anything about it for several hours?
Sounds like someone wanted this counselor dead and made sure nothing was done to save him in time, if you ask me.
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On 2004-03-28 18:14:00, Anonymous wrote:
According to news reports, ALL the boys were sent to MLSA by THEIR PARENTS, none had been sentenced there by a court. "
Not quite: Simmons was "on probation" and was "put there by a Maryland Probation and Parole officer". It was the MP&PO that required that the test be passed prior to being released, and it was the MP&PO that rescheduled their release date for cheating on the test. [data provided by the State of Utah...]
I don't think this is correct. Simmons was from Delaware, the other boy was from Maryland.
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On 2004-03-28 10:54:00, Anonymous wrote:
See below ... just more fodder to the fire, if you ask me, in showing that perhaps someone wanted Anson dead because he had been complaining about the poor quality of that home ... Organized crime doesn't like complainers.
"The owners, operators, Director, and some of the staff knew at least one day BEFORE the murder of Anson Arnett that a "break-out" was planned.
Those clients who were known to be the ones who were going to try to break-out were moved from their usual bedroom to the living room where they were put on "High Watch" status (whatever that is...).
BUT, even though some knew this and took these measures, the owner, Max Ah Quin, and Director, Adam Ah Quin, still put only one staff member on duty that night! - Anson Arnett. (Even though it is against Utah law to have only one staff membmer on duty at ANY time.)
Adam Ah Quin, Director of the MLSA facility told the press that "he 'had a feeling' he should have taken that shift that night" (or something to that effect).
Ya right - He knew goddamned well that that night was going to be a higher risk night than a normal night, and yet he put only one staff membmer on duty that night. And when the two eyewitnesses ran to his home to get help from him, he was not home!
Where the hell was Adam Ah Quin when he knew the facility was going to be under siege and he had only one staff membmer, Anson Arnett, on duty?
Sean Graham's step-sister/lover posted here that SHE knew at least two days BEFORE the murder that he was pissed about not being able to get out and go see her when originally scheduled, and that he was so insensed about it that he would not let anything get in his way.
She was in NH/Deleware(?) and he was in Utah.
How many others across the nation knew about the planned "jailbreak of 8 March 2004", that resulted in the murder of Anson Arnett?
How many more goddamned shitheads are there in this country that are culpable in this murder?
Ya suppose the Ah Quins called the state and told them too? "Hey guys, there's going to be a jail break tonight; make sure you're out of town and the phone's off the hook"!
Rotten f**king bastards...
"
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More from Amy Joi:
http://http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595057924,00.html
Group homes' permits at issue
By Amy Joi Bryson
Deseret Morning News
Cedar City officials want lawmakers to review licensing requirements for group homes in light of a March 8 attack on a youth counselor that left the 31-year-old dead.
The request to invoke more stringent standards was made before the Health and Human Services interim committee Wednesday by Sen. Tom Hatch, R-Panguitch, who said he was approached by Cedar City Attorney Paul Bittmenn.
"We should look at security issues and the training of staff, putting more emphasis on these matters before granting a license," Hatch told lawmakers.
Two teenage boys are accused of beating the counselor in an atmosphere state officials say lacked adequate supervision and security controls.
Although the state revoked the license of the Maximum Life Skills Academy for three serious rule violations, Hatch said the owners are now trying to seek a new license for another home in a different location.
That effort has Cedar City officials concerned because a license could be granted if the minimum state standards are met.
"I have spoken to Adam Arnett (the brother of the deceased), and he indicates this attempt to relicense under a new name is a slap in the face to the family," Bittmenn wrote in his letter to Hatch.
What compounds the proliferation of group homes and other private programs for youths is that cities have very little say about their location, with deference given to the state, Hatch said.
As example, he pointed to the placement in Parowan of a group home for sex offenders next to an elementary school.
"It is kind of like holding an AA meeting at the bar."
Committee member Rep. Mike Thompson, R-Orem, agreed to help facilitate getting the study under way but says it needs to be broadened to include all youth programs for troubled children, not just group homes.
"I think we need to look at all of them ? the regulations, the limitations and what impacts these have in our communities."
If Utah lawmakers agree to take up the request to probe licensing issues related to group homes and private programs for troubled teens, they will join New York officials who also have regulatory concerns.
Those concerns stem from an alleged assault of a 17-year-old who authorities say was beaten while handcuffed and being transported to a private youth program near the Canadian border.
The transport service is based in St. George, Utah, and was hired by the parents to transport the teen to a program affiliated with World Wide Association of Speciality Programs and Schools (WWASPS).
WWASPS was founded by Utahn Robert Lichfield and is also headquartered in St. George.
New York officials are investigating to determine if both the school and the transport service may be in violation of statutory requirements regarding criminal background checks on the drivers and the nature of the education at the school.
Thompson believes similar preliminary research should be conducted by the Office of Legislative Research to determine if criminal background checks are being required in Utah for transport services.
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:exclaim: :exclaim: :exclaim: :exclaim:
Many of the programs in Utah are extremely abusive behavior modification centers. They charge outrageous fees to change behavior and values (often more than $10,000 per month) It is truly sad that a counselor died. He may have been an incredible person. But there have been numerous reports of children who have died at the hands of abusive and negligent residential staff members as well. Some of the children in these more abusive facilities go into a psychological state called "survival mode." They actually fear for their own lives and can do very irrational things in this self-preservation state. Before hanging these boys it is essential to find out what they had experienced while they were in one of Utah's private prisons. More of this is going to happen because the authorities are doing nothing to protect children in these places. The only rules they must abide by are utah core-rules. I don't know anything about that facility - but I do know that nearly two dozen facilities in Utah have been identified as abusive. This list can be found at:
http://beyondbusiness.net/index2.htm (http://beyondbusiness.net/index2.htm) (there is a link to this)
More on Gulag schools can be found at:
http://www.teenliberty.org (http://www.teenliberty.org)
I hope that justice will be served as more is learned about this horrible tragedy. My heart goes out to the families of the man who was injured and to the families of the boys who made an irrational and deadly decision in their effort to escape for whatever reason. Something needs to be done in the state of Utah to better protect children and staff members alike. If there are indeed 196 facilities in Utah - there is a huge problem. I was told by the supervisor of the facility licensing department that there are only 70. There are huge problems with the problem teen industry in Utah, particularly since the supervisor of licensing L.J. Dunsmann doesn't even know how many facilities are in existance. I've often thought of paying for a billboard in Utah that reads- WELCOME TO UTAH --HOME OF INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD ABUSE - ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK. It happens to be the most right-wing state in the entire nation and I truly fear that the boys will not get a fair trial. It will be interesting to find out what it was that drove them to such a desperate act. Please keep us informed and updated. :smile: Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose, and you allow him to make war at pleasure. Study to see if you can fix any limit to his power in this respect, after having given him so much as you propose. If today he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him,--"I see no probability of the British invading us"; but he will say to you, "Be silent: I see it, if you don't."
--Abraham Lincoln
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"If you lack wisdom ask of God and it shall be given to you."[ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-04-24 23:11 ][ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-04-24 23:12 ]
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On 2004-04-24 22:57:00, cherish wisdom wrote:
" :exclaim: :exclaim: :exclaim: :exclaim:
It happens to be the most right-wing state in the entire nation and I truly fear that the boys will not get a fair trial. It will be interesting to find out what it was that drove them to such a desperate act. Please keep us informed and updated. :smile:
We don't really know for sure that the boys were the ones to kill the guy. As I understand it, there's a whole lot of unexplained time between the boys' departure and anyone calling for help.
for nothing can keep it right but their own vigilant and distrustful superintendence.
--Thomas Jefferson
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Thanks. I'd really like to know more about this incident. The state of Utah needs to give these kids some way out of an abusive program. Often they are sick and are deprived of medical care. Some are abused emotionally, psychologically, physcially and sexually. They are not allowed telephone or Internet access and their mail is often censored and phone calls home are infrequent and also often monitored. Freedom is an inate instinct for all animals. We've read reports where trapped animals have actually bitten off their own legs to free themselves.
I have communicated with the Director of Human Services in Utah and have asked him to put pay phones in these facilities and have an omsbudman service - a toll-free abuse hotline that children can call when they feel their human rights are being violated. His reply was sarcastic and condescending. I urge all of you to send letters to the editors of the newpapers in Utah and encourage the leaders to do something to make these 196 residential facilities safer for children and staff. The kids need to have some way to communicate with the outside world.
For all we know these boys were being raped by the staff at this school. These children live in constant fear. I know there have been posts about how wonderful this man was - and perhaps he was as perfect as they claim. Then again, everyone thought Ted Bundy was a great guy. No one could believe that he was a serial murderer. No one knows what drove these two boys to violently escape this facility. Children who try to escape are severely punished for months thereafter.
I do want to know more about this story because my child also tried to escape. If anyone has any links to more comprehensive coverage please post them. Thanks. :smile: I would rather be exposed to the inconveniencies attending too much
liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.
--Thomas Jefferson, 1791, in a letter to Archibald Stuart
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You gotta be kidding me. The Ah Quins I have met and known which is all of them are people who are trying to help kids. Its funny when somthing bad happens there is nothing good they have ever done in their life. I know the Ah Quins feel bad for what has happen to Anson. But if Anson was unhappy and did not feel safe with his job and was doing it for 6 months did he feel safe? Did he like the Ah Quins? Did he trust those boys as well as did the Ah Quins? Are the Ah Quins the one who used the bat? Please people be smart. This was a horrible TRAGEDY for the Arnett family as well as the Ah Quin family.
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Why did the AhQuin owner of Maximum Skills Academy think it was okay to violate a licensing rule as important as having 2 staff members on duty AT ALL TIMES?
Second, why did the other boys run all the way to HIS HOUSE instead of seeking IMMEDIATE emergency medical assistance for Mr. Arnett? As I understand it, this resulted in a 1 and1/2 hour delay in getting help for the counselor. Doesn't that sound just a bit strange to you?
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Everyone who knew Ted Bundy thought he was an excelent person as well. There is much more to this story and obviously the public are not being informed. So far I have not heard anything from the boys who actually witnessed this. It appears that this facility used behavior modification which can be abusive. Apparently there were several licensing violations that were overlooked which is common place in Utah.
Obvioulsy there was not suffieicent supervision if these boys were able to hide a baseball bat. Was this a locked house - obviously the closet was locked. I also want to know why the police weren't called as soon as the other counselor was notified by the boys. It seems they may have been afraid of punishment if they went to a neighbor's house for help. This does not add up. Something was serioulsy wrong and the public has a right to know. When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl.
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Anonymous . . . for obvious reasons
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From what source do you gather that 'it appears that behavior modification was being used'? From what source do you draw your comparison of Anson Arnett to Ted Bundy? Did you know Anson? I'm curious as to why you would compare someone whom you did not know to a well-known serial killer? Am I missing something?
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I was not comparing Ted Bundy to Mr. Arnet. I was just making a point that sometimes we don't really know anyone because we can't read minds.
I gathered that Maximum Life Skills Academy was a behavior modification program from the website. It was subtle, but those of us who have been fooled before know determine if the facility uses BM. Read on....
This is from the MLSA website:
The mission of Maximum Life Skills Academy is to teach every young man the importance of their unique individuality. In addition to a top notch academic environment, we teach our students a different, yet positive way of looking at themselves. Yes, there are behavioral problems that will need to be replaced by productive habits.
This system of positive reinforcement is used to encourage good habits and drown out the negative ones. This techniquie of helping your son to find his own individual worth is a unique aspect of Maximum Life Skills Academy that separates us from all other programs
Here they point out that they use a "system of positive reinforcement..used to encourage good habits and drown out the negative ones..this is a unique aspect of MLSA that separates us from all other programs."
The use of the word "drown" is violent - like kill, murder, snuff out. It's obvious that this was a BMP (behavior modification program) In addition the website points out that there is little contact with parents. Reports are given to them by staff. The website looks much better than the actual program. I'm not sure if Ah Quin was associated with the WWASP organization or not. If so, then he probably used the same techniques that are also used at the notoriously abusive Provo Canyon School (which I am very familiar with) The fact that the boys must stay 9 months or longer also indicates that they are doing more than just getting these kids sober - they are messing with their minds and values.
This can be damaging psychologically and emotionally.
When a human being is kept in a locked environment and denied basic human rights and freedoms - it is human nature - to want to escape. Anyone keeping them locked in may be seen as the enemy. Anson may have been a fine individual - He probably was not abusive to the boys and he probably was not using them sexually - he was just there - and these boys had the desire to escape as a result of being told that they had to stay longer in this locked environment. To them - Anson may have been seen as the enemy. Obviously they didn't have a good relationship with him. Again, they may have been cold hearted, cold blooded killers. Without more information about what was done behind those locked doors it is hard to know. They may have been sexually, physically, psychologically and emotionally abused at this program. They were locked in and had little contact with the outside world. Perhaps their escape was justified - perhaps you would have done the same in their situation.
All I am trying to say is that we can't jump to conclusions before we know more. We do know that the facility was flagrantly violating State law by having only one staff member for the night shift. Also that staff member was never cleared to make sure he wasn't a felon or child molester. Not to say that he was - it was just that this program was obvioulsy not obeying the law. So if they weren't obeying a simple law like having two staff members, then they may have been violating many other laws and codes.
What happened was a tragedy for everyone - Anson, The Ah Quins, the boys and all of the families involved. Still we can't march these boys before a Utah firing squad before all of the facts are known. So far it seems as though there is a serious cover-up (which is common in Utah)
Duct tape is like the force; it has a light side and a dark side and it holds the universe together.
--Jedi Knight school drop out.
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I just added an improvement to the search function. You can now search on whole phrases in addition to "any term" and "all terms"
So you can search on ah quin to find out what has been posted in these forums already.
Now to do the pager for those incredibly large searches.
History gives us a kind of chart, and we dare not surrender even a small rushlight in the darkness. The hasty reformer who does not remember the past will find himself condemned to repeat it.
--John Buchan
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The firing squad was abolished in this year's legistlative session. Maybe they'll get a slap on the wrist and the walk free to continue living thier lives as though nothing happened.
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A slap on the wrist...not in Utah. of course the counselors responsible for the deaths of several children in their care got slaps on the wrist - or no charges at all - who knows? :???:
Necessity never made a good bargain
--Benjamin Franklin Apr. 1734
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i was actually wondering if anyone had heard what the sentencing might be for the boys?
unfortuntaley, i knew one of the boys, i am from delaware but i am going to remain anonymous. it was a great tragedy, and it saddens me greatly because when i was friends with him, he was one of the nicest peopel i knew. it was quite a shock..
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He's probably a good kid - who lost it. You need to understand that there are many very abusive behavior modification programs in the state of Utah. These boys had been in this program for over 6 months and were looking forward to going home. There were only 6 boys in this residential program - with a capacity of 11. Ironically the administrator told the parents that the boys were not ready to come home because they had cheated on a test. You need to realize that staff do provoke kids in these programs. They had recently been told that they were going to have to stay longer. Sometimes kids are in these programs until they turn 18. This is a very profitable business. Each child is worth $4000 to as much as $13,000 per month. So it's no wonder that parents are told that their children are not ready to leave. Sometimes they are told that if they take them out it will be AMA (against medical advice) -
I know this happens because it happened to me and my child. My child also tried to escape after being severely abused in the punitive Provo Canyon School. She had never hit anyone in her life - she was very passive and non assertive with others. Yet - when a person is in fear of their life or sanity they will do irrational things. What happens to people in these abusive situations? They go into a psychological state called "survival mode." In this state they will do and say anything to stay alive - even hit someone over the head with a baseball bat in an effort to escape.
My guess is that the boys were being abused. There have been hundreds of reports of beatings, sexual assault, rape, molestation, forced druggings, denial of medical care, isolation and seclusion for long period of time and many other abuses. There 196 programs in Utah and the authorities rarely do anything to crack down on abuses unless there is a death. If any good can come of this tragedy, hopefully more will be done to regulate these programs to better protect both staff and student. All I ask is equal freedom. When it is denied, as it always is, I take it anyhow.
--H.L. Mencken
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Dead kids don't influence lawmakers, but maybe dead counselors do, is that it?
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Dead kids don't influence lawmakers, but maybe dead counselors do, is that it?
In Utah this is a BREAD AND BUTTER industry. From what I've read (and there is not much out there) the DA is seeking the DEATH PENALTY and charging them as adults. Now Aaron Bacon was litterally tortured, starved, denied life saving medical care, forced to eat cactus, lizards and scorpions in a youth wilderness program for nearly a month (until he died while being ridiculed) and most of those responsible got off with community service. One was sentenced to jail for one year. Now the authorities want the DEATH PENALTY for these boys. The locals also want to see them pay with their lives. In fact several have expressed a desire to see the firing squad reinstated just for these boys - to see their bodies riddled with bullets.
If these boys get a fair trial in hickville it will be a miracle. There are far to many people who are involved in this teen industry in some way or another. It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.
Thomas Jefferson
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The parents of the 2 boys and the counselor should sue the state of Utah for not enforcing their own licensing standards and they should sue the program for being in violation of those licensing standards.
THAT would move this whole issue into the national arena.
:eek:
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Those parents need to be concerned about providing an excellent defence for their sons. They are trapped in a time-warp right wing State with an ultra-conservative jury pool. If those boys were abused in any way they need to bring it out into the open. If they were abused the charges will be minimized because the State of Utah does not want the masses to realize that Utah condones and allows teen programs to torture youth - this would be bad for business and the economy. People may think twice before sending their offspring to a program in Utah.
I still don't know what their motives were, but the authorities sure put a lid on the other 4 boys who were witnesses to all of this. If this goes to court there will be a media circus - the DA does not want that because all of Utah's dirty secrets will be plastered in every newspaper across the country. Not good for business![ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-05-05 17:50 ]
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True enough, but the best defense is a strong offense and if these boys parents sue the state of Utah, the house of cards will finally coming crashing down, whether they win or not.
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As a matter of Law - suing the State of Utah would not work out for these boys. They have been charged with a capital crime. They need to have a good defense for these crimes first - and if successful then they would have standing for a lawsuit against the state. Right now they don't have any standing to sue the state. The family of Anson could have standing though - since the licensing board had sited them for several violations. They also have standing against the Ah Quins (especially) since this director was aware of the unsafe condition and did nothing to correct it. The children who are abused in these facilities also have standing because the authorities do nothing to protect them from abusive conditions. What is needed is a huge class action lawsuit. Bring together all of those who have reported abuse to the authorities - all of these reports have probably been filed but poorly investigated if at all.
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It sounds like you must be related to these boys. One these boys did cheat, they admitted to cheating on some test. Two they chose to hit Anson with a bat! the owners did not give those a bat to murder Anson. Obvioulsy these boys were in a youth program for help becauseof there upbringing. Three they worked with Anson for over 6 months so was there trust there between the staff and students. And if you read the States P&P its totaly misleading. Even if they had another staff on you know that staff would of been allowed to be asleep. So we would have 2 dead staff now! It ultimatly is those boys who knew for 2 weeks they were gonna stay longer which now they proved who they were. They were not ready for society.The owners knew that and their parents did too.
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Seeing as how there was an hour and a half between the time the boys left and anyone even bothered to call the cops, how do you know either one of them even hit the guy?
Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
--Thomas Paine
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Cherish, I ac respect what you have to say. But I can tell you these boys definantly were not abused. I worked with these boys and saw these boys at the gym everyday. I was not employed by Maximum Life Skills but I saw alot of love and attention given to bot these to boys. What happened was a tragedy and I wish it never had happened, but they did what they chose to do. "You have the freedom to choose your action, But you don't have the freedom to choose your cosequence"... This program ran there program more like a big brother program I knew alot of there staff members including Anson. These boys use to do cruel things to the other boys in the program I know it cause I saw it just at the gym. At the gym they always had 2 people minimum if not 3 with there staff I use to see the director at Wal-Mart with all 11 boys with his staff shopping the boys picking out what they want to make and eat. I think everyone has had a bad thought of what this program was trying to do. I guess im bias becuase I saw from first hand how these boys were treated. I support this program and feel terribly awful for the Arnett family. I feel soorry for these 2 boys and there families. This whole thing maybe could have been avoided if they did have 2 staff on at night. But whose to say we wouldnt of have 2 dead staff? All I want is justice to be served to the people who caused this great tragedy. I truly believe that you cannot judge people for somonelses actions. Its not fair to the parents of these 2 boys to call the parents abusive, and maybe eemotionally and physically abusive who knows. And why did the program only have one staff on at graveyard shift for the pass 2 years? and the State did nothing about it. Why did the State revoke their license when they had all the previous violations? This whole situation is sad and very disgusting. I wish the best for the Arnett family and admire your patience and love of life for your son and brother. I heard Anson loved his job and those boys who took his life. Were those boys that bad? Why did the parents choose that program if they knew there sons were that violent. Did the parents come and check out the facility first? Its in a regular neighborhood. I believe the program was in compliance and had 1 worker for 6 boys at a graveyard shift. (The boys staying longer) The program has a warranty if your son completes the program and is sent home by the program if he falls back into lieing, stealing, CHEATING, curfew problems Maximum Life Skills Academy will bring him back for FREE! no money out of pocket from the parents. I'm pretty sure M.L.S.A. is the only program with that warranty, and the parents of those 2 boys knew that the warranty was not going to be up held so the parents along with M.L.S.A. wanted them to stay to complete the program successfully. The school teacher caught those 2 boys cheating they have the paper work to prove it. So if your in a program and ready to go home because I faked it this whole time and was caught cheating 1 week befor I go home I should get a Certificate of Completion? Is that honorable? So what would you do? As far as I know these 2 boys did the CRIME!!! the program might have been in violation for not having another staff member on, but was it the programs action that took the life of Anson Arnett? NO! it was the idea and actions of these 2 boys. GUILTY!!! As CHARGED! I feel for them but did they feel for Anson when they struck him in the head? not once...but twice if not a 3rd or 4th. And then they looted the whole place. Truthfully these boys had a problem bigger then there parents even realized. The Ahquins should sue the parents for not indulging there sons true criminal backgrounds if not psyscological and mental past history. And how can you blame the Ahquins they sent home numerous amounts of boys and all are a success not one has came back. I hope there academy can survive through this awful event caused by 2 young men. I can attest to the program sincerity. They tried there hardest dont punish the people who tried to help. God bless everyone!
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On 2004-05-10 12:35:00, Anonymous wrote:
I'm pretty sure M.L.S.A. is the only program with that warranty,
No, you're mistaken. I know the WWASP programs have the same or similar "warranty" and so did The Seed and Straight. Only it's not a warranty, of course. It's a threat that parents and/or POs can hang over a kid's head, sometimes for years, after they've completed a program.
It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
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On 2004-05-10 13:08:00, Antigen wrote:
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On 2004-05-10 12:35:00, Anonymous wrote:
I'm pretty sure M.L.S.A. is the only program with that warranty,
No, you're mistaken. I know the WWASP programs have the same or similar "warranty" and so did The Seed and Straight. Only it's not a warranty, of course. It's a threat that parents and/or POs can hang over a kid's head, sometimes for years, after they've completed a program.
It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Fine-print wise, the WWASPS warranty is not nearly as "good" as it sounds. First, your child MUST graduate from the program...a nice cushion of protection for WWASPS because I have heard that only about 10% of their charges do go on to graduate. [Either parents run out of money, or they give up on the Program, etc.] So, after investing, say, $75K, you get home a kid who still stays out past curfew and now is refusing to clean his room every Saturday. Send him back?
WWASPS uses this situation fully, understanding that only a tiny fraction of their "graduates" [kids who have suffered for such a prolonged time and finally cave to the ideology of WWASPS] would become defiant enough within the 6-month post-graduate period to risk getting sent back. For the ones who do, WWASPS takes them back for a "refresher" period of 90 days without cost (at least without tuition, since other additional charges represent as much as half the monthly costs, and those presumably continue when you kid is being thumped with a "refresher" course). Just on a whim, consider how many of those "retreads" are fully indoctrinated within an additional 90 days, and how many do you suppose still aren't "fully baked" [term WWASPS uses] to exist in their parents' home as an robot for the rest of their "childhood". Of course, when the 90-day warranty period expires, the parents once again step up to the till and pay the man.
Parents may hold the warranty over a kid's head, but the kid may not know that the Program warranty really doesn't mean a thing. Of course, there's the mom (sic) who sent her daughter and then son to Tranquility Bay, threatened him continually with sending him back, until he stood before her and shot himself in the head. This warranty is a strong advertising point, but it has so many disclaimers and provisions that it sounds like the infamous rebates on computer purchases. The Program searches long and hard to find "irregularities" that might cause it to give away some prison time it might be able to charge $15,000 for (3 months).
My child's "buddy", the girl who shadowed her for her first couple of weeks at Casa by the Sea, was a Level V. This girl had been there more than 2 years, and my kid saw her as a real friend, especially since there was no once else to cling to in this hateful place and no talking or communication was allowed with other "students". This girl finally did graduate, and showed up 3 months later back at Casa, as a warranty case working up from Level I all over again. My kid wonders aloud, "I wonder where she is now".
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One thing I forgot...
A family/friend had their son at Casa by the Sea, and were disturbed by the tone of his censored communications...so much so that, after 3 months, they drove down to Ensenada to visit and check with him personally. When they arrived, they were forbidden to see him, with the explicit statement that doing so would VOID THEIR WWASPS WARRANTY. This is not written anywhere in the contract, addendums, or rules. (It's called "make it up as you go along".) They sadly settled on watching him for a short time through a one-way mirror.
Within a number of days after returning home, they decided to take him home. When they arrived to retrieve him, he was brought into the lobby area to await his meager belongs being packed by staff. He used the lobby/public restroom and came out amazed that there was toilet paper available. Like my child, he probably only was given what the staff wanted to box up, the remainder disappearing into oblivion, staff-land, or whoever wanted it most.
If warranties apply to 10% of WWASPS students (those who graduate at Level VI), that makes it about 200 available (10% of 2000 kids in WWASPS facilities at any one time). If you factor in the short time period the warranty is offered, that makes it, maybe, 20 kids bold/bad enough to even qualify to be returned (10% of graduates coming home). If you factor in the rotten parents who would actually send their kids off again, that makes it, say, 4 kids (25% of "eligible" graduates). Seems like an awful lot of advertising space given over to the remote possibility of providing 90 days of torture for less than half-a-dozen kids a year.
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They use that "warranty" as a strong selling point. Also, the "parent support" available in the groups and on the BBS; also, the seminars; All are presented as major advantages over all other programs; and ALL are to the Program's advantage only, In My Opinion.
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The Annonymous Cedar City resident who knows so much wrote:
So if your in a program and ready to go home because I faked it this whole time and was caught cheating 1 week befor I go home I should get a Certificate of Completion? Is that honorable? So what would you do? As far as I know these 2 boys did the CRIME!!! the program might have been in violation for not having another staff member on, but was it the programs action that took the life of Anson Arnett? NO! it was the idea and actions of these 2 boys. GUILTY!!! As CHARGED
As I've said in previous posts - it will be difficult for these boys to get a fair trial in this community. Here, a townsperson claims, "guilty as charged!" This is not the American way - sorry - it is INNOCENT until PROVEN GUILTY. It seems this was not MURDER - assault - yes. If it had been murder - why would they have put him in the closet? It seems he was put in a closet to prevent him from spilling the beans after he came to. Also - why haven't we heard from the actual witnesses - the other boys? to.
There have been numerous reports of serious abuse at these types of youth programs in UTAH. As I said earlier - Utahans must not forget the children who died at the hands of abusive staff members who beat them, starved them, denied them life saving medical care, denied them water. These abuses are real, documented in court and police reports. To the annoymous cedar city folks - open up your eyes and read about the deaths and abuse of all of the children who came to your state for therapy. ALL OF THESE UTAH FACILITIES SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN. SHOW ME ONE THAT IS not abusive. This program sounds like an abusive behavior modification program. Read about the death of NIC CONTRERAZ. Every one of the boys testified that staff had ignored his week long plea for medical care and treatment. Instead they beat him, forced him to excercise while he had breathing problems, forced him to put his head into a bucket filled with feces and vomit. These staff also beat boys - pushed them into the walls and beat their heads against walls. They even broke a wall as a result of pusing one of the boys. These staff members are examples of the types of people the teen industry looks for. They don't want nice.
I still remember applying for a job at a now closed facility in California. Right away the interviewer told me - "you are too nice, you wont be able to set limits." He was able to see that I was the type of person who would not abuse the kids - he could sence that I had ethics and would be the type of person who would not hessitate to report the abuse I observed. This industry looks for people who can either inflict abuse or look the other way when kids are being abused. I suspect this was an abusive program. It will take more than the testimony of a naive resident of Cedar City Utah to change my opinion. There are just too many reports of abuse and the children have no way to report their abuse. Obviously the other boys in this program were inhibited for some reason from getting help for over 2 hours. When they did alert another employee - this employee had to go and check out the story first - instead of immediately calling the police. All of these things worked against the survival of this individual, Mr. Arnett - because time was of the essence.
These programs are big money makers - each child has a price tag. It's all about money. Many who work in the problem teen industry are sadistic perverts. Look at what was done to the prisoners in Iraq. Some of those who were responsible had been previously employed in corrections. This industry attracts sadists, masochists, perverts and pediophiles. I'm not saying this gentleman who died was one of these types - he may be have been a great person. Was he gay? Was he a pedeophile? Maybe not - but this is an important question that must be asked. Where these boys abused - maybe not - but this question must also be answered. I don't want to hear these answers from someone who was employed at the facility. I, for one, want to hear these answers from the students who attended this program and the actual boys involved. The people of Utah are biased since thousands are employed in the teen-help industry in some capacity.
The venue for this trial must be changed - this can not take place in Cedar City - for obvious reasons. The internet interprets censorship as damage and routes around it.
--John Gilmour
[ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-05-12 03:39 ]
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To the anonymous CEDAR CITY GYM boy:
YOU SAY YOU WANT JUSTICE! There has been no justice for all of the children who have been tortured in these youth programs in the state of Utah. This should be an embarassment to a state where 50% of the population are members of a church that professes to abhor child abuse and torture and unrigheous dominion. OPEN your eyes and read about the torturous deaths of Aaron Bacon and Michelle Sutton. There are many others. These children not only died horrid and painful deaths - they suffered for days, if not weeks. The last words that they heard while on this earth were words of ridicule and cruelty. If there is any justice in the State of Utah - those responsible would have been imprissoned. WELL - they were not. The most any staff member has been punished for participating in the torture death of a youth in one of the many programs in Utah was ONE YEAR - and that was for one of the staff members responsible for the painful and inhumane treatment and resultant death of Aaron Bacon. READ THE ACTUAL COURT RECORDS - it's all there in black and white. In many of the deaths charges were dropped or not even filed.
You also said that you saw the director in WAL MART with all 11 boys. Do you even read the local paper? There were only 6 boys in the program. This is why the director wanted to keep these boys in the program an additional $10,000 per month. It's all about money. THIS IS AN EVIL INDUSTRY that preys on families in crisis. There have been hundreds of former students who have reported their abusive treatment in Utah based youth programs.
Majestic has many of the characteristics of all of the other abusive programs. It is apparent that a lid has been placed on this case by those in UTAH who desire to keep the status quo.
These boys deserve a fair trial with an unbiased and impartial jury pool. They will not get this in Cedar City Utah.
It is not fair to place blame on parent for the waywardness of youth. It happens in the best of homes because it is NORMAL. These boys did something stupid in a desparate effort to escape. We don't know if they were being sexually, psychologically or physically abused. Perhaps this will come out in trial.
There is such an obvious bias now that the tables are turned. Remember all of the children who have died and the hundreds who've had their bodies bashed, drugged and beaten.
These children have no way out of these abusive programs. They can't pick up a phone and dial
1-800 sav a kid. They can't use the internet and e-mail child protective services or an attorney when they are being beaten, starved and neglected in unimaginably inhumane ways.
People of Cedar City - is there JUSTICE - was there JUSTICE for Aaron, Michele and Ian. Was there JUSTICE for Nic Contreraz in Arizona? These children suffered agonizing deaths and were denied life saving medical care.
There programs frequently deprive children of appropriate medical care for a REASON. THEY do not want the medical professionals to report them to child protective services when they see all of the brusing, abrasions and hear the testimonies of these scared children. If this were to happen they would loose money and that wouldn't be good for business.
This industry is NOT ABOUT HELPING KIDS get on the right track - ITS ALL ABOUT MAKING MONEY - lots of it. Most of the directors of these fraudulent programs don't have any type of professional degree and the techniques used to change behavior boarder on human torture and are probably a violation of international law.
These children and their families deserve better. Majestic Ranch was a fraud. It wasn't a ranch - it was a house in a residential neighborhood with a security lock-down system. AHQUIN was stuffing his wallet with hundred dollar bills. Each boy represented an income of $5,000 per month. How many people make $5,000 per month in Utah, let alone $55,000? This is what he would have made if all 11 boys were enrolled. He was only making $30,000 and was below capacity. Did he want to loose that $10,000 per month? Of course not. This was about money, torture, dominion, fraud.
I know for a fact that staff lie to parents to keep kids in programs longer. ESPECIALLY when they are not at capacity.
If the personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution inhibit the
government's ability to govern the people, we should look to limit those guarantees.
--President Bill Clinton
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Cherish Wisdom - you would have a better chance keeping kids out of programs if you focused on exposing the network of ed cons and independent referral services for their role in helping these programs meet their enrollment capacity. Where do you think the majority of these programs get their meal tickets????? Come now, wake up and smell the greased palms.
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On 2004-05-12 08:26:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Cherish Wisdom - you would have a better chance keeping kids out of programs if you focused on exposing the network of ed cons and independent referral services for their role in helping these programs meet their enrollment capacity. Where do you think the majority of these programs get their meal tickets????? Come now, wake up and smell the greased palms."
Does anybody have a handle on how most of these kids get sent to behavior modification facilities? Even an anecdotal guess would be informative. How many parents respond to ads in Sunset and Southern Living? How many kids are adjudicated, sent by some court authority as an alternative to jail? How many referrals from "satisfied parents" wanting a hefty kickback to lessen their own monetary obligation? How many go because their parents fill out a form from the programs, and...guess what?...their kids suits the problem profile to a "T"? How many have to leave their home environment because their parents spent hours upon hours on the Internet, whining to other clueless people like the strugglingteens.com cronies?
I didn't even know such a thing as an Educational Consultant existed until I was months into the WWASPS experience. I suspect aiming at this tiny segment is #1)worthless because their impact is statistically so small, and #2) a dandy diversionary tactic of deflecting heat off the true perpetrators in this industry.
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I agree that educational consultants who recommend these facilities are part of the problem - again cashing in on families in crisis. Many of these consulting firms are part of the teen help umbrella (all bad in my opinion). Most families and children go in like lambs to the slauter - without a clue of the horrors associated with this terrible industry. I don't think I'm warning anyone here on this site - most of you know what's going on. There is a huge problem - the majority of Americans are not aware that this is happening. Look at the websites for these facilities and the reports from "educational consultants." They are fraudlent and deceptive. People just buy into this.
I think that all right-thinking people in this country are sick and tired of being told that ordinary, decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I'm certainly not! But I'm sick and tired of being told that I am!
-- Monty Python
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I didn't even know such a thing as an Educational Consultant existed until I was months into the WWASPS experience. I suspect aiming at this tiny segment is #1)worthless because their impact is statistically so small, and #2) a dandy diversionary tactic of deflecting heat off the true perpetrators in this industry.
You "suspect" :lol:
I did not know the industry existed until I met an ed con. The diversinary tactic you speak of is it that of diverting teens from one set of programs into another?
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Ian August,(deceased) referred by Educational Consultant to Skyline Journey (license revoked)
Ryan Lewis,(deceased) referred by Educational Consultant to Alldredge Academy (aka Ayne Institute)
Joseph Giannone, referred by Educational Consultant to Ayne Institute. Parents filed lawsuit alleging negligence and fraud.
2 kids dead, 1 seriously injured.
And that's the SHORT LIST.
:flame:
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Not to change the subject from CEDAR CITY - but many therapists and psychiatrists are also recommending residential therapy to families. It's a new TREND in the psych industry as more of these facilities become available. Unfortunately families are not warned of the dangers. Just look at the web site for this Majesitc Ranch facility.
When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl.
--
Anonymous . . . for obvious reasons
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On 2004-05-12 20:23:00, Anonymous wrote:
"I didn't even know such a thing as an Educational Consultant existed until I was months into the WWASPS experience. I suspect aiming at this tiny segment is #1)worthless because their impact is statistically so small, and #2) a dandy diversionary tactic of deflecting heat off the true perpetrators in this industry.
You "suspect" :roll:
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I did not know the industry existed until I met an ed con.
I need some help understanding your situation. Do people really consult/buy the services of an educational consultant without knowing that behavior modification facilities exist and have a bad reputation? Wouldn't a parent do a little research on their own on what to do with their kid (the Internet and Google, for example) before finding an ed con? How DO you find an ed con, anyway? Do they advertise? Where? Are there educational consultants who "help" parents find just regular boarding schools, those stone-wall edifices that can really give your kid a good education, one that can guarantee acceptance to an Ivy League university? The only ed cons I know about are those referred to on this forum...e.g., Lon Woodbury and Sue Scheff, etc. They seem to specialize in "therapeutic" solutions. Do they do other "more regular" referrals? I'm not understanding what you say about not knowing "the industry" existed until you met an ed con. What were you meeting an ed con for, anyway?
The diversinary tactic you speak of is it that of diverting teens from one set of programs into another? "
By diversionary tactic... I mean that getting all worked up about ed cons is energy better spent getting all worked up about "the industry". If we have a finite amount of energy to devote to stopping this abusive "industry", I feel it is counter-productive to spend much on beating up educational consultants. Yes, they're bad, but it seems to me ("I suspect") it's a lot like killing the messenger. As I said (and you quoted me), attacking the ed cons with gusto while overlooking the Utah brigade is "a dandy diversionary tactic of deflecting heat off the true perpetrators in this industry". That's shooting a flame-thrower at the marionette (ed con) while the puppeteer happily pulls strings hiding behind the fireproof curtain.
If you are a regular reader of this forum, you should know that's how I feel (unless this is the first post from Spots you have ever read). "Diverting teens from one set of programs into another?" Well, I really can't deal with that statement, since it comes out of left field and is obviously not my often-stated sentiment. I said I thought attacking ed cons was a waste of time. Pretty straight-forward. Nothing was said about the strategy of diverting teens from one program to another, except for the quote above, and again, I really don't understand what you're talking about.
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CW and Spots - you are kidding yourselves if you think ed cons and independent referral agents aren't benefiting from the negative publicity surrounding this industry. In fact, they are laughing all the way to the bank.
Fear (like greed) is good.
Scaring parents is not going to shut down the industry any time soon, but it sure is helping to fatten the bank accounts of ed cons and independent referral agents who charge big bucks to give these "scared" parents a false sense of security about their program-of-choice.
:tup: :tup: :tup: :tup: :tup: :tup: :tup:
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It is NOT a waste of time focusing attention on ed cons and independent referral agents who have not just cashed in on the troubled parent industry, they helped to create it! Ed cons do not just refer to therapeutic programs. They refer to behavior mod programs, boot camps, faith-based schools, group homes, etc. Skyline Journey was a wilderness program, not a therapeutic boarding school. Independent Referral Agents operate below the radar, collecting placement fees from the programs, themselves. Activists and advocates should be pushing to have this practice exposed for what it really is, not downplaying it, or dismissing it all-together as a non-issue.
Troubled Parent Industry, indeed. Ka-Ching!!!
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FYI Spots, Sue Scheff (PURE) is not an educational consultant. Read this:
http://helpyourteens.com/news/may_june_ ... etter.html (http://helpyourteens.com/news/may_june_2002_newsletter.html)
:wave:
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Spots Asks:
How many have to leave their home environment because their parents spent hours upon hours on the Internet, whining to other clueless people like the strugglingteens.com cronies?
-----------------------------------------------
Now, Spots, these clueless people you refer to would surely object to being called anything but what they call themselves -- professional parents (aka "parents helping other parents"). How many kids benefited from their sage (sic) advice, I shudder to even imagine.
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How DO you find an ed con, anyway?
How do you find an ed con? You find an ed con the same way you find most of these programs. Just start typing in to your search engine phrases such as teen help, teen solutions, problems with teens, struggling teens, struggling teen help, help my teen....do I need to go on in order to help you understand? If you do this you will find ed cons just as you will find programs.
FYI Spots, Sue Scheff (PURE) is not an educational consultant.
I though I remember reading somewhere on this forum that she was a self proclaimed member of a ed con group?
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For definition, would you all consider Teen Help (the WWASPS Party marketing arm) or John Bundy (ex-WWASP, refers anybody with a pulse to any program that pays him, and then double-dips by charging both parties) educational consultants? Perhaps I'm being too generous by thinking of an ed con as somebody with at least a professional demeanor. I certainly wouldn't consider a call to the night shift girls in LaVerkin, UT...the ones who read through the "do you have a candidate child?" forms over the phone and then FedEx's a copy (or several copies) of the WWASPS video of sobbing parents and teens as educational consultants. If we're talking about anybody who recommends your child to a program as being an ed con (short of the lady standing next to you in the grocery store produce aisle and who is raving about the dramatic changes in her child's letters in the 3 months she has been away at XXXX) as an educational consultant, then you're probably right in that they should be targeted by activists.
I'm probably at fault for giving parents more credit than to go with the recommendation of some guy without real credentials to decide the future of their child's life. Of course, I do realize (like the very eloquent statement by Erik about his attempts to learn about Discover Academy before entering) that it's nearly impossible to find out what a place is really like.
If you remove any ed con from the list who resides in St. George, UT, how many fly-by-night'ers are really out there, and how much money can one little podunk "professional" make in a year?
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This practice goes all the way back to the beginning. Art Barker used to guilt trip parents into trying to recruit everyone they knew. Straight used to give discounts to parents who recruited others. An old friend swears that, at the last open meeting before she pulled her son from Straight, Nancy Gettinger implored the parent group to go out and find some rich druggiekids.
Away back in the day, Bobby DuPont helped promote and fund a parents group called National Families in Action. This year, this little organization of whacked out, paranoid parents received some tens of thousands of dollars to set up parent corps pilot programs in a few key cities.
http://www.emory.edu/NFIA/ (http://www.emory.edu/NFIA/)
Just read through some of their own litterature and tell me if the rhetoric and tone is not boiler-plate Program stuff.
Indeed, the recruiters, whether motivated by cash or pure religious zealotry are key to this industry. Always have been.
In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution."
--Thomas Jefferson 1798
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Spots when talking about ed cons and programs we are not talking about those with a degree in education who recommend teens to legitimate schools set up only for the purpose of a better education. We are talking about anyone who is paid, whether in cash or credit, for promoting behavior modification programs that place restirictions on the child and the family.
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and how much money can one little podunk "professional" make in a year?
I read on this site that one ed con in particular made over $300,000.00.
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How many "struggling teens" (sic) were removed from their home, school and community and placed into a specialized school or program by the ed con who reportedly earned over $300,000,000 for their efforts?
I'm serious! I really want to know how many kids it takes to earn that kind of money and what the names of the programs are that pay "finder's fees" in exchange for placement referrals.
Not that I'll get a straight answer, seeing as Ginger has been asking this same question for awhile now and to date, those-who-would-know the answer still have not responded.
Why?
Well, ironically enough, I think we all know the answer to THAT question, now don't we?
:roll:
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I really don't think we give ed cons enough credit.
They're intelligent, thoughtful, articulate, sensitive, perceptive, and artistic people.
In tribute to their sensitivity and artsy side, I propose that from now on we refer to them as
"ed con artists"
Thank you. Thank you verra much.
[insert "elvis" smiley here]
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I've been searching the web for any news on this issue. So far I haven't found anything. It seems as though the authorities have put a lid on this. I read that the other boys had been sent home. It's shocking that the testimonies of these boys has not been made public. What was going on at this school that led to this escape?
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People don't understand what it is like to be dumped into one of these programs where all freedom is take away. Most of us never committed a crime and were never in jail. Those of us who have been there know what it is like to have no way out and no one to talk to. If I didn't get out when I did I probably would have either killed myself or tried to escape. Escape - why should we have to escape? Why couldn't they just let us go? If someone does not want to go along with things and get HELP (what a joke) then why not just let them go? I know why they did this. They did it to knock this guy out and make a run for it. They saw no other alternative other than suicide. When someone is loosing their mind in a lock down they will do crazy things. This was wrong - no doubt. But it is also wrong to lock people up who have done nothing wrong or illegal.
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Yes, Ian August was refered by an Ed Con. And on that note, would someone who hasn't commented yet, please go to this link at the Spokesman:
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/replies. ... d=r1430322 (http://www.spokesmanreview.com/replies.asp?date=102603&id=r1430322)
and rebut the last comment which was posted:
This is why parents need to hire an independent educational consultant to recommend a wilderness or any other therapeutic program. This program was negligent. No responsibile wilderness program would take a student who weighed 200 lbs. and 5'3".
edconsult@qwest.net
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Apparently the poster, an EC, did not read Adams' piece thouroughly, or hoped that other parents wouldn't remember that an EC was used.[ This Message was edited by: Deborah on 2004-05-20 17:06 ]
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There seems to be a definite conflict of interest where independent referral services are concerned because they place kids in specialized programs who pay them a "finders fee". Not sure how much but would guess the fees to be somewhere in the range of $1-3k per kid.
Ed consultants on the other hand, claim they do not accept finder's fees (which they consider to be unethical) and instead, charge parents a fee for their services. (Here, I have no idea what an average "consultation" fee would be but perhaps someone else does know and can give us a ballpark figure?).
Either way, this business of private placement referrals seems to be entirely self-regulated unlike the specialty schools and programs they refer to which in most states must be licensed and comply with rules and regulations of some sort.
How can a parent be sure they are dealing with someone who is qualified to properly assess the individualized needs of their child, especially given the very troubling revelation that most of these people don't think it is even necessary to interview the child in person?
I honestly don't get this at all and think it is high time this cottage industry be exposed for what it is - a virtual slot machine that pays off in more ways than one given the complete lack of even minimal oversight to protect kids and parents from being exploited.
Anybody else have an opinion on this? Shouldn't these people be held somewhat accountable for referring a child into a program with a history of serious injuries, and even deaths? Skyline Journey stayed open for a whole year after Ian August was killed. Were ed consultants and independent referral agents still referring kids to them?
Who the hell knows, is the obvious answer.
:???:
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What I learned about Texas is that there were (2001) few "regulations" for Ed Cons.
This is what I found:
(12) "Child-placing agency" means a person, including an organization, other than the natural parents or guardian of a child who plans for the placement of or places a child in a child-care facility, agency foster home, agency foster group home, or adoptive home.
(13) "Facilities" includes child-care facilities and child-placing agencies
42.041. REQUIRED LICENSE OR ACCREDITATION (a) No person may operate a child-care facility or child-placing agency without a license issued by the department or a certificate to operate under accreditation issued by the department under Subchapter E.
42.0425. ASSESSMENT SERVICES (a) The department by rule shall regulate assessment services provided by child-care facilities or child-placing agencies. A child-care facility or child-placing agency may not provide assessment services unless specifically authorized by the department. (b) The department by rule shall establish minimum standards for assessment services. The standards must provide that consideration is
given to the individual needs of a child, the appropriate place for provision of services, and the factors listed in Section 42.042(e).
(c) In this section, "assessment services" means the determination of the placement needs of a child who requires substitute care.
Good luck getting anyone to enforce the law.
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There has been a preliminary hearing in this case, see TAUSA website for details and future updates.
http://www.teenadvocatesusa.homestead.c ... Ahome.html (http://www.teenadvocatesusa.homestead.com/TAUSAhome.html)
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Here's the post from the Deseret News...
CEDAR CITY -- With tears in his eyes, Sean Graham's father approached Anson Arnett's mother, held her hand and offered his deepest apologies. As everyone exited the courtroom Monday, Jesse Simmons' father also offered his condolences.
Sean Graham and Jesse Simmons, both 17, are accused of killing Anson Arnett, their Maximum Life Skills Academy counselor. The two, who are charged with aggravated murder, are accused of beating Arnett with an aluminum baseball bat. They also are charged with aggravated kidnapping because they reportedly injured him and locked him in a closet after the alleged assault. The two also are charged with theft of an operable vehicle, for allegedly stealing the group home van, and theft, for reportedly stealing the television and other items from the house. Both are being charged as adults.
Although apologies were extended to the Arnett family, Anson's younger brother Abraham has opinions different from his parents, and he is concerned that justice will be served.
"It's not about vengeance, it's about justice, and the people involved taking responsibility for their actions," he said.
At the preliminary hearing Monday in 5th District Court, Judge G. Michael Westfall found probable cause that there was a vehicle stolen and that the crime of theft took place. However, he said he will not rule on the two aggravated charges until June 9.
"Intent is one of the elements I want to hear about," Westfall said Monday. Simmons' attorney, Steven McCaughy, suggested that written briefs be submitted to the judge because the elements he was concerned about were so substantial to the case. Graham's attorney, Douglas Terry, agreed.
Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett respected the judge's decision, but he said he thought the judge disregarded the fact that a preliminary hearing only requires probable cause to bind defendants over, and all inferences should be resolved in favor of the state.
"My only concern is this is merely a probable cause hearing," Garrett told the judge. "I think we may be misrepresenting the proceedings. I don't believe it's the function of the court to sift through or weigh out the evidence at this stage."
The judge's decisions came after testimony from a long list of witnesses, including two group home residents who witnessed the attack.
The first witness, a 16-year-old boy from Colorado, said Simmons hid behind a 4-foot wall while Anson Arnett walked up the stairs. Graham, who was also hiding near the stairs, gave Simmons a look when Arnett approached, and Simmons swung the aluminum bat at Arnett's head, he said.
The second witness, a 16-year-old boy from California, gave mirroring testimony.
Both boys said that Anson Arnett was hit twice with the bat, and after the second hit, Graham and Simmons locked Arnett in a closet.
Jake Truman, who was an employee of Maximum Life Skills Academy at the time of the attack, got involved in the situation when the two witnesses ran to his house for help, once Simmons and Graham had fled in the van.
"When we got the closet door open, I saw his condition ... and called 911," Truman said. "His legs were in the air, and he was propped against the file cabinet. He had difficulty breathing, and he had foam coming from his mouth."
State Medical Examiner Maureen Frikke testified that Arnett's injuries were consistent with a blow to the head, and they could have come from being struck with a bat.
"He was struck from the back, the head accelerated forward and rebounded," she said. "The brain bounced inside of his skull, which resulted in tearing the brain from the skull."
As Arnett's father, Perry, listened to the testimony, the pain he felt for his son's injuries and death was visible.
"It's not easy. It's far more complex then I imagined," Perry Arnett said.
Perry Arnett could not say what he hopes will come as a result of the legal proceedings in his son's death.
"I don't have an answer at this point," he said. "The law has taken so much away from the victims that I can only really stand on the side and watch."
Note: It seems it may have helped if someone had removed him from the closet right away instead of waiting two hours. Why the wait? Our country right or wrong. When right, to be kept right; when wrong, to be put right.
--Carl Schurz, German-born U.S. general and U.S. senator
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This is really a sad sad situation but it's good to know Anson's brother is concerned about justice and not vengeance. Also like the fact that the judge is reserving judgment until more evidence is presented on the question of intent.
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Will they get a fair trial? I don't know. It seems the judge is being very careful. I still want to know why the staff member just didn't call 911 right away - before he went to check things out. It seems they were trying to cover this all up or perhaps the staff member didn't believe the boys who came to his house. Why did Anson go back in the house after he went outside? It seems it was the second blow that did the most damage. There are so many of these escape plans - this happens all of the time because the program kids are severely punished all of the time and they feel trapped. It seems that the two hour lapse of time may have mad a difference. This is such a sad situation.
This happened because the authorities in Utah will look the other way when programs are violating laws, codes and ordinances. They do this because they don't want to interfere in the financial viability of these programs. They provide much needed revenue - and it's all about MONEY. This could have been prevented if the facility was not in violation of rules. The same is true for every other death. Still these programs continue to proliferate without governmental oversight, regulation or inspection. When reports of violations and abuse come in - the authorities ignor them.
So there's been another death. There will be more because nothing has changed. The people of Utah need to take a stand against facilities that are violating laws.
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2 staff members should have been on duty that night. End of story.
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I am here today to clear up some things that you people have come up w/. What wild stories we tell even though we seriously have no clue and go upon what the media and others pretend to know...Although infact that yes, this program was under many violations and frequently we ran away from the licensers whenever there was only one staff on duty, I do have to admit that I myself have been helped in many ways that makes me a better person today. All the kids yes, knew that this program was a huge money scheme and hated being there, but of course, we always joked about getting out, never once had we thought to go beyond just that, thinking about it. I knew Sean and Jesse very well infact, and shared many stories and fun times w/ them. I also considered myself a friend to Anson Arnett, for we would spend many days talking about Art, life, music and anything that ever came up. He was a beautiful human being and would never have thought to either RAPE, ABUSE, or HARM any of us in any way possible. What happened was a terible tragedy and something that I will never forget. All Anson Arnett ever wanted to do, was help, and be able to become friends w/ us all. You people who think that you can judge such a nice and beautiful person w/o ever knowing him, need to get checked up yourselves. How dare you think yourself high enough to come up w/ such radical equations as to what happened that night. I believe in my good mind that Adam was indeed dedicated to helping all of us, and not stocking up on his bank account. I had a great friendship w/ this man and have no ill feelings about him.
O yea, to finally get this straight, getting Anson Arnett medical attention any sooner then we did, unfortunately would not have helped his survival. So stop biting our asses, we tryed as hard as we could, and for a boy who has never been put in this situation, and that would never have expected this to ever happen, do you expect me to know what to do, to think and to feel?? Come on, think...Next time you are a witness to a murder case, and are in a diferent state, knowing no one but your gaurdians, and never seeing this before, you tell me what you would do. Most of you dont have enough drama in your lives, or just have too much time in your boring lives, that you have to try and create more drama for the people who tried there hardest to get help and STAY ALIVE THEMSELVES!! Next time you want to know about something and don't have all the facts, just wait, they will all be revealed to you in good time...The world we all live in can be beautiful and nasty, people that make more drama for everyone else are the nasty ones and make it harder for us all to live and love. Hopefully I have changed some of your minds about what happened that terrible night. As you all should know, I can not under any circumstances discuss this case so please, don't bother to ask. I do wish things could have gone differently but unfortunately, as we all know, time can not be changed. I have learned greatly from this experience and will always remember this loving and beautiful human being that was, Anson Arnett. Thank you for listening...
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Well, one thing for certain, there should have been 2 staff members on duty that "terrible night" and there wasn't. Just Anson, all by himself, fullfilling his duties and responsibilities with no help from his 24 year old employer and the owner of the youth home, Mr. Adam AhQuin.
Tell me, how does AhQuin sleep at night knowing he was in violation of at least 15 DHS licensing rules, including one of the most important (having 2 staff members on duty AT ALL TIMES)?
Why wasn't AhQuin working himself that night? Where was he?????
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It was good to hear from one of the witnesses to this sad situation. There is much more to this story - and we don't have enought information because the authorities in Utah are keeping a lid on everything. There could be many other factors that led to this. One thing is for certain - there were violations of licensing laws and probably other violations that we are not aware of.
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Well, one thing for certain, there should have been 2 staff members on duty that "terrible night" and there wasn't. Just Anson, all by himself, fullfilling his duties and responsibilities with no help from his 24 year old employer and the owner of the youth home, Mr. Adam AhQuin.
Tell me, how does AhQuin sleep at night knowing he was in violation of at least 15 DHS licensing rules, including one of the most important (having 2 staff members on duty AT ALL TIMES)?
Why wasn't AhQuin working himself that night? Where was he?????
---------------------
Well?? Where WAS Mr. AhQuin? Shouldn't somebody be trying to answer this very important question?
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The man was murdered and the murderers should be tried as such regardless of their age. There is no excuse for murder unless your life is in danger. This man chose a career that he thought might enable him to help teens and got killed for it. I do not agree with these program and especially not the desert programs but that does not mean the counselors who hire on to try and make a difference in a child's life should be punished.
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Anon, you are missing the point. This counselor should NOT have been working alone that night, or any other night. Why was this allowed to happen? Where was the owner? Why wasn't HE or another staff member on duty that night? Don't you think that might have made a difference?
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You're allowed to kill in self-defense if you're in imminent dander of death or serious bodily harm, including rape.
Given the history of the programs, I don't think we should be rushing to judgment.
If it was murder 1, or murder 2, or manslaughter, or justifiable homicide, we just don't know till a jury decides.
I know friends and family who know the deceased say what a great guy he was---but so did the people who knew Ted Bundy or any of a number of other monstrous people---including all the parish priests and church officials who diddled all those boys. We all heard what great guys they were from people who thought they knew them well, too.
Maybe the deceased was just what the people who were close to him say. Maybe he was something darker.
So far we're only hearing one side. We won't hear both sides until it goes before a jury.
Rushing to judgement would be a bad thing.
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Legally there are certain conditions that must be met before one can be found guilty of premeditated murder. To be guilty of this crime there must be the intent to kill - it must be planned out and executed. The big question is this: Did the boys desire to kill and end the life of Anson. It seems they wanted to knock him unconscious to enable them to escape from this facility that was keeping them there against their will. They were apparently in a lock-down situation - a private prison that they felt they needed to escape from. It seems, from all I've read, that they wished to escape and part of the plan was to knock Anson out. If they wanted to actually kill him with the bat they would have continued to beat on him until there was no life left. Here they hit him twice - when he was knocked out they put him in a closet. Apparently they thought he was still alive and would regain consciouness and foil their escape, so they put him in a closet and locked him in. If they INTENDED to kill him - they very well could have done that by beating him until he was dead - then they would have had no reason to put him in the closet to prevent him for regaining consciousness and foiling their escape.
Could this have been prevented with two guard on? Of course. Obviously these boys knew that there was only one person on at night - this had been going on for quite some time.
Even attempted murder required the intent to actually KILL. In this case it seems this intent was lacking. In fact, they were shocked when they found out that he had died. It is clear that they did not desire to actually kill him.
The legal requirements for assault are definitely there - but the legal requirements for murder or even attempted murder are not.
They did kill someone - but it is clear they lacked the requisite intent to kill - therefore what they did could not be first degee murder. Escaping from an abusive private youth prison is not a felony. This was a private home. They stole the vehicle to get away in.
This was an escape attempt that turned deadly. Some children have died in an attempt to escape.
One need not wonder why they wished to escape. They had been in a lock down for nearly a year and their hopes at getting out were dashed because Ah Quin said they cheated on a test - so they had to stay for months longer (at a combined cost of $10,000 per month). This is common place - all of these programs do this - they do it for financial reasons.
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On 2004-05-29 15:31:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Legally there are certain conditions that must be met before one can be found guilty of premeditated murder. To be guilty of this crime there must be the intent to kill - it must be planned out and executed. The big question is this: Did the boys desire to kill and end the life of Anson. It seems they wanted to knock him unconscious to enable them to escape from this facility that was keeping them there against their will. They were apparently in a lock-down situation - a private prison that they felt they needed to escape from. It seems, from all I've read, that they wished to escape and part of the plan was to knock Anson out. If they wanted to actually kill him with the bat they would have continued to beat on him until there was no life left. Here they hit him twice - when he was knocked out they put him in a closet. Apparently they thought he was still alive and would regain consciouness and foil their escape, so they put him in a closet and locked him in. If they INTENDED to kill him - they very well could have done that by beating him until he was dead - then they would have had no reason to put him in the closet to prevent him for regaining consciousness and foiling their escape.
Could this have been prevented with two guard on? Of course. Obviously these boys knew that there was only one person on at night - this had been going on for quite some time.
Even attempted murder required the intent to actually KILL. In this case it seems this intent was lacking. In fact, they were shocked when they found out that he had died. It is clear that they did not desire to actually kill him.
The legal requirements for assault are definitely there - but the legal requirements for murder or even attempted murder are not.
They did kill someone - but it is clear they lacked the requisite intent to kill - therefore what they did could not be first degee murder. Escaping from an abusive private youth prison is not a felony. This was a private home. They stole the vehicle to get away in.
This was an escape attempt that turned deadly. Some children have died in an attempt to escape.
One need not wonder why they wished to escape. They had been in a lock down for nearly a year and their hopes at getting out were dashed because Ah Quin said they cheated on a test - so they had to stay for months longer (at a combined cost of $10,000 per month). This is common place - all of these programs do this - they do it for financial reasons. "
Absolutely agree with everything you say, Anon. What do you think about AhQuin apparently not facing any CRIMINAL charges, himself? Is this because he violated a STATE licensing rule, not federal or criminal law?
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FYI.....Adam Ah Quin was in Salt Lake City at a gymnastics tournament the night of the attack. He was a gymnastics coach for Southern Utah University.
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On 2004-05-29 15:31:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Legally there are certain conditions that must be met before one can be found guilty of premeditated murder. To be guilty of this crime there must be the intent to kill - it must be planned out and executed. The big question is this: Did the boys desire to kill and end the life of Anson. It seems they wanted to knock him unconscious to enable them to escape from this facility that was keeping them there against their will. They were apparently in a lock-down situation - a private prison that they felt they needed to escape from. It seems, from all I've read, that they wished to escape and part of the plan was to knock Anson out. If they wanted to actually kill him with the bat they would have continued to beat on him until there was no life left. Here they hit him twice - when he was knocked out they put him in a closet. Apparently they thought he was still alive and would regain consciouness and foil their escape, so they put him in a closet and locked him in. If they INTENDED to kill him - they very well could have done that by beating him until he was dead - then they would have had no reason to put him in the closet to prevent him for regaining consciousness and foiling their escape.
Could this have been prevented with two guard on? Of course. Obviously these boys knew that there was only one person on at night - this had been going on for quite some time.
Even attempted murder required the intent to actually KILL. In this case it seems this intent was lacking. In fact, they were shocked when they found out that he had died. It is clear that they did not desire to actually kill him.
The legal requirements for assault are definitely there - but the legal requirements for murder or even attempted murder are not.
They did kill someone - but it is clear they lacked the requisite intent to kill - therefore what they did could not be first degee murder. Escaping from an abusive private youth prison is not a felony. This was a private home. They stole the vehicle to get away in.
This was an escape attempt that turned deadly. Some children have died in an attempt to escape.
One need not wonder why they wished to escape. They had been in a lock down for nearly a year and their hopes at getting out were dashed because Ah Quin said they cheated on a test - so they had to stay for months longer (at a combined cost of $10,000 per month). This is common place - all of these programs do this - they do it for financial reasons. "
You don't know what these boys intended to do. If they were running for their lives because they were in danger of serious harm or injury why did they stop to steal stuff before they left, like the T.V.?
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Maybe they took "stuff" to sell so they could have money for food and so forth after they escaped from that hellhole private prison. As far as the owner being at a gymnstics meet - so what - his first responsibility was for the safety of the staff and children at his residential facility. There are such things as "temp agencies" there are many people who are unemployed in Utah - it would not have been difficult to find another night watchman or security guard, especially in an economically depressed place like Cedar City Utah. Where people are so poor they eat road kill.
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Interesting how many people want to blame anyone else for the murder except for the people or person who did it. When you hit someone like that on the head with a bat you are taking the chance that you might kill them. Many people are abused and locked up for longer than a year and do not resort to violence. Dr. Miller Newton of KIDS and STRAIGHT has lost a huge lawsuit against someone he abused. Former abused clients have picketed outside his home and even contacted different places he has worked and I believe got him fired. My point is that I think we all have choices in life and most of us have had bad things happen to us, some worse than others but if you choose violence and kill someone you should be held accountable.
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I agree with you - there are other alternatives. Unless you have been there - you can't know what it was like to be locked up and punished all of the time. Who was carrying out this punishment? Anson Arnett and the other staff members. Were they trained psychologists? Of course not. If you take a human being and continually put them under stress - chances are that human being will act irrationally at some point. This is why there are so many suicides in prison. People are pushed past the breaking point. Obviously these boys had been told that they had to stay in that "program" longer for "treatment" by unlicensed people. They probably just couldn't take it anymore and saw that there was an opportunity to escape on the night shift because Ah Quin was only using ONE staff member during the night. This was probably going on for quite some time. Reason would dictate that this is why there is a rule to have at LEAST TWO staff members on duty at all time - for the safety of the youth and staff.
Behavior Modification is dangerous buisiness - these boys were having their personalities, values and behaviors modified by untrained staff. These kids were having their brains fucked with - literally. Ah Quin doesn't have any type of a degree - he's a punk without a degree in any type of psychological discipline. He was just getting rich - keeping these boys in his fucked up program just so he could pocked another $10,000 per month. He didn't want to drop to only 4 boys when he had the capacity of 11.
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Suspects plead not guilty in youth counselor's slaying
By ELIZABETH MILLER
emiller@thespectrum.com
June 9, 2004
CEDAR CITY -- Soft-spoken phrases of "not guilty, your honor," were uttered eight times Wednesday at 5th District Court as Jesse Simmons and Sean Graham pleaded innocent to aggravated murder, a capital offense, and other charges against them.
Both 17-year-old defendants entered a plea after Judge G. Michael Westfall found probable cause that they committed the crimes of aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, theft of an operable vehicle, and theft.
"This is a close case for this court," Westfall said. "All I can do is believe the evidence that is most favorable to the prosecution."
Graham and Simmons stand accused of killing their group home counselor Anson Arnett on March 8, when they beat him with a baseball bat. After the assault, they allegedly locked Arnett in a closet then fled the scene in the academy's van, with some items that could be pawned.
After the ruling Wednesday, Graham's attorneys Douglas Terry and David Kindopp suggested they would file a motion to reverse the bind over order on their client.
"If we file the motion, it's to challenge the bind over," Terry said. "It's (the bind over) to be expected, but as the judge said, it's a close case. We respectfully feel he erred on the wrong side, not the right side."
Simmons' attorneys, Stephen McCaugh and Keith Barnes were not surprised at the bind over, but they were pleased two of the four aggravating circumstances were dismissed.
Iron County Attorney Scott Garret was pleased at the judge's ruling, and agreed with McCaugh about some circumstances being dismissed.
"I think the judge made the right call all the way down the line -- even to excuse some of the aggravating circumstances," Garrett said. "I absolutely feel victorious. You want to bind over the defendants on what you charged them with."
Garrett said plea agreements are usually not discussed in cases until after the preliminary hearing and McCaugh said he and Garrett have not discussed any deals, as of yet.
"Hopefully down the road, we can resolve this in a satisfactory manner," McCaugh said.
Garrett said there is a lot of issues to discuss before he would extend any plea agreements to Graham or Simmons.
"There's a lot to take into consideration," he said. "And, I would have to talk to the victims and assess all the evidence."
After the arraignment, both cases were set for separate trials. As it stands now, Simmons' trial is before Westfall and Graham's trial will be before Judge J. Philip Eves.
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Wonder why the district attorney let all those responsible for the starvation/torture death of Aaron Bacon get away with lesser charges that did not require jail time? With all the reports of abuse and violations of rules in Utah - it is highly possible these boys were being abused in more ways than one. They may have had a right to escape by force. What was done to these boys happens all of the time. This program obviously lacked proper therapy. This Ah Quin - he just wanted more money - he does not have the qualifications or expertise to practice behavior modification. When you mess with a human mind-anything can happen. It's obvious this program lacked the necessary supervision and therapy to deal with troubled youth.
This is so unfair considering what has been done to programs and staff who were responsible for the death of many children in Utah. They have an obvious double standard.
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how do you know that getting Anson Arnett medical attention any sooner than you did would not have helped his survival??
were you told that by someone? or do you just believe that?
Just curious...
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First of all - death from head trauma occurs as a result of brain swelling. Immediate treatment can reduce this. It also did not help for him to be upside down in the closet for two hours. It's hard to believe that time was wasted. Why didn't the boys go for help sooner? Why didn't they ask a next door neighbor for help? When they did find one of the counselors - why didn't that counselor immediately call 911 before checking for himself? The administation of Decadron could have reduced brain swelling. Immediate help may not have saved him - but he would have had a better chance at survival. Those two hours may have made a difference. Getting him out of the closet and treating for shock right away may have made a difference. Those who witnessed this obviously waited for some reason - perhaps the boys were afraid of getting into trouble - of suffering some extreme consequences. Who knows? Reason dictates that this two hour delay in treatment may have made a difference between life and death. I know this because I've worked in the medical profession for nearly 25 years. Immediate intervention often makes a difference. [ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-06-13 23:24 ]
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Anon Posted: 2004-06-02 10:02:00
FYI.....Adam Ah Quin was in Salt Lake City at a gymnastics tournament the night of the attack. He was a gymnastics coach for Southern Utah University.
HELLO?
If Mr. AhQuin, himself, could not work the shift that night with Anson Arnett, why did he not make sure another staff member was on duty? Surely he knew he was required to have 2 staff members on duty at all times. Second, I agree with CW, the delay in emergency medical intervention is very troublesome. Hopefully the defense will call experts to settle the question as to whether Anson could have been saved if help had arrived sooner because this issue does need to be addressed for the sake of all the parties involved. Lastly, it seems fair to say that had there been 2 people on duty that night, things might have turned out differently. I hope the parents of Anson Arnett and indeed, the residents of Cedar City, have considered this and will take whatever steps necessary to ensure that program owners and operators are held accountable for violating licensing rules and regulations. A mere slap on the wrist just won't cut it, IMO.
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It is still very puzzling - in ordinary circumstances a person would immediately go to the aid of someone who was injured - or at least when it was safe to do so. The four boys at the facility obviously saw what happened and knew that Anson was in that closet. They could have gotten help as the other boys left the area. My guess is that they were afraid to. They were not sure what the consequences would be. As we know the penalties and punishments at these programs are harsh and extreme.
These were not ordinary circumstances - It seems they were in a lock down facility - maybe they could not get out. We just don't have enough information and some of these questions are not being addressed by the press.
According to the reports we've seen - Anson was left upside down. This position could have contributed to the brain trauma. The position could also have limited his ability to breath. If only he could have been taken out of the closet as soon as possible - perhaps he would be alive today. May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house.
-- George Carlin
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Anson Arnett, did not have it coming when the two boys who found out because they broke rules their stay in the program would be extended and stole the bat from the locked closet and beat him with it and then locked him in a closet. The boys apparently had no prior violent activities, never the less they are facing the death penalty. If the program was so wonderful why did the thought of extended time in it turn these boys to violence? Maximum life skills was found in 16 different violations at the time of the incedent!!! Including only having one staff member working at the time. The next day they opened the facility with yes, that's right only 1 staff member on duty. I live in Cedar City and that it took this to happen for our community to wake up and see there are alot of problems with these types of programs just makes me sick. A group of community members including city officials are addressing the Health and Human Services Study Committee at our state capitol building on june 16th at 2 pm in room 403, to try and get some legislation to change the way these places are run.
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Why wasn't there a blasted *phone* for the kids to dial 911?
Even a *pay phone* will let you dial 911 without money.
Why. Wasn't. There. A. Telephone?
This is one more reason why these places should be *required by law* to have telephones--at least a working pay phone--accessible to the inmates.
That should be a federal safety requirement for all facilities that accept children from out of state for more than six weeks.
Yeah, you may be on a hike and camp away from a phone. In that case, your trip plan with date and time of departure, planned travel itinerary, date and approximate time of return, and the name and contact info. of the responsible adult *not* going on the trip that you will check out and in with should be filed with local emergency services.
If the kids had access to a pay phone and could call 911, would Anson Arnett still be alive today?
Nobody knows. But he sure as hell would have had a much better chance.
Timoclea
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Pay Phones:
If this single addition were added - much of the abuse we are seeing would be reduced. These children are not INMATES - they are STUDENTS or PATIENTS. When my daughter was at Provo Canyon School she was refered to as a "patient." Inmate in prison do have access to pay phones and can call anyone collect. These children are treated worse than Inmates in prison because they have absolutely no way to communicate with the outside. Inmates can have access to an attorney and can not be deprived of this. The patients and students in these programs are not allowed to speak to an attorney.
Pay phones must be installed in every teen residential program and there should be toll-free numbers posted to allow teens to notify the authorities if they are being abused or to dial 911 if there is an emergency or fire.
If there was a pay-phone at MLSA - Anson Arnett would have received immediate medical care since the boys would have been able to dial 911. If they were not locked in they may have been able to get out sooner to get help.
Many of these youth programs in Utah and elsewhere are extremely abusive and the Constitutional rights and human rights of the children are ignored. Obviously rules and regulations that have been established to protect children and staff are also ignored.
The authorities in Utah have consistently turned a blind eye to abuse and violations in these programs. They do all they can to look out after the interests of the programs instead of the interests of the children. They do this for economic and political reasons.
ECONOMIC REASONS: These 200 facilities provide jobs and revenue to the communities.
POLITICAL: The owners of the youth programs donate heavily to those in public office who support what they are doing. Hence those leaders who go against them may not be re-elected. I personally sent e-mails to every legisator telling them of the abuse at Provo Canyon School - which included: stripping mentally ill children naked; forced drugging; violent human restraints; denial of appropriate medical care and evalution for ill and injured chilren; violations of child abuse reporting laws; monitoring of mail and phone communication; denial of basic patient rights; excessive isolation and seclusion in violation of State and Federal Mental Health codes and laws and Utah Core Rules, and many other violations. ONLY ONE LEGISATOR IN UTAH - out of over 70 - responded. This demonstrates that they do not care and refuse to do anything about it.
PEOPLE OF CEDAR CITY - this is an outrage that must be corrected. It will only be corrected if you, the people, take control of your government and DEMAND reform that will make these programs safer for staff and children. Pay phones that can be used by the students at any time are an essential addition. This could have prevented the tragedy that was experienced in your community. As these programs continue to grow more of these tragedies will inevitably occure if nothing is done. So far your legislators have refused to do anything to make these programs safer. There is very little government oversite and programs are allowed to continue to opperate even when violations are discovered. Since the children have no way to communicate with the authorities these abuses go unreported. This must change - and it will not change until the people light a fire under their representatives.
Parents also need to be aware of the abuses that occur in some of these programs. As the ultimate consumers of this service industry they must demand changes. Unfortunately, few are aware of what is going on. Utah authorities do nothing until someone dies. They have indicated that they are "reactionary." This must change - too many have lost their lives as a result of this unregulated industry.
There are two kinds of people; those who's lives have been somehow touched by harsh tragedy and those you don't know very well.
-- Ginger Warbis
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***There is very little government oversite and programs are allowed to continue to opperate even when violations are discovered. Since the children have no way to communicate with the authorities these abuses go unreported. This must change - and it will not change until the people light a fire under their representatives.
If enought noise is made they'll have no choice but to appear to be taking action. I don't care how many rules and regulations are created, the situation is not going to change as long as the Stettler remains the lic dir.
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Stettler must go - I agree. The people of Utah need to take action to prevent these atrocities and human rights abuses. It's their state and they need to do something about it. The people need to get some control of their government and the corruption involved in this industry. [ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-06-15 18:00 ]
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The boys could have broken down the door and rescued Anson. Why didn't they? As for the pay-phone, even without one, these boys could have run next door (the home is in a residential neighborhood) and asked someone to call 911. Why they ran all the way to AhQuin's home wasting valuable time (90 minutes) is very troublesome.
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No one walked away from this unscathed. Anson is dead and his family will grieve. The two boys may loose their lives and freedom. Their parents have essentially lost their sons to the abusive Utah prison system. The boys who witnessed this will be traumatized for years to come.
This could all have been prevented if this facility had been closed due to the numerous violations that were discovered prior to this. It could have been prevented if parents were notified of the violations and could have had the option of removing their children from an unsafe and potentially dangerous situation.
There are many troubling questions that have not been anwered.
Why only one staff member? (to save money?)
Why was the bat accessable to two troubled boys who were distressed about having to stay in a private prison for a longer time?
Did the boys have any counseling after they were told they had to stay for several more months?
If they were distressed why wasn't there additional supervision?
Where the boys locked in? Was this why they couldn't get out?
Was there an available phone?
Were the boys afraid of being punished if they went to a neighbor for help?
Was Anson required to carry through with the punishment of these two boys? Reports indicate that they were being punished for something.
There are so many questions that have gone unanswered.
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We need a thread dedicated to reports of counselors being attacked. Remember this one:
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http://www.mormonstoday.com/991212/D2Stock01.shtml (http://www.mormonstoday.com/991212/D2Stock01.shtml)
LDS RM Recovers from Wilderness Attack (Last of Runaway Teens in Custody)
Salt Lake Tribune 9Dec99 D2
By Kelly Kennedy and Greg Burton: Salt Lake Tribune
BERYL JUNCTION, UTAH -- An LDS Returned Missionary serving as a youth counselor to a program for wayward youth, is unharmed after the eight youths he and a co-worker were leading on a wilderness camping trip overpowered them and escaped. Kirk "Marty" Stock was beaten with juniper sticks and bound with duct tape along with his co-worker, BYU student Sunshine Fuller. Both Stock and Fuller were otherwise unharmed and all eight youths have been found and accounted for.
**************************
If word got around perhaps some would choose a different career path.
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Whoever the DHS licensor is that was responsible for monitoring this program, they should be looking at some sort of punitive action, themselves.
:flame:
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That would be Mr Ken Stettler.
Google his name. And here's a few links where you can learn more about him.
Articles containing Stettler?s admissions of ?overlooking? violations:
http://web.outsidemag.com/magazine/1095/10f_deth.html (http://web.outsidemag.com/magazine/1095/10f_deth.html)
http://www.sltrib.com/2002/Jul/07172002/utah/754298.htm (http://www.sltrib.com/2002/Jul/07172002/utah/754298.htm)
http://www.sltrib.com/2002/jul/07192002/utah/754809.htm (http://www.sltrib.com/2002/jul/07192002/utah/754809.htm)
http://departments.bloomu.edu/crimjust/BOOT.html (http://departments.bloomu.edu/crimjust/BOOT.html)
A real gem. For the industry that is.
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Kelly Husbands, Licensing Specialist from Nephi Utah resigned soon after this incident - perhaps this is why he resigned from his post.
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More on Ken Stettler:
Ken Stettler, who helped develop the rules for the Utah Department of Human Services, conceded that state officials only responded after several children had died, saying, "States tend to be reactionary, rather than proactionary."
In the last few years, Mr. Stettler said, he has worked with officials in Nevada and Idaho to draft similar regulations. Other states where adolescents have died in outdoor programs, including Florida, Texas and Oregon, have also tightened their regulations, he said. The West Virginia Legislature is expected to debate new laws when it convenes next year.
But monitoring these camps poses a fiscal burden for states. For that reason, Hawaii has banned outdoor camps, and some states with regulations do not have the resources to enforce them
Does anyone wonder what's going to happen this summer in Wildernesss "therapy?"
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People of Cedar City: What happened at the meeting in Salt Lake City? Was it well attended? Hopefully the state of Utah will do more to regulate and monitor these facilities. Many children have been abused and some have died as a result of violations of rules and regulations. The authorities do very little to correct problems when former students or parents of those children report violations and abuses. This is a huge problem that must be corrected. Most of these residential programs are violating laws and codes. If you knew what goes on in the name of teen therapy you would not be able to sleep.
Take a look at the photos of the Iraqi prisoners.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/04/30/iraq.photos (http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/04/30/iraq.photos)
Some of these tactics are used on 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 year old children who have been placed in private prisons AKA "residential treatment." The children have no way to contact the authorities when they are being abused and when their rights are being violated. They often can not speak to their own parents. Infrequent communications with parents are often monitored. The children are severely punished for trivial reasons.
Hopefully your comments and actions will not fall on deaf ears. You folks need to get control of your government. In California citizens have the right to place initiatives on the ballot. This is a great way to get the government to respond to the desires of the people. Busy, curious, thirsty fly, Drink with me, and drink as I.
-- William Oldys (1696-1761): On a Fly drinking out of a Cup of Ale.
[ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-06-16 21:24 ]
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Stettler is not the problem, the problem is UTAH needs jobs. This is ecomonics 101. Getting rid of Stettler is like putting a band-aid on a severed artery. It ain't gonna stop the bleeding.
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CW- the people in Cedar City don't care about the kids safety as much as they care about their own. Anson Arnett's death is what triggered the outrage, not the death of Aaron Bacon, Michelle Sutton, Ian August, Katie Lank, etc. If the citizens want change, they will have to concede that their long indifference to the safety and well-being of children in Utah-based programs is what led to the death of Anson Arnett. That's the bottom line.
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UTAH NEEDS JOBS...That's fine - but these jobs involve human lives - the lives of children. These children must be protected by the rules and regulations that have been established to safeguard their health, dignity and basic human rights. These rules and regulations are not being followed. In fact, many of the reports of abuse from children and their parents would be considered TORTURE. So - something needs to be done in the State of Utah. This is an embarrassment to the state, the predominant religion in the state (LDS-Mormon) and all the governmental leaders and agencies that do nothing until someone dies as a result of all of the ignored violations of rules, treaties, codes and laws. What is going to happen this summer? How many children will die or be injured this year as a result of dehydration, starvation, denial of medical care and heat exhaustion? How many staff members and children will be injured when abused and frieghtened captive youth try to escape? More will die if nothing is done.
There are many things that can be done to make these programs safer. #1 - install pay phones for student/patient use. #2 - post the patient rights in a prominent location with a toll-free number that can be called if these rights are violated.#3 Allow visitations every day for one hour. #4 Allow children to speak to parents and family at least twice per week. #5 allow students to have access to the child abuse toll free number and 911 for emergencies.
These children are extremely vulnerable for abuse and feelings of isolation since they have no contact with the outside world.
This industry is abusive because unlicensed staff are practicing dangerous behavior modification using confrontation and punishments. They have little to no training. People undergoing behavior modification can be irrational and dangerous. If a program uses BM then this must be disclosed to the consumers (parents). These programs are fraudulent because they do not disclose what is going on. The case of Aaron Bacon is a perfect example. Here he was complaining of severe abdominal distress and had physcial symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy. The day before he died his parents were told that he would probably have to start the program over again. Never were they told of his illness.
These programs routinely deprive children of necessary medical care and evaluation. This must end.
The people of Utah must do something about it because this is happening in their State. They need to hold their representatives and leaders accountable. The sadist cannot stand the separation of the public and the private; nor can he grant to others the mystery of their personality, the validity of their inner self...in order for him to feel his maximum power, he wants the world to be peopled with concrete manipulatable objects...
-- ERNEST BECKER, The Structure of Evil, 1968.
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The people of Utah must do something about it because this is happening in their State. They need to hold their representatives and leaders accountable.
This in a state that only recently decided to hold polygamists "accountable" for abusing women and children for decades? What a joke.
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CW - You really don't get it, do you? In Utah, women and children are second class citizens.
:flame:
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People of Cedar City don't care...Perhaps you are right. A local member of their community died this time - not some out-of-state problem child.
These violations of rules and regulations lead to death. This is what all of this is about. The rules, codes, and laws are being ignored. This is why Anson is dead and it is why all of the other children died. In Aaron Bacons' case many rules and codes were not followed (mainly the codes involving deprivation of food and sleeping gear). Rules and codes were ignored in the deaths of Ian and Michele and Anthony.
Probably codes and rules were ignored in the treatment of these boys.
When I reported the abuse and code violations that involved my own child and others - the authorities did nothing - they refuse to even respond to questions. This is how the government in Utah responds to people who make reports of abuse and code violations. They don't care. Until someone dies and the press starts writing about how lax they are. Unfortunately it takes the death of someone to get any type of responce from the authorities. When they do make some rules and regulations they do absolutely nothing to those facilities that are in violation.
Also the staff members do not report violations of laws, rules and codes. They do not report child abuse - which is a violation of law and duty. Those who want to be seen as "good staff members" are as guilty as those who abuse the children because they should be reporting what they witness. It really makes me sick when these kids come out of these programs and say how wonderful so and so was. Well if that person was so wonderful - then why are they violating the child abuse reporting laws?
Anson knew that the facility was violating laws and codes - in fact he had told his family about it before his untimely death. The sad thing is - if he had gone to the authorities - they would have done nothing. This is probably why he continued to work - knowing that this was a violation. The authorities do not do anything at all until someone dies.
Now that Anson has died - the program has been closed for the violations. If he had not died - the program would be in full operation.
The authorities need to respond to these reports of abuse and they are not. More will die as a result of this. Apparently the citizens of Utah will only get involved when one of their own dies. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture
is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin
to understand me?
--O'Brien to Winston Smith
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Actually, the people of Cedar City probably do care about the kids now that they understand that it isn't just kids who are at-risk of serious injury and even death. As for Ken Stettler, it appears that he has advocated for stricter rules and regulations and that his biggest problem is lack of resources to properly monitor the programs and enforce existing laws. If jobs are the problem, the state of Utah should raise funds to hire more DHS staff to monitor the nearly 200 programs operating in the state. Doesn't that make more sense than granting more licenses?
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***Stettler is not the problem, the problem is UTAH needs jobs. This is ecomonics 101. Getting rid of Stettler is like putting a band-aid on a severed artery. It ain't gonna stop the bleeding.
That may be true, but there's also a chance that the person who replaces him could be more inclined to enforce the regulations, for what that is worth. A new Lic Dir may not have close ties with the program owners. Chances are that a new Lic Dir will not have a background in Youth Corrections.
**As for Ken Stettler, it appears that he has advocated for stricter rules and regulations and that his biggest problem is lack of resources to properly monitor the programs and enforce existing laws.
I don't think 'lack of resources' is the problem. Overlooking violations and not investigating claims of abuse is the problem.
Trusting 'fellow saints' to clean up violations is a problem.
Yes, it 'appears' that he advocated stricter rules. What choice did he have when so many teens were dying? I consider his action to be a political move to 'appear' to be addressing the problem. If the DHS can't properly monitor the programs they issue licenses to, that is a serious problem. They are are not in compliance with state laws that mandate the requirements for their agency.
I imagine that 'inadequate resources' is just the next excuse in a long line of excuses, which will change when more resource doesn't prevent the next child from dying.
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ken Stettler is a major problem. I personally communicated with him. He was arrogant and insensitive. I'd love to cut and paste part of his letter here for all to see just how he responds to not only parents, but licensed professionals who report abuse at these programs.
He supports and defends these programs. He was rude and condescending.
The authorities in Utah, including Stettler, are as guilty as those who abuse the children in these programs. They only act when someone dies in an effort to wipe pie off their faces. They are not SAINTS - they are DEMONS who allow children to be tortured and abused in these for-profit programs. [1971 - 2001] the darkest chapter in Federal law enforcement history.
Committee on Government Reform
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This is something for those who are reluctant to believe that beatings and abuse take place in problem youth centers: (This was taken from the Youth Rights Forum - name witheld)
The California Youth Authority (CYA)needs to be shut down! Here is an article on how the attorney general of California refuses to prosecute "counselors" that beat two youths. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... ADTC29.DTL (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/04/24/MNGL66ADTC29.DTL)
These bastards were even caught on tape (imagine what happens that we don't see), which you can see for yourself at:
http://www.ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=182 (http://www.ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=182)
The day before this happened (in January) two other teenagers where found hanged in their cells. Here is more information on some of the abuses (including putting youth into cages where they can barely turn around).
http://www.indybay.org/police/#1959 (http://www.indybay.org/police/#1959)
He who laughs lasts
--Crazy Mac
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K Arnold,
how were you made aware of that meeting in SLC?
did you go?
what transpired?
were any more meetings scheduled for the future?
how can the family of Anson be kept abreast of things like that - since they had NO foreknowledge of that meeting?
thanks
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SO WHAT'S THE SCOOP ON THE BIG MEETING IN SALT LAKE CITY?
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"Now - in exchange for this information I would like to know your purpose. I was fair and open with this - can't you do the same? I have no beef with this guy, but you asked for info. Why are you asking questions about him? I suspect you've been thrown a name, but I think you are barking up the wrong tree. Do tell - I might be able to help you.
If you tell what you're up to - that might be worth some more information....
Internet has lot's of info - just have to know where to look..."
===============
Hi Anon,
you sound like you have information; would you mind suggesting how the Arnett family can gain access to what you might have, or to other sources, please? They would be most interested in any and all information that may be out there that is relevant to this whole subject; the good and the bad, both.
If any reform is to ever take place, it must start with having lots of reliable information.
If the family of Anson are ever going to be able to exercise their rights regarding seeking compensation for their loss, they will need lots of good information.
any help they can get will be most appreciated,
thanks!
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On 2004-06-19 04:03:00, Anonymous wrote:
"SO WHAT'S THE SCOOP ON THE BIG MEETING IN SALT LAKE CITY?"
This landed in my box the other day.
Here is an article reporting on the Wednesday meeting of the Utah Health and Human Services Interim Committee: agenda item "Group Homes".
document.writeln(AAMB1);
deseretnews.com
Utah
Thursday, June 17, 2004
E-mail story
Oversight of group homes targeted
By Amy Joi Bryson
Deseret Morning News
Cedar City officials and residents, asserting the March slaying of a group home counselor was a "needless death," reached out Wednesday to an interim committee of lawmakers, saying more stringent oversight needs to be imposed.
Whether that is through state government or giving counties and cities broader discretion in making sure homes live up to their promises is still left unsettled.
"We don't want to shut down these homes, we want to make them better," said Karyn Arnold of Cedar City.
Arnold pointed to an example of a sex offender treatment program that located its offices within 500 feet of an elementary school. Clients of the program would often visit the offices while school was in session and in other instances hand out water bottles to participants in a youth athletic program, she said.
"The cops have been there three times in a couple week period," she said. "I don't understand how they can stay in business this way."
document.write(Banner("area=dn.local.position1y/adsize=300x250",300,250))
Testimony Wednesday before the Health and Human Services Interim Committee pointed to the need to do three things: Increase the specificity of state rules governing residential treatment programs; empower state inspectors to enforce the regulations by levying fines; give local government more control over the regulation of treatment facilities.
The concern, rests in part, after the March death of 31-year-old Anson Arnett, who prosecutors say was killed by two teenage residents of Maxim Life Skills Academy. The facility had several licensing violations, authorities say.
While the state used to have more regulatory authority over such programs, Rep. Judy Buffmire, D-Salt Lake, pointed out it was the 1998 Legislature that rescinded the extent of the state's oversight via its licensing division.
"We need to start looking at ourselves because they had much tighter control," Buffmire said. "I think we all know there is a problem, but it is our problem."
Ken Stettler, director of the Office of Licensing in the state Department of Human Services, said the problem of demanding facilities' meeting licensure requirements also is compounded by limited staff.
His employees include 20 licensure workers who handle the 1,250 programs out there that range from foster care to homes specializing in treatment for mental health issues or substance abuse.
The homes can range from as little as four clients to 400. Five employees conducted more than 50,000 background checks last year.
"We have our hands full," Stettler said.
The committee agreed to have a work group tackle the variety of possibilities that could be implemented through legislation or via administrative rule.
It is expected that lawmakers will discuss the topic again at its August meeting.
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Guard with jealous attention the public Liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that Jewel. Unfortunately, Nothing will Preserve it but downright Force. Whenever you Give Up that Force, you are ruined.....The Great Object is that every man be armed.....Everyone who is able may have a gun.
- Patrick Henry
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While no one is under any obligation to keep the Arnett family informed about these things, I can assure you that no one is as passionate and as determined to set things straight as they are.
So, please, if anyone knows about any of these events or hearings in advance, please post them so everyone who has an interest can make preparations to attend and speak for some reform.
thanks!
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I did post about this hearing a few days ago. Someone had emailed it to me anonymously and asked that I do so. I can't promise to always be able to fwd info in a timely manner, but I do try to make public everything appropriate as soon as I know of it.
I bet the Arnett family is quite interested in reforming the industry right about now. I just wonder if they can be open minded about properly assigning the cause of the problems, given that they're grieving the loss of a loved one. But, of course, they certainly are at least as entitled as anyone to take a crack at improving the situation.History gives us a kind of chart, and we dare not surrender even a small rushlight in the darkness. The hasty reformer who does not remember the past will find himself condemned to repeat it.
--John Buchan
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Thanks for the information regarding the long-overdue meeting. It looks as though the 1998 Utah legislature made it easier for facilities to circumvent laws and rules.
Being short handed should not be an excuse every time a child or staff member dies as a result of violations of laws. The state needs to start charging more for licensing. $300 per year is not enough. I pay $100 for my license. They should increase the fees to $3000 - then they could hire additional staff. They should also have monetary penalties for violations of rules. This could put facilities out of business who are not in compliance.
There's much more that could be done. Making lame excuses is not sufficient when human lives are at issue.If we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion by education
--Thomas Jefferson
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What I would like to hear is a projection regarding how many employees it would take to monitor the facilties appropriately. And why they have not historically issued fines for violations. It would be interesting to know if that is consistent with all facilities or just the teen warehouses.
1250 programs/20 employees = 63 programs per employee. 250 days a year. That's 4 days devoted to each facility, per year. Perhaps Utah is run differently, but it's very probable that some of these facilties aren't visited but every 1-3 years unless a complaint is filed.
50,000 background checks?! That's 1,000 background checks per week--200 per day--or 40 per day for each of the 5 employees. Each facility is hiring 4 new employees per week?
Must be a very high rate of turnover in the human service field?
Perhaps the fee to run checks should be increased. In Tx it's 2 bucks, indicating that DHS is loosing money or background checks are not time consuming to conduct. Come to think of it, it cost more than 2 bucks to type and mail the results. Seems that the fee could be increased to cover the costs of temps to that grunt work, freeing up reps to monitor.
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I was at the meeting in Salt Lake and felt that things went very well it was also farily well attended. There will be another meeting in August
that I will also attend. I felt that there was some very strong statments made about what needs to be changed. I am hopeful that the laws can be changed because right now there is very little
regulations in place to protect the children and the people that are employed with these programs.
I also think that the State Health and Human Interim Committee that we went before realize there is a big problem. They were also very well informed about the different situations that are occuring in these homes. There were people from different cities from around the state that are dealing with the same problem.And it all comes down to the fact that these programs are nothing more than money makers
bottom line and no amount of money can bring back a life that has been taken and in this case there were three.
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Anon in Cedar City:
It's good that you are taking an interest in this. Something needs to be done and nothing will be done unless the people of Utah continue to demand it. Is there an initiative process in Utah - where the people can vote for changes? It seems as though many people who are elected to serve you are in the back pockets of the owners of these programs. This is why programs conitinue to operate even when there are violations.
A wrongful death suit should be filed against the State of Utah for the death of Anson. They knew there were violations and did nothing. This is the policy though. I personally received a letter indicating that it was the policy to go in - determine if there were any violations and then ask the facility to correct it. IT IS NOT THE POLICY TO SHUT PROGRAMS DOWN AND SEND CHILDREN HOME -even though their safety and mental health may be at stake as a result of violations of State, Federal and Core rules.
The DHS has promoted these programs and they have defended them even when children have died as a result of gross negligence and violations of rules.
They do little to nothing when former students or their parents make reports of violations of laws, rules and regulations.
Some programs are litterally torturing children in their care, some have diagnosed mental illnesses.
The world was shocked when they actually saw photos of the cruel and degrading treatment of the Iraqi prisoners. I can tell you that the same types of things are going on in some of the youth programs in Utah and elsewhere. My own child was abused and injured and your State Attorney General did not believe the abusive acts were criminal - even though there were violations of codes, rules and laws.
Why are their laws, codes and rules? They are there to protect us. They are there to assure that children in these programs are cared for properly and not abused. They are using isolation and seclusion as a form of punishment. Many have reported being in I&S for weeks. My own child was in I& S for an entire week. The Core rules state that isolation can not be used for more than four hours. This is just an example of one of the violations.
Many children have reported being stripped naked as punishment. They have been denied medical care, water and proper food. Many have been deprived of using the restroom for hours. Some have reported being beaten and drugged with injections of powerful psychotropic agents against their will. This is all done to humiliate,dominate and abuse.
Anson is dead - and you can't bring him back. But you can reform this industry. Just before he died he was lamenting to his family about the treatment of the youth in his facility. He would want nothing less. What is happening in Utah is pure evil. Your government is corrupt when it comes to these programs. We can't do anything about it. This is a matter that must be addressed and demanded by the people of the State of Utah. I urge you to continue to do this before someone else dies in your state as a result of insufficient governmental oversight.
Best Wishes....To err is human; to forgive is simply not our policy.
[ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-06-23 01:04 ]
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I have been active in the situation in Cedar for the last 2 years, Alot of people think the citazens are just getting involved since the death Of Anson Arnett, this is not true. We have been fighting to get changes made in our state for a long time. We have had some new ordinances created locally and are happy that we were able to go before state officials to make better legislation. We have had support from our local state representatives for as long as i have been involved and if it wasn't for them we would not have been able to get scheduled into the interim committee meeting. We only found out about the meeting days before it was to happen and I personally contacted Anson Arnett's Sister and Brother, but the Family had prior commitments that made it unable for them to attend but they want to attend the next meeting in august where we will be able to present actuall legislation to be sent before the State legislature. A work group consisting of officials and some of the industries representatives will be working on this, a little scary but hopefully our officials won't be bullied into things they don't want. I know they feel the strong need for reform that alot of us do. I got to speak at the meeting and it was (scary) very insightful for the committee to hear how it is for the citizens dealing with these places.
Our city attorney who has been very helpfull let us know we finally got a spot before the committee. and probably the best part was towards the end when the committee members suggested that we get some representatives from the industry in to give their views and opinions and several of us said they had representation there who were in the back just listening. Several lawyers from group homes were in attendance but did not want to speak. The committee head sounded quite peturbed that they had not made themselves known from the begining.
At the start of the meeting Senator Hatch spoke followed by our city attorney Paul Bittmen and then followed Ken Stettler and Shannon Delaney from our school district and then a Duschene county resident and then myself. Virgin residents sent a memorandum since no one could attend. It was nice to actually have our voices heard. This is not a new problem for Cedar and we have been working for such a long time to get things accomplished.
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Specifically, I would like to know when and where this next meeting in August will be?
:???:
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Thank you for taking an interest. What caught your attention? I just have to ask cause I've always wondered. So many people saw what was going on w/ The Seed and Straight; teachers, neighboring businesses, neighbors; but no one ever intervened. I just have to wonder what all those people were thinking. Maybe you can shed some light on that?
History gives us a kind of chart, and we dare not surrender even a small rushlight in the darkness. The hasty reformer who does not remember the past will find himself condemned to repeat it.
--John Buchan
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Thanks, K,
If you can keep posting to this board we'll be able to keep up with the schedule of things.
Had I been aware of the meeting, I surely would have attended; in fact, I'm told I was on the agenda and scheduled to speak, but I was totally uninformed of that before the fact...
thanks again!
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Bump ...
Where and When is the next Meeting in August?
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To Cherish Wisdom
I am so very sorry for what your child went through. We know all to well that the programs
are not shut down when they are in violation.
M.L.S.A. the home where Anson was killed was shut down, but they are trying to open
a Rtc in a four plex in a different part of town
which would be a 22 bed facility. The problem is they could possibly open it because it is not the
same house that was in violation. I think that they should never be able to open another program
again. The only thing that we may have going for Cedar city is that we were able to draft a new ordinance and the new site does not meet zoning.
As for the meeting in August we do not know a date or time but it is in the capitol building in SLC
When I get any info about time and date I will post it. I am also wondering how you know that
Anson was lamenting about the treatment of the children in the program? As residents of Cedar we went before our city council 2 years ago
to ask that something be done about where these
programs were setting up shop,and about what was going on in these facilities and at the time we
stated that it was not if but when something tragic happened it would be to late. Because it was only a mater of time, now we must do all that we can to make sure this never happens again.
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We do not know when the next meeting in August will be but you can log onto the states web site at le.utah.gov and see when the meeting will be, it is currently not on the schedule. And soon you should be able to access minutes to the last meeting. You could contact Sen. Tom Hatch's office to find out about the work group that is working on the presentation.
Did somebody want to know how i got involved or was that to someone else? let me know.
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Citizens of Cedar City: I'd like to commend you for your activism in trying to bring necessary reforms to the teen industry in Utah. Some children are being tortured and abused in these programs and they have no way to report this to the authorities. Rules and regulations that have been established for safety of children and staff are routinely violated. More must be done to prevent this and give these children a way to report violations and abuse.
I obtained hospital records. On one document alone there were three violations of Utah Core Rules. The core rules state that isolation can not be used for more than four hours unless a child is evaluated by a physician. The staff must try less drastic measures first and the isolation can not extend past normal sleeping hours. On day three of my mentally ill daughter's stay at Provo Canyon School six staff members bodily stripped her and restrained her and forced her to stay in a small, cold, concrete room from 1800 until 0130. On the document there are boxes to check indicated that staff tried less drastic measures first - like therapeutic comunication. NONE of these boxes were checked off. So on this one form three rules were broken - she was isolated for nearly 8 hours instead of 4 and it was past bedtime - 1:30 am. This is commonplace. She was later isolated for an entire week without notifying us. This was also a violation - parents are to be notified of isolation in excess of 24 hours (this must be ordered by an MD) Here again there are 6 violation - excessive time, past bedtime, no less drastic measures used, no MD evaluation, no notification of parents. All of this was reported to CPS, Licensing, DHS, and the Attorney General and to date - nothing has been done. This is documented - not a he said, she said situation. YOUR GOVERNMENT DID NOTHING, as far as I know. Many other parents do not go to bat for their kids who are abused. Some would care less or are led to believe that it is somehow necessary for their recovery.
These rules are in place for a reason - to prevent child abuse. The rules regarding staffing are there to prevent what happend to Anson. Escape attempts are commonplace for many reasons. Some of the kids are drug needy and addicted. Some are being abused. Some have mental illness and are being abused either physically, emotionally, verbally or psychologically. As we've seen with Anson - they can be desparate enough to severly injure or even kill a person who stands in their way of freedom. This will happen again if rules continue to be violated. In the case of Aaron Bacon who died as a result of extreme negligence, cruelty, starvation and exposure to the cold, many rules were violated. Only one of those responsible served jail time - three months.
More must be done. Unfortunatly many in leadership postitions are reluctant to kill the goose that gives the golden political donations. See for yourselves at: http://www.opensecrets.org (http://www.opensecrets.org)
Look up the Lichfields of St. George and you will see what I'm talking about. You can also plug in other names of administrators and owners of teen programs. Look up Rober Crist - administrator of Provo Canyon School. I think you will get the picture......
Best Wishes to all of you and keep working for reform. This must become a topic of discussion until it is resolved. Were the government to prescribe to us our medicine and diet, our bodies would be in such keeping as our souls are now. Thus in France the emetic was once forbidden as a medicine, and the potato as an article of food. Government is just as infallible,[sic] too, when it fixes systems in physics. Galileo was sent to the Inquisition for affirming that the earth was a sphere.... It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.
Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia
[ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-06-24 00:56 ]
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16 programs operating in Cedar City alone is proof positive that this industry is out-of-control and has been since 1990 when Michelle Sutton died from dehydration. The very idea of permitting group homes for troubled teens to operate in residential neighborhoods is as insane as letting wilderness therapy programs set up base camps out in the middle of nowhere. The problem is this is a high-revenue business and too many people have their finger in the pie to expect meaningful reform. Second, there is a fatal flaw in the teen help industry at large and that flaw has nothing to do with rules and regulations. It has to do with PARENTS and the fact that they are the best and only defense against the maltreatment of their children. Shipping kids off to programs and schools SIGHT UNSEEN is the rule, not the exception, with the majority of parents who use these facilities to warehouse their troubled (or troublesome) teens.
How you regulate bad parents, is the real question.
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I don't know if I'd put all of the blame on the parents. Many of them are desparate - their kids are suicidal, depressed, cutting, involved in gangs, drugs, sex, and so forth. Now counselors and therapists are routinely refering desparate parents of troubled teens to use residential care. They give them brochers and help them make calls until they find one with openings. The program then suggests that the parents hire an escort and convince them that this is the safest thing to do. The parents do not know that the facility is in a residential neighborhood. They believe what they see on the brochers and internet sits. Look up Maximum Life Skills Academy. Is there any indication that this facility is in a residential neighborhood? There are pictures of boys hiking and canoeing - with big smiles on their faces. It looks like a summer camp or ranch. This industry is fraudulent and the government supports and defends the fraud.
Parents are the consumers of this industry. I'd like to encourage all of them to bring their children home and refuse to subject them to this fraud and harm. Unfortunately this will not happen soon. Most people are not aware of the dangers of this industry. It's hard to believe that there are 16 teen programs in Cedar City. Does anyone have a list? How many are in the Provo/Orem area? Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps.
-- Emo Phillips
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***It's hard to believe that there are 16 teen programs in Cedar City. Does anyone have a list? How many are in the Provo/Orem area?
Licensed programs listed here:
http://www.hslic.utah.gov/rs-yp-d.asp (http://www.hslic.utah.gov/rs-yp-d.asp)
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Parents are the consumers of this industry.{/quote]
No Cherish Wisdom, children are the consumers of this industry and the ones paying the biggest price of all.
:silly:
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I did a search on the Utah licensing site. It look like there are only 5 licensed youth facilities in Cedar City. There are others that are located elsewhere and use a Cedar City address for mail.
Some of the facilities do not list their actual address. Here are the five in Cedar City and their CEO's:
Integrity House (Ceo - Daniel Taylor) Capacity 23
FEMALE age 12 -17. Location not disclosed. Mail goes to 465 W 1600 N Cedar City
Moonridge Academy (Ceo - Scott Davis) Capacity 16
FEMALE age 11-17. Location not disclosed. Mail to 9450 West 2400 South CC.
Rocky Mountain Youth Services- Cedar Valley Ranch (Ceo - Gigi Allred - she is also listed as the ADMINISTRATOR of Rocky Mountain Youth Services - Lakeview Group home in Provo [cap 15 Female] and she is listed as the ADMINISTRATOR of Timpview Group Home in Lindon Utah [cap 15 males])
The Capacity of CVR is 15 Males age 12-17
Horizon House - located at 54 North 200 East, CC -
Exec Director is Paul Thorpe - Cap: 18 Adults
Eagle Quest Treatment - 91 North 1850 West, CC,
Paul Thorpe is listed as Exec Director. Capacity of 9 Males age 12-17
These are the only facilities that are licensed and identified. Perhaps the other 10 are not licensed yet.
There are a few people who are listed as directors of more than one facility in the CC and PROVO areas:
GIGI ALLRED - 2 in Provo and 1 in CC
JOSEPH WOODWARD - 5 in the Provo Area
RICHARD LOOSE - 2 in the Provo Area
LARRY LINDE - 2 in the Provo Area
MARK MEGREGGOR - 2 in the Provo Area
PATRICK BEACHLEY - 3 in the Provo Area
BARRY WOODWARD - 3 in the Provo Area (Provo Canyon School CEO)
LAMAR EYRE - 3 in Provo Area
Parents are the consumers of this industry because they PAY for it. The children are the victims of this industry because they suffer from it. [ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-06-25 11:40 ]
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You missed alot if you only looked under residential treatment. Some groups classify themselves as outpatient care or residential care or others, these people are very tricky. Praxis youth quest has a center with girls and they are listed next to the family support center in residential care, a non-profit , state run center that helps parents with day care type facility so the parents can go to doctors or job interviews or just a stress break. totally different that a group home. The state office of licensing said in the meeting we had in Cedar in may that there were currently 16 in Cedar, you just have to know what the group home classifies itself under.
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FYI:
On the legislative calander it shows that the interim committee meeting day is August 18th. So the next meeting will most likely be on that day.
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Interesting. I also looked up facilities in the Utah Valley area and saw that some of them that were located in Spanish Fork/ Linden and Provo gave Cedar City mail addresses. Why do they do this? Some do not give their location address. Perhaps it's because they are in residential neighborhoods. I can see how this can be troubling. Especially when some of these youth are scared and may do irrational feats in an effort to break free.
Provo Canyon School's Orem campus is also next to an upscale neighborhood consisting of homes that would cost about 2 million dollars in So. California. Apparently the children are not allowed out for any length of time. It's not like the brocher that shows girls in gym suits playing volleyball outside. At PCS there is very little space for activities. Don't laugh when you leave this courtroom, thinking you have beat the system because you have looked these things up yourself. We are going to get you down the road.
Washington Superior CourtJudge Rebecca Baker
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I know that Praxis has it's main office in Spanish Fork but has a Cedar main office and several homes. In Cedar and one that was in Parowon, They are just so sneaky and slip into neighborhoods claiming this is the best place to rehabilitate and intergrate the kids back to normal society and family life. The tell the residents that we are bigots and mean because we have no compassion for these kids who were so abused and neglected at home they ended up commiting crimes. Of course this company was specifically speaking of Sex Offenders when we were told this. Of course they don't announce or inform the neighborhood they bring these homes into because the they say"everyone sees the need for us but noone wants us in their backyards"(speaking of the Sex offender school they located 200 ft from our elementary school.)
Do you live in Utah Cherish?
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Has anyone heard of the Aspen acheivment academy in loa utah?
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I was just wondering when the next meeting is. There wasn't much information on-line. It's doubtful that anything will be done. When is the trial going to start. Are they contemplating a plea bargain? Is there any way we can write letters to these boys or the Arnett family?
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Anson's dad is in the book - Perry Arnett 840 South Main #105 Cedar City, Utah 84720
they'd appreciate any information anyone has
theres a hearing in Salt Lake August 18th
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Those boys should have had a bail hearing and been released on bail. They are 17 years old, for Christ's sake, not even close to the Lafferty Brothers.
:flame:
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These boys are going to have a very difficult time. The courts and juries in Utah are backward and right-wing. They don't see that there are two sides to this issue. As a result of the abuse and the false imprisonment these boys became desparate enough to knock a lone staffer out in an effor to escape. Unfortunately for everyone - this staff member died. It didn't help that he went without medical intervention for two hours as the boys and other staff member decided what to do with the situation.
All of this is result of one thing - Negligence and indifference by the authorities in Utah. They knew there were several violations and allowed this place to continue opperating and did not notify the parents of these violations. Why - because this is their POLICY. They do not want to interfere in the livelyhoods of those who operate these facilties. They are a bread and butter industry for many communities.
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Is there a date for this meeting in August. We should post it on this and other sites so all interested in reforming this industry can attend. I wonder how many town-hall meetings were held when the children died as a result of staff negligence and cruelty? Anyone?
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http://www.hvjournal.com/articles.php?id=1189 (http://www.hvjournal.com/articles.php?id=1189)
Liahona Academy opened three weeks ago
?Our whole philosophy is service, serving others,? said Clay AhQuin, Director of Liahona Academy.
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Is Clay the brother of the Ah-Quin who owned Maximum Life Skills? It looks like it all runs in the family. I found it troubling that Clay would demean the boys in the facility the way he did - indicating that they get high on marijuana, heroine, whatever. It was also troubling that the program is based on his own philosophy. Shouldn't a program be based on aproved methods of treatment. SCARRY :skull: :skull:
Another matter of concern - involuntary servitude - it seems to be part of many of the WWASP-like programs. Also - wearing the same uniform sounds alot like prison. :eek: :eek:
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Released on bail? For brutally killing their counselor? With a baseball bat? And locking him in a closet? Bail? How much? Why?
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I guess it's called INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY. It seems some have already sentenced these unfortunate boys. I think most anyone in their situation would want to escape. Who would voluntarily desire to be imprisoned at one of these awful teen programs in Utah?
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I personally feel they had a right to escape ad they should be set free. If a prisoner of war escaped in the same manner we would proclaim them a hero. How is this different?
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This should never have happened. The authorities should have closed this place down when they found out there were many violations. They should have notified the parents of the children. There should be some law in Utah that makes it mandatory for the authorities to notify parents of violations.
These boys were extrememly distressed because they had just been told that they had to stay longer. Their hopes and dreams of freedom had just been destroyed by a very greedy, money hungry owner of this program. He had the capacity for 11 and only had 6 boys. He did not want to loose an additional $10,000 per month. Unfortunately these programs have desparate parents by the purse strings.
These boys should be released on bail to the custody of their parents.
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This was taken from the Youth Rights Forum - Behavior Modification link:
There are many more disturbing elements to this case than were reported in the news.
First, the victim was an employee who had complained to the owners of this "home," that he did not think they were doing their job. According to previous news reports, he was plannign to leave and possibly complain to the authorities. The counselor was not supposed to be there alone--the law required two counselors. The owners of the home had good reason to shut him up. If those kids reported that the counselor was in trouble, why didn't the owner do something about it before several hours passed?
Second, that home was nothing more than a rip-off money machine and was operating illegally. The owner was raking in more than $50K a month, paying the help almost nothing, didn't have the required staff on site, and were providing no services to these kids other than warehousing them. The kids were reportedly still obtaining drugs. If you ask me, the owner of that house was probably selling the drugs to them--why not make a little more profit????
Third, the owner of that home had been refused accreditation because of his family connections to other questional group homes. To me, this smacks of organized crime.
Fourth, the adults in charge should be held fully responsible. These kids were not being counseled. Were they were even in school? As minors, the adults in charge ARE held responsible for the death of the counselor. The owner should be the one sitting in jail.
Make no mistake, I believe the kids who actually killed Mr. Arnett should be held accountable, but the owner of the home is fully culpable. HE was the adult involved. Clearly, he was ripping off the people who paid to send their kids there. That home was nothing more than a money machine (as apparently are all or most of the others like it--a perfect scam for organized crime--heck, anyone with enough money to buy a cheap little house can play that game and retire young).
Why isn't the owner being charged with a variety of crimes? Where is he now? Living high, no doubt, on what's left of the hundreds of thousands of dollars he collected while the gravy train lasted.
(seems like many are getting more information on this)
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I love the way these motherfuckers who are Mormon and pray to Jesus who preached forgiveness above all else are so fucking vindictive. If they're religion is true the bastards will surely rot in hell.
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I agree with most of this post, however, the statement that was made by Anson's brother in the newspaper was this:
'he was distraught because he didn't feel the school was doing enough to educate the kids he was working with' ?it did not say not that ? he was an employee who had complained to the owners of this "home," that he did not think they were doing their job.? You state that ?According to previous news reports, he was planning to leave and possibly complain to the authorities'. I?d like to know which news reports these statements come from, and who made them?
I?ve seen many posts about how he was ?complaining? about the facility, but frankly, I don?t think he was ?complaining? as much as he was expressing his opinion that he?d like to be able to help the kids more than he was able, given the circumstances at the facility, which were, I agree, abhorrent.
When people say that he was ?complaining? and ?unhappy? it makes it sound as though he deserved to be beaten to death simply because he was unhappy about a certain aspect of his job. I don?t know very many people who are perfectly happy with every single aspect of their job.
I?d just like to know where people are getting their information about the victim?s statements regarding the facility?
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Listen you worthless wanker. Those kids are bloody fucking heroes. They rid they world of a piece of sick sadistic scum and now all the other scum might just think twice before they mess with the kids.
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You wrote "I?ve seen many posts about how he was ?complaining? about the facility, but frankly, I don?t think he was ?complaining? as much as he was expressing his opinion that he?d like to be able to help the kids more than he was able, given the circumstances at the facility, WHICH WERE, I AGREE, ABHORRENT..."
You have -- quite unintentionally, I suspect -- stumbled upon the key point: if you agree that the conditions ARE "abhorrent", and the gentleman in question continues to work there and does NOT complain, then he has become part of the problem.
The "Vee Vas only followink orders" defense didn't work very well at Nuremburg. But who knows, perhaps Utah will undo that bit of jurisprudence.
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It's quite offensive to refer to this man as "worthless scum." This will do nothing but cause animosity in the community and jury pool who will ultimately decide the fate of the two boys on trial. This incident is so tragic for everyone involved. Many of these programs are fraudulent in that they try to keep youth in the program for a longer period of time to get more money out of their parents. Truth be told - it doesn't take two years to de-tox and get clean.
It may take several years for someone to re-program a brain. What's truly horrifying is the fact that untrained and unlicensed people like Ah Quin are using potentially dangerous behavior modification techniques on children. The State of Utah is promoting this and sanctioning it. They obviously did nothing to this program that was operating in violation of codes UNTIL a staff member died. This is so outrageous.
It's also quite puzzling that it took so long for help to arrive.
Is there an update on all of this? I was also wondering when these boys will have a bail hearing. Are they being denied bail? It's obvious they did not intend to kill this man - reports indicate that they were surprised that he had died. "Replace end user" (The Top Support Call Closer 10 Years Running)
--Bastard Administrator
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we've read lots about the BAD group homes and Residential Treatment Facltiies in Utah but are there any GOOD ones in Utah?
can anyone name a group home in Utah that they think is run right?
how is it run differnetly that makes it better than others?
is there an industry association for the group home businesses?
is membership in this association voluntary or mandatory? by invitation or by request?
does this assocciation police its members?
how?
does it have membmership fees or dues? Fines?
is there a spokesperson for the industry? who?
are there any standards for group homes?
who writes these standards and where can they be found? on the net?
are there any model group homes that others look up to as being run right, the way all group homes should be run?
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I think this topic may deserve it's own thread, and certainly shouldn't derail the disucssion of this thread, so I will start a new one where the discussion of "Industry Associations" can continue.
[ This Message was edited by: Deborah on 2004-07-17 12:33 ][ This Message was edited by: Deborah on 2004-07-17 12:38 ]
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Does anyone know if there are any new updates on this case? Have the boys been granted a bail hearing?
They should have one if they are to be tried as adults? Where are they being kept? Can we write to them? What is the address of the detention center? Can we write to Anson's family to send our condolences?
I heard there is a meeting on August 18 - is that still on? Will there be time for public comment? Where and when exactly will this meeting be held?
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Jesse SImmons has been my best friend since 5th grade. I know him very well and this is not something he intented on doing. I believe he was influesed a lot by other peers at the home and not be as supervised as the program should have been. Maybe if they had 2 staff there the changes of the man dieing wouldn't have been high at all. KNowing Jesse if there was more than 1 staff he wouldn't of pulled something like this in the first place to try to run away.
My prayers are with him that he get consequences but people see both sides.
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What I always find unbelievable is that the a teenager can't leave one of these places because he is legally a "child" but when he escapes he is charged as an "adult".
The other thing that is no surprise is that if you look at the states that have these programs they are almost invariably GOP controlled states or else in very GOP controlled areas of battleground states.
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Is there any news on these two boys? What about the meeting in SLC?
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one of the two 'boys' had a Status Hearing last week; his trial is scheduled for Jan 05;
the other 'boy' has a Status Hearing next week;
this is where court dates are posted:
http://www.utcourts.gov/cgi-bin/cal/display.cgi?fn=32 (http://www.utcourts.gov/cgi-bin/cal/display.cgi?fn=32)
scroll down to find the name you are looking for, either 'Simmons' or 'Graham'
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IS THERE ANY BAIL HEARING IN SITE? JAN 5 IS A LONG TIME. I KNOW SOME OF THE CEDAR-CITY ITES HAVE ALREADY TRIED AND CONVICTED THESE BOYS - BUT HONESTLY - THEY SHOULD AT LEAST BE GIVEN A BAIL HEARING....
NITE OWL
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WAKE UP!
they had their 'bail hearing' the 17th of March at 9 am
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The minutes from the july meeting are now available. They are a summary of what was said, and can be veiwed at http://le.utah.gov/asp/interim/Commit.a ... Com=INTHHS (http://le.utah.gov/asp/interim/Commit.asp?Year=2004&Com=INTHHS)
The next meeting on aug 18th is also listed along with the room the meeting will be in.
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PRESS RELEASE - for Immediate Release - 23 September 2004
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1) The family of Anson Arnett is shocked, dismayed and outraged to learn that the Cedar City Corporation has just issued a business license to operate a Residential Treatment Facility (group home) for at-risk male youth at 1341 North Cedar Blvd., to Maximum Life Skills Academy, Inc., the same corporation involved in the murder of Anson Arnett by violent criminal youth residents of that facility.
2) The family of Anson Arnett is shocked, dismayed and outraged to learn that the Cedar City Corporation intends to issue ANOTHER business license to the same MLSA, Inc., to re-open the former Residential Treatment Facility (group home) at 1083 Bulloch Circle, where the murder of Anson Arnett was perpetrated by at-risk youth on 8 March 2004.
3) The family of Anson Arnett is shocked, dismayed and outraged to learn that the Licensing Division, Utah Department of Human Services, is considering the issuance of a license to the same MLSA, Inc., to operate a Residential Treatment Facility (group home) at 1341 North Cedar Blvd., and is considering the re-issuance of a license to the MLSA, Inc. at its former 1083 Bulloch Circle address.
The Cedar City Corporation "owes a duty" to the residents of Cedar City to NOT create any undue risk to its citizens through the business licensing process. By licensing and re-licensing the Maximum Life Skills Academy, Inc. to engage in the same type business that resulted in the wrongful death and murder of Anson Arnett, the Cedar City Corporation places every resident of the city at undue risk of bodily harm.
The citizens of this city need to take an active role in determining the types and kinds of businesses they wish to allow to operate in their city. Some business activities are UNDESIRABLE, and the Maximum Life Skills Academy, Inc., is a PROVEN undesirable business operation. (We would have thought the Cedar City Corporation, through its agents, knew that - BEFORE they issued a license to conduct business to the MLSA, Inc....)
We wish to invite all concerned citizens to flood the offices of the Cedar City Corporation, the Iron County Commission and the Licensing Division, Utah Department of Human Services, and the MLSA, Inc., through their Representative Scott F. Smith, and their Attorney Steven K. Harris, Harris and Harris Attorneys, Hurricane, Utah, with their views on these matters.
Other means and methods are planned to do whatever it takes to stop the MLSA, Inc., from ever again harming residents, staff, counselors or neighbors through its operational negligence. This is the same MLSA, Inc., that repeatedly violated, during the years 2003 and 2004, various rules and regulations of the state of Utah designed specifically to insure safe working conditions for its employees. One of those rules was the "two staff on duty at all times" rule, the repeated violation of which was instrumental in the wrongful death and murder of Anson Arnett.
Einstein said:
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who
DO evil, but because of those who look on and do NOTHING"
I will not "look on" the murder of my son - and "do nothing". I will speak out - either FOR those who are doing GOOD, or against those who are NOT. NONE are immune from my scrutiny, sanction and wrath.
/Signed/
Perry Arnett, for the Arnett Family, father of Anson Arnett, murdered in the MLSA, Inc., Residential Treatment Facility on 8 March 2004 in Cedar City, Utah.
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The government of Utah supports and promotes these money-making programs. It's no wonder that they would re-issue a license to that facility. The people of Utah have allowed this industry to control the legislative process. Those in political power literally take bribes from owners and opperators of these dens of horror and abuse. Legislation intended to make the facilities safer has failed - this is due to the political corruption in Utah. It's much bigger than Anson Arnet and his family.
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Did anyone happen to read The Salt Lake Tribune
on Sept.19,2004. Utah clan has clout in politics. Makes for some very interesting reading.
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and the letter to the editor Lichfield sent the following Sunday in rebuttal...
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I think both are posted somewhere in this forum.
Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.
--Friedrich Nietzsche
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Does anyone know anything about the meeting in August? Did it transpire as planned? Details?
In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn?t speak up because I wasn?t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn?t speak up because I wasn?t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn?t speak up because I wasn?t a trade unionist. Then they came for Catholics, and I didn?t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."
--Protestant minister Martin Neimoller
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I am VERY INTERESTED in details of these cases. I've got one of my own in mind. I'm a good hunter but a few more tips would help. Send private message if possible. You have to sign up to do so but i think we're pretty safe here.
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oddly, the July minutes are missing. I wrote to the legislative webmaster for the transcript.
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The next meeting on group homes before the state health and human services interim committee is on Nov 10th at 2:05 pm in room W015 House Building and Senator Tom Hatch will be presenting hopefully, new legisltion for the governing of these facilties, in the least what his work group has come up with. Cedar city currently has a moritorium in place to stop the issuing of buisness liscenses for group homes until March 2005 when the legislative session will end and at that time the city will be able to re-evaluate it's options concerning group homes.
As I come to know more about group homes in general I am appalled that the abuse that goes on in some of these facilities has not been stopped before this. And not knowing how these boys were treated, I can't say whether they were reacting to environment or what. It doesn't matter. There is no excuse for their actions. I do know that Anson Arnett was a kind person, who had real concern for the boys he worked with. And never harmed these boys, and that they made the choice to commit the crime, and now have to face the consequences and because of their ages that means being tried as an adult, and in Utah that could mean the death penalty.
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So there is another meeting on November 10. Why the difficulty in obtaining the minutes from the July meeting? From reading this thread it appears the two boys were due to be released back home. Parents were told they "were not ready" because they had allegedly cheated on a test. This was the catalyst that caused the deadly escape attempt. There was no excuse for killing Anson. It probably would not have happened if the facility had been appropriately staffed and if the owner of the facility had not tried to make more money by keeping these boys locked up unnecessarily. It was a dangerous situation - two boys who were emotionally distressed as a result of learning that they were not going to go home and only one staff member on duty.
It was a recipe for disaster.
I personally believe that the boys should not receive any greater penalty than the staff members whose negligence, and cruelty resulted in the deaths of at least 6 children who died in Utah youth programs. The greatest penalty was 3 months incarceration for the month-long starvation and exposure death of Aaron Bacon.
By the year 2000, we will, I hope, raise our children to believe in human potential, not God.
--Gloria Steinam, women's rights activist
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If these meetings are public, I will attend. I will check immediately. Anyone else?
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It's Sunday so I can't call but it appears these meetings are open and interested parties can testify if they give 24 hours notice to the committee.
To refresh memories, here's what was summarized from the June meeting (the last mention of this issues)
6. Group Homes
Sen. Hatch briefly discussed the incident that occurred in a group home in Cedar City that resulted in the death of the home's staff member.
Ms. Dupont distributed sections of the Utah Code which pertain to the regulation of group homes. Regulation of these homes is a blend of many laws and regulations that determine where and how the homes can be located.
Mr. Paul Bittmenn, Cedar City Attorney, distributed a written copy of his comments. He suggested the implementation of the following three policy goals: 1) increase the specificity of the state rules regulating residential treatment facilities; 2) empower state inspectors to enforce regulations; and 3) empower local government to be able to regulate residential treatment facilities.
Ms. Robin Arnold-Williams, DHS (Department of Human Services), stated these homes are a critical part of human services care in the state and it is her desire that they provide quality care. More children and youth are placed in these facilities from out of state than from within the state.
Mr. Ken Stettler, Office of Licensing, DHS, distributed several handouts regarding group homes. He said his office is charged with the responsibility of licensing each foster care home and any treatment programs that have to deal with mental health, substance abuse, aging, etc.
Ms. Shannon Dulaney, Iron County School District, expressed concern with the lack of communication between group homes and the education system and indicated that the education of some group home residents is being interrupted.
Mr. Tom Walker, Iron County School District, said that none of the 16 providers currently in Iron County offering programs for troubled youth have come to the district to discuss their education programs.
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Advice on testifying before a committee in Utah:
Advice on Testimony
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The meetings are public. I don't know what and if they will allow anyone to speak but it is worth a try. I do know that there is 3 people from the Cedar City area going up. They also attended the previous meetings too. Lets hope for the best.
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I am a Cedar City resident and I will be going up
to the meeting on Wed.
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I believe that anyone can put in a speaker card befor the meeting. Utah may be different than California - but there is usually a time set aside at the start of the meeting for Public Comment where anyone can say just about anything for five minutes (usually). So someone should call and ask if there is a time for public comment. Normally one need not get permission in advance - it's only necessary to show up and fill out a card.
I believe that human beings arrive on this Earth wanting to know absolutely everything, and the best thing we can do as parents is to get out of the way -- just be there to let them know what opportunities are there
-- Dorothy Werner, media liaison for the National Homeschool Association
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The meeting went fairly well, it is always hard to tell because the group home reps never say anything, they just listen and wait till later to talk to the committee members. Sen. Tom Hatch is welcoming all comments on the Draft Legislation they are going to present, It was not ready to present today, with both sides wanting adjustments made. It is headed in a positive direction at least. Several people spoke but comments were limited in the interest of time. Tom Hatch, Perry Arnett, Ken Stettler, Paul Bittman, Brian Steed, Robin Arnold-Williams and a couple others voiced opinions on the Draft.
I saw 2 problems in the Draft, one is that it does not ask for more inspectors for the office of licensing, so companies who already don't follow the law won't care if there is more law to not follow since they are rarely caught. Second, there is nothing to stop the companies once they have lost their license from doing what Max. Life Skills did and that is to fire the manager and change the name and claim they are a new company wanting to be licensed, and had nothing to do with the prior company. Even though the Board of directors and owners are the same people. They will still be able to get shut down for violations and be able to re-open under a new but similar name as soon as they want. Let me know if you are interested in putting imput for the Draft, they were talking about meeting right quick to get it all hammered out so they can present it at the next meeting, I don't know when that will be.
Cedar city will try to set up an open public meeting to update those who want info, I will post when and where when I find out. Our city wants to find out alll the other cities out there who are concerned with similar situations. Any info would be great.
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Were there any comments from the public? Sounds like it was dominated by the officials without input from the people most affected.
Sounds like the same old same old.
They are just trying to appease the people by acting like they are doing something. Apparently they have come up with something very minor that has no teeth whatsoever. I've seen this all before and know exactly what they are doing. This is just a show - a demonstration for those who are complaining. Absolutely nothing will change. Ken Stettler is part of the problem. He has supported the programs instead of the children for years now. The people of Utah live in a cloud - few realize what's going on behind the closed doors of the 200 teen residential programs in the state.
Authorities routinely ignore complaints of abuse and maltreatment by staff, families and patients. This is an outrage that must not be tolerated by the people in Utah. There are so many political bribes and under-the-table negotiations taking place in Utah. It is truly abominable..... and must not be tolerated. Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.
Thomas Jefferson, 1787
[ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-11-10 22:16 ]
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There were a few people that commented during the meeting. One being Mr. Green who is a Cedar city council men, Mr. Arnett had a few things to say about the different deaths that have happened within group homes. With one being his son and others being children that had been placed in the different programs. There was some people from the state, and also the city and county attorneys from Cedar city that spoke. I am hopeful that maybe something good will come out of this. We have been fighting this fight for 3 years now so I can only look at this as a positive from where we started and hope for the best.
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Can the public put initiatives on the ballot in Utah? It seems that the Utah legislature is in the pocket of this teen industry. Recently they killed legislation that would have made the industry a little safer for children. Does anyone have the minutes of this meeting.
I know from past experience that authoriites will often have these types of meetings to quell public concern and pacify the public. Rarely is anything done to correct the situation though. It's mainly to pacify the angry public and give lip service. Sadly this may be the case.
Truth be told - these programs are an economic assest to Utah. Thousands of jobs have been created and Thousands of tourists come to Utah to see their privately incarcerated children. They stay in Hotels and go to restraunts and shop in Utah. The owners and administrators of these programs donate heavily to politicians who promise to do nothing to change the status quo.
Authorities get active and have public forums when someone dies as a result of Utah's lack of oversight and regulation. Often there is a bandaid solution and lip service to the public and press - and nothing more is done.
I personally made complaints about a program - Provo Canyon School - to most of the agencies that are in place to protect children and patients from abuse. Little to nothing was done. It's safet to say that this is routine. Complaints come in and people are given nothing more than a carefully worded letter indicating that an investigation has been completed and nothing is wrong.
Obviously in the case of Anson - more was done - because he died. Sadly - it takes a death for authorities to do something or acknowledge that there are problems in the teen industry.
I hate to say this - but all the meeting in the world wont change anything. This has to be a political issue - it needs to be in the forefront of thought. It is not. Politicians probably say nothing about it.
The Lichfields are owners and administators of teen programs and escort services in Utah.
Please go to http://www.opensecrets.com (http://www.opensecrets.com)
Under individual donors type in the name Lichfield of Utah.
You will see that Robert Lichfield and all of his family (probably his dogs as well) donated heavily to politicians who will defend the deceptive and dangerous Utah teen industry.
More must be done and it's really up to the people of Utah - who,unfortunately, are not informed.Our Bible reveals to us the character of our god with minute and remorseless exactness... It is perhaps the most damnatory biography that exists in print anywhere. It makes Nero an angel of light and leading by contrast.
--Samuel Clemens "Mark Twain", American author and humorist
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I've known JS for a long time. He is a great kid at heart and in no way have I seen this so called "troubled" side of him. I do not like that he has been put under this title without any previous knowledge of who he really is.
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Kids are just pushed to the limit at these Utah youth programs. There have been numerous reports of abuse ranging from beatings to starvation. The authorities turn a blind eye to reports of abuse and only pop into action when something terrible happens - like this death of Anson.
Your friend JS probably was a great kid - but stress has a way of building up until it breaks someone. These youth programs do more harm than good to most youth. Most programs use punitive behavior modification measures. This program was no different. The boys who did this awful thing were both happy that they were going to go home soon. The administrator, not wanting to loose an additional $10,000 per month, told parents they were not ready to go because they had allegedly cheated on a test. This seems to have been the catalyst that drove them to this irrational and horrific action. From what I've read it doesn't appear they intended to kill him - they just wanted to knock him out so they could escape. Obviously they had never done anything like that before. They were just pushed to the limit of their coping abilities and were not thinking clearly. Also most facilities prevent frequent parent/child communication. The kids also have little to no contact with the outside world.
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Does anyone know if the boys were taking psychotropic drugs, particularly the one who actually hit Anson? The latest data indicates that these drugs can can cause suicidal/homicidal thoughts in teens, particularly SSRIs, hence the new 'black box' warning.
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No one knows that except the family - it's confidential. Most programs put kids on several different drugs - anti-depressants and Serroquel is another favorite.
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careful -
neither the "intent" of the perpetrators, nor the exact number of blows struck, nor the identities, nor the number of hitters have been revealed yet;
it IS known that SG was a "known violent criminal offendor" from another state; he's admitted that
if JS was such an angel, why did he participate?
Obviously, they HAD "done something like that before"...
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I read that there were two blows - I guess that was from witness testimony of another boy. Intent - that's something to determine at trial. If the one boy was such a serious criminal he would have been in juvenile hall in his home state - don't ya think?
It was wrong for the boys to strike Anson and kill him as a result. But it's also wrong to privately incarcerate youth in these programs against their will. It's wrong for the facilities to blantantly disobey rules and regulations to. It wrong for the authorities to look the other way when complaints come in.
I don't think all the blame can be placed on two troubled and stressed out boys. The State of Utah and the corrupt politicians who care more about political donations for owners of these programs are also to blame. Like Marty Stevens who accepted a $30,000 political bribe from the Lichfied clan after he purposefully let legislation die before it could be voted on.
The government of Utah is corrupt and the attitudes of the people breed this type of horror. Utahans care less about the "hoods in the woods." They'd care less if these kids were lined up and shot to death. That's what I think.
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I don't think you should lump all of us "Utahan's" together, Because there are people in Utah who do care about what is going on. That is why we have been trying so hard to change things here. Now if it works or not that is another story. But there are people who do care.
It is also very sickening when you look at the donations that have been made to the Utah politicians. When you think of that how can we ever win.
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Do you care about the children, staff or both? If the people of Utah cared so much they would be more vocal about it. There are hundreds of these programs and they are in almost every town in the state. Do you know what is going on behind those closed doors? Do you care?
Children who have mental illness - children who have been traumatized may be suffering more.
Most of these Utah programs are purposefully unregulated because they provide jobs and other economic benefits to Utah. This is why the authorities look the other way when reports of abuse surface. The entire state is corrupt when it comes to these youth programs and they will continue to be an embarrassment to Utah as long as the people do nothing and say nothing.
UTAH - HOME OF INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD ABUSE.
If the people of Utah truly cared they would do more about it. Truth be told - there are too few who give a damn....Forgive, O Lord, my little joke on Thee and I'll forgive Thy great big one on me.
--Robert Frost, American poet
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Seriously, who is willing to listen in the Utah government? I have been around and around and find unresponsiveness and dishonesty to be the standard. I KNOW there must be people who care but I don't know how to find them? Any help? I'll fly up there again to talk to anyone in government who will listen.
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I think before you say that Utahns don't care or need to speak up more you need to realize that most people don't know about these places, have never heard of the murders and mistreatments, and don't realixze what is really going on. People get busy, they don't pick up a paper or turn on the news. Everyone has different priorities. And quite frankly they don't see how this affects them even though it does. Most of these places hire college kids, and bring in kids from different states. They don't directly invovle the residents, unless you work for them. I probably wouldn't be as involved as i am if i didn't live right next to one of these places. It's sad but true. Some people crusade for other causes and you really have to pick your battles, What are you as an individual willing to fight for. We have so many active worthy causes in Cedar and I know so many outstanding people who donate time and effort to many things and noone can do everything at once. So please don't think those of us who are fighting don't care or aren't trying to make a difference. This new bill may or may not help, but it is something more than we had before. You can only blame the state and these companies for so long, it's sad but these kids are here for a reason, should they be treated this way? no, but it is my job as a parent to protect my children, if you aren't aloud to visit or speak with your children in these places you have to think something is going on. Visit the homes before you place your children, know what you and they are getting into, there are some good programs, very few.There is no easy solution, if you really think Ken Stettler is part of the problem talk with his boss Robin Arnold, Her job is a govoner appointed position and we have just voted in a new govoner, Contact him if you get no where, maybe it can be part of a solution to get the people out of place who are so chummy with these companies.For now we will keep doing what we can. Our city council put a moritorium in place to stop issuing business licenses to any group homes until the end of the leg. session so at least no new ones will be able to open until late march.
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Well - that's good for Cedar City - your backyard. I guess your right - most people don't take a stand before the problem becomes their problem. It's either in their backyard - or it effects them or their family members.
I dont' know if it will work or not - but has anyone thought of forming some organization there in Utah?
I wrote to the governor of Utah - no responce whatsoever. In fact I've sent letters to nearly every legislature in Utah - only one replied - asking if anyone else had made a comment. He was obvioulsy just fishing for information.
When people don't care what's happening in their state - then there is a huge problem. Such ignorance breeds this indifference to human suffering and torture in the State of Utah. I know of people who don't read the paper or listen to the news. They may be intelligent - yet they are so ignorant. I talked to a friend in Utah recently who didn't even know who was elected as governor of the State she lives in - obviously didn't really care. This is a sign of ignorance.
When the people of Utah or anyother state become so disengaged they really loose their ability to control the government.
Remember - this is a government by the people and for the people. If you do nothing and say nothing you loose your power.
You can do much to inform the others - your neighbors - your community. There may be some people who will not like you as a result - but you will gain their respect. I urge you to form a committee and start a letter writing campaign. Hand out flyers to the public. Let people know what's going on. Sometimes you need to make a louder noice to be heard. Change takes time and patience. He who will not reason is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool; and he who dares not is a slave.
--Author: Sir William Drummond
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Can I just say I'm Shocked at the stupidity of the Cedar City Police that they would put a mental handicapped person in custody with murderers. and I was told so often that the murder was these boys first violent crime, i almost, almost beleived it. Yet while still in custody Jesse Simmons doesn't hesitate to be violent atgain. This will be in 1/18/2005 Spectrum Daily news!
Posted January 18, 2005 4:29 PM.
Murder Suspect In Trouble In Jail
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Jesse Simmons, who pleaded guilty in December to killing his group home counselor, was one of three suspects in an alleged assault that took place at the Iron County Jail.
Iron County Interim Jail Captain Brad Spencer said a report has been filed with the Iron County Attorney?s Office and Simmons, Lazaro Aguilar, 23, and a male juvenile offender, 17, could all be charged with assault by a prisoner.
The alleged incident took place when the inmates were having time in the community area and they were not supposed to be in any cells. Two of the inmates beat the victim while another held the door of a cell shut.
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Can you be more specific about what happened and to whom? I just read the article and can't say that I'm incredibly shocked, but i'd like to know more?
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Obviously the "program" didn't work for Jesse. It just made him more mentally fragmented. Violence begets violence. When dangerous behavior modification has been implemented by unskilled people psychological horror can result.
This behavior is an example of the dangerous after-effects of the brutal behavior modification used in teen programs and the accompanying psychotropic drugs.
You folks from Cedar City need to realize that these horrific Utah youth programs are psychologically damaging children. Jesse is an example and there are many others. Why don't you do something about the real issue?
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. The people who ran straight had the best of intentions. I hope they reached their destination.
James Lloyd
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Just a note: I was in Cedar City during the holidays and stayed in the new Hampton Inn. I spoke to many of the locals about the killing of the staff member and NO ONE knew anything about it. I spoke to at least 10 local people. They don't even know what's going on in their own town. I also asked several who was elected governor. No one knew. UNBELIEVABLE STUPIDITY and ignorance is one of the reasons the people of Utah sit back and allow the physical and psychological torture of children in their state.
For those of you who don't know - It's Jon Huntsman - mega billion-aire.[ This Message was edited by: nite owl on 2005-01-19 10:37 ]
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The victim in jail who was beaten was a 22 year old mentally handicapped man, with an actuall age of a 12 year old! He was arressted for some misdemeanor(theft?) Why???? Would they put a handicapped person in the regular jail?? It makes no sense!! Apparently they beat him up just because!
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Teen suspected in possible assault at Iron County Jail
By ELIZABETH MILLER
emiller@thespectrum.com
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Simmons
CEDAR CITY -- Jesse Simmons, who pleaded guilty in December to killing his group home counselor, was one of three suspects in an alleged assault that took place at the Iron County Jail.
Iron County Interim Jail Captain Brad Spencer said a report has been filed with the Iron County Attorney's Office and Simmons, Lazaro Aguilar, 23, and a male juvenile offender, 17, could all be charged with assault by a prisoner.
The alleged incident took place when the inmates were having time in the community area and they were not supposed to be in any cells.
"They are not supposed to go in their rooms and in this instance they did," he said. "One of the guys involved was holding the door shut and the other two inmates were doing the assaulting."
Spencer said in addition to criminal charges, there has been administrative discipline within the jail.
"Simmons is serving some punitive isolation time because of the fight," he said. "(The juvenile) received the same as Jesse and the other. He hasn't been processed through, but his hearing is tomorrow. He's the one who held the door shut so the victim couldn't get out of his cell."
Although Aguilar's administrative hearing hasn't taken place, he is already in an isolated cell.
The victim was treated for bumps and bruises to his head and also a dislocated shoulder. He was released from Valley View Medical Center the same day and has now been released from the jail.
Spencer said although there is not a clear motive, he believes the assault took place because the victim was viewed as an easy target.
All the individuals were in the B-block, considered a special management area, when the incident happened. The juvenile is incarcerated at the jail because while he was in the juvenile detention center, he allegedly assaulted a staff member.
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Isolation as a punitive measure..... The courts in Utah are quick to incarcerate people - obvioulsy this young man who was beaten should not have been in jail.
Also Jesse may be showing the horrific after-effects of behavior modification and brain f-ing from the youth program he was privately incarcerated in.
Take feeling of betrayal and abandoment mix it with months of isolation from the outside world, take away family and friends and then throw in some warped behavior modification and some psychotropic drugs.
Is anyone surprised with this outcome? Would anyone be completely sane and happy? I doubt it.
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I got a new trick for ya
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This is the adgenda for the meeting where the newly appointed director of human sercices will speak on her vision for the future.
Utah State Legislature
Office of Legislative Research & General Counsel
Michael E. Christensen
Director
M. Gay Taylor
General Counsel
Utah State Capitol Complex
House Building, Suite W210
PO Box 145210
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-5210
(801) 538-1032 ? fax 538-1712
http://le.utah.gov (http://le.utah.gov)
Notice of Meeting
Health and Human Services Interim Committee
The committee chairs have scheduled the following meeting:
DATE: Wednesday, April 20, 2005
TIME: 8:00 a.m.
PLACE:Room W020 House Building
An agenda follows this notice. If committee members would like to be excused from the meeting, they may call Mark Andrews or Joy Miller at 538-1032.
Prepared April 6, 2005
AGENDA
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES INTERIM COMMITTEE
UTAH LEGISLATURE
Wednesday, April 20, 2005 ? 8:00 a.m. ? Room W020 House Building
Approximate
Time Frame
8:00 1. Committee Business
?Call to order
?Approval of the minutes of the November 10, 2004 meeting
8:05 2. Utah Department of Health
Dr. David Sundwall is the newly appointed Executive Director of the Utah Department of Health.
Dr. Sundwall has been invited by the Committee to share his vision for the Department's future and identify any issues he may wish the Committee to study.
? Dr. David Sundwall, Executive Director, Utah Department of Health
8:45 3. Sunset Review?Utah Department of Health
Under the Legislative Oversight and Sunset Act, the Utah Department of Health is scheduled for repeal July 1, 2006. The Committee will begin to identify issues it would like the Department to report on at a later time as part of the sunset review process.
? Staff Presentation
? Committee Discussion
9:00 4. Utah Department of Human Services
Ms. Lisa-Michele Church is the newly appointed Executive Director of the Utah Department of Human Services. Ms. Church has been invited by the Committee to share her vision for the Department's future and identify any issues she may wish the Interim Committee to study.
? Ms. Lisa-Michele Church, Executive Director, Utah Department of Human Services
9:40 5. Interim Study Agenda
The Committee will identify potential interim study topics.
? Committee Discussion
10:00 6. Other Business
10:05 7. Adjourn
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So what happened to the Department of Health and Human Services - did it branch off into two separate entities. Is Ken Stettler gone? Does anyone know? That would be quite excellent. Are these people at all knowledgeable of the thriving and abusive Utah teen Industry?
There never was a good war or a bad peace.
--Benjamin Franklin, (1773)
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I heard of a Mike Rios who was in the Roloff Homes from way back when.
I saw him listed as some one on the other page connected to this facility.
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Sorry meant to put the link and quote of it in. I was skimming through and noticed Mike Rios's name and knew that in the Roloff Group Homes, there had been a man name of Mike Rios. not sure if that relates or not.
http://www.fornits.baremetal.com/wwf/vi ... &forum=9&9 (http://www.fornits.baremetal.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?topic=4691&forum=9&9)
On 2004-03-10 21:50:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Not much info. It's not a wwasp/cedu/aspen affiliate that I can see:
Registrant:
Lucid Design
P.O. Box 277
St. George, Utah 84771
United States
Registered through: GoDaddy.com
Domain Name: MAXIMUMLIFESKILLS.COM
Created on: 11-Mar-03
Expires on: 11-Mar-06
Last Updated on: 11-Mar-03
Administrative Contact:
Rios, Mike mike@luciddesign.us (http://mailto:mike@luciddesign.us)
Lucid Design
P.O. Box 277
St. George, Utah 84771
United States
(435) 229-6085 Fax -- (435) 673-0447
"
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hey .... you i went to maximumlife skills academy for 10 months and the ahquins changed my life for the better dont blame the councelors for what happened blame sean. i lived with sean and he didnt seem like the person to do such a thing but i guess he did. he was scheduled to go home in a few weeks but he was caught cheating on a test. he was found not ready to enter back into the world so he took matters into his own hands. stupid kid