Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => The Troubled Teen Industry => Topic started by: Antny on October 25, 2004, 08:37:00 PM
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Hi all,
I don't know if any of you saw the media coverage of Woodside Trails Therapeutic Camp in Texas. If you did, I want you to know that there is WAY more to the story than you got from the media. Basically, The State Comptroller in TX wants to be the next Governor. She took on a mission to reform child care in TX (a noble cause) Unfortunately, she is impervious to evidence or reason in her decisions. Woodside Trails was a permanent camp (not forced marches) that treated juvenile sex offenders (not the poor lost foster children that the media portrayed). The camp is long term, and it's outdoors, living in shelters that the kids build along with the staff (talk about building self esteem and fostering competence). Ever built your own house?
Anyway, when you work with sex offenders, allegations fly. I'll cut to the chase: Strayhorn (the Comptroller) went to investigate the camp. She brought undercover media with her and even went so far as to introduce them as her staff. She masterfully excercised her media connections to have them air horribly biased coverage of the camp, and blast the camp. In the meantime, she called CPS 54 times herself to report abuse or neglect (really unfounded). Of course CPS has to interview each kid at the camp (48 total) b/c of the allegations by the comptroller. During the forced investigations, 2 campers made allegations about staff members sexually abusing them. The staff were arrested. One kid recanted his statements, but they still indicted the staff. The other kid is completely mangled from the horrific sexual and physical abuse that he went through as a young child, and could hardly be believed. Anyway...I know the people at the camp, and I know what went on there. I say this:
Caorlle Keeton Strayhorn just used her power as State Comptroller to wrongfully shut down a camp that was giving treatment to some of the toughest cases in the State of Texas. She immorally, unethically used the media to back her move, and get all kinds of publicity b/c she is planning to run for governor.
Is it legal for a politician (publically elected official) to use the media in this way?
I know that Camps have gotten a bad wrap in the media, but I swear to you, I saw lives changed for the better there. Those kids were better cared for at camp than their families could ever imagine![ This Message was edited by: Antny on 2004-10-25 17:40 ]
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Folks,
Go to this news story and watch the clip of Woodside Trails, and its owner.... see what cha think.
http://www.woai.com/troubleshooters/sto ... 52b79b2ec3 (http://www.woai.com/troubleshooters/story.aspx?content_id=f4b79cb0-9c47-4b37-bf9f-d452b79b2ec3)
Others:
http://www.woai.com/troubleshooters/sto ... 89227F5D72 (http://www.woai.com/troubleshooters/story.aspx?content_id=9FA2051F-5999-415D-B4DD-7389227F5D72)
http://www.news8austin.com/content/your ... rID=103091 (http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/default.asp?ArID=103091)
Photo Gallery:
http://www.window.state.tx.us/forgotten ... s0203.html (http://www.window.state.tx.us/forgottenchildren/ch02/s0203.html)
Original thread at Fornits:
http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.ph ... 52&forum=9 (http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?topic=5052&forum=9)
Anthony,
Are you refering to those open air 'tents', with tarp roofs, as 'houses'?? I can see the benefit in that activity... but to live year round in them?? How did they stay warm in the winter? Did staff sleep in the huts with them? Was there hot water at the outdoor shower? Tell us the story about the infamous Pee Wall. That's got to be a good one.
Was Woodside required to comply with the State Regs for wilderness programs? In your opinion, was Woodside in compliance with those regs?
How did the young man who OD'd gain access to the meds, not once, but twice?
What was a typical days menu?
Were the boys schooled?
And what's up with the therapy mentioned in the video? Where the young rape victim was made to reinact the rape 'as the victim'??? Was that staff member a licensed professional or just another staff emplimenting their 'experimental' approach on captive guinea pigs?
Sounded like perhaps about half the boys were placed by CPS. If that's the case, were the other half private pay? What was the going rate for both?
Lots of questions!! How you stick around to answer them.
It's tough that Woodside was the first to go down. Hopefully they won't be the last.
http://www.window.state.tx.us/news/40826statement.html (http://www.window.state.tx.us/news/40826statement.html)
For Immediate Release:
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Contact: Mark Sanders
512-463-4070
STATEMENT FROM COMPTROLLER STRAYHORN ON THE CLOSURE OF WOODSIDE TRAILS
"Late yesterday, the Department of Family and Protective Services effectively closed the Woodside Trails therapeutic camp in Bastrop by revoking its license. It's about time.
"Almost five months ago I called for the immediate removal of all children from Woodside Trails and similar camps until the facilities were brought up to permanent therapeutic camp standards.
"I also recommended that the licenses of facilities with repeated violations be revoked. Woodside Trails certainly falls into that category.
"I trust that the Department will be diligent in closing other similar facilities and adopting another of my recommendations that will prohibit any closed facilities from opening under another name.
"I hope the children removed from Woodside Trails will find the love and nurturing they so desperately need and deserve."
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This would be a good one to poll.
Folks can watch the video above and vote on whether they'd send their kid to Camp Pee Wall or not.
Or we might vote on whether or not we think the place should have been shut down, based solely on the evidence presented in the video, forget about the unproven allegations of abuse and inappropriate sexual activity. Or should I say, yet to be proven.
The Hell Holes in Texas are goin down.
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On 2004-10-25 19:03:00, Deborah wrote:
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This would be a good one to poll.
Folks can watch the video above and vote on whether they'd send their kid to Camp Pee Wall or not.
Yeah...media. That's bullshit media. The wall was for privacy, not to pee on. Soak it all up, because you really don't know.
How'd they stay warm...well, for those 3 months where it's a bit chilly in TX, we wrapped clear plastic around the walls (gotta be able to see in for supervision). We (the counselors) went around and tucked each kid in at night and had plenty of army surpluss blankets and sleeping bags for all. If it ever got tooo col, we all went up top to the real buildings and slept inside.
Of course you can base your opinion on the evidence in the video, that's who's campaigning for Strayhorn. You see, they fed the public a bunch of BULLSHIT that sin't even true. You want to know the real story? Or buy the propaganda?
BTW the WOAI news "troubleshooters" ar ethe ones who came in to the camp under the lie that they were part of the comptrollers staff. The interview with Bebe Gaines (EX. Dir) is at the end of about two months of being blasted by the media and Strayhorn.
She was relentlessly on the side of the kids.
22 kids are suing CPS for the ordeal, in an effort to force the realities to come out, and the facts to be known.
The kids chose to be there, not one was forced. Of course their alternative was often TYC, yet the choice was theirs.
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What of the other 26? Were they private pay? Why were they there?
Regardless of the media or Strayhorn's alleged intention and deception, the images they captured -in and of themselves- were damning. As were the allegations of abuse and method of therapy described.
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She was relentlessly on the side of the kids!
Isn't that a change? Usually the authorities are relentlessly on the side of the programs..
Finally someone has the courage to take a stand for the abused children who suffer in these programs. I have a nine year old boy. I can't immagine sending him to a place like that for any reason what-so-ever. You never see animals going through the absurd and often horrible fooleries of magic and religion. Only man behaves with such gratuitous folly. It is the price he has to pay for being intelligent but not, as yet, intelligent enough.
--Aldous Huxley, author
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Deborah,
The staff did stay in the shelters with the children year round. And about the outdoor shower? If you have lived in Texas you would know how hot it gets during summer. Those 'showers' were used only in the summer for the staff and children to cool down from the heat. As with schools and other situations in the world, it is difficult for a certain number of staff to watch all the children there. If a child could find a way to get away from the staff, yes they probably could get to the medicine and OD. The children also had a cook that cooked all their meals (might I add that she was a very kind woman). They had full nutritional meals. The boys did go to school while at the camp. And about the therapy mentioned, was any of that really investigated?
Most of the boys were placed at the camp by the state. And Woodside Trails was a non-profit organization. I know some of the boys that went there and they state that their lives greatly improved by going to the camp. I know the owner, and I have never known people that care so much about sex offenders and helping them as much as Bebe. She gave them her all to help them and she has helped the children that go to the camp for over 20 years. Just because an official wants to look good to the public so she can become governor doesn't mean that a non-profit organization that has worked for over 20 years should be shut down without proper investigation to the alligations made. And about your comment about hopefully Woodside wouldn't be the last to go down, that just tells me that you want sex offenders back on the streets. Hopefully you don't have a child to take care of, hate for one of those boys to repeat their past actions. But you seem to be fine having sexual preditors out on the streets, so sleep tight knowing you probably caused a sexual assalt on someone.
Hopefully there will be more people that look at all sides of the situation. And that less people act as ignorant as you.
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Your 9 year old would only be there if he needs to and if he chooses to. And luckily for you he probably doesn't need to go there. But now you have even more sexual preditors out on the streets that could attack your 9 year old. And I know I am making it sound like these boys are horrible creatures, but this is true for most of them. Some were abused themselves before going to the camp.
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On 2004-11-02 10:18:00, Deborah wrote:
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What of the other 26? Were they private pay? Why were they there?
Regardless of the media or Strayhorn's alleged intention and deception, the images they captured -in and of themselves- were damning. As were the allegations of abuse and method of therapy described.
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Well, not exatcly, some were Juvenile Probation kids, and some don't have any families to speak of...I don't suppose that the CPS custody kids would sue CPS. You obviously don't have a very deep understanding of the nature of the system we're dealing wit hin this case.
I will acknowledge that the pics and footage were damning, but I bet I could walk in your house at some point, find a mess and capture it on film, then brand you as a slob using it as evidence. Nobody's perfect all the time. Does that mean that because you had a mess, you're a slob?
What do you know about the "method of therapy described" What description? Sort of like the accurate description of the "pee wall"?
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Hey, I don't know who this Anon is, but for the record...it isn't me. Someone else out there knows what was going on at Woodside.
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A sideline story re: 'treatment' of offenders in
Indiana, by a Texas company
School would serve sex offenders
Charter request is one of 4 that could be approved by mayor for 2005 opening.
Hearing today
Mayor Bart Peterson's Charter Schools Board will hold public hearings on all four new charter school proposals, starting at 5:30 p.m. today.
The hearing will be held in the second-floor Public Assembly Room at the City-County Building.
By Kim L. Hooper
http://www33.brinkster.com/ethical/stories.htm (http://www33.brinkster.com/ethical/stories.htm)
Mrs. Childs, Indiana (Resolute Treatment Center)
?He was involved with a group of kids, mostly around his age, who were voluntarily performing various sex acts. Unfortunately two of the girls were a few years younger...There was never any accusation of force or intimidation.?
Danny Phillips, Indiana (Resolute Treatment Center)
?Every time I met with any counselor/group leader, he or she would try to tell me when I was telling lies and when I was denying details of my offenses during disclosures. They tried to force me to say things that were untrue and disgusting. They tried to make me say that I'd done something to Esther, Joel, Charity and Mom!?
http://www.indystar.com/forums/showthre ... ge=1&pp=15 (http://www.indystar.com/forums/showthread.php?s=71511ee7c00b2c7d0c0b4699d769f9f9&t=81206&page=1&pp=15)
Message Forum:
On Wednesday, October 27th we will be having another rally. This time it is at Resolute, in Indianapolis, from 12:30 to 3:30. The address is 320 N. Tibbs Ave.
Resolute is a sister facility to Resource. They have been there about 10 years and the "victims" are all boys who have been charged as sex offenders. These young boys are guilty of exploring their sexuality through consentual sex acts. There are no rapists at Resolute. There are also no girls. Boys are always the molesters
and girls are their victims. It doesn't matter that the girl may have been older or may have initiated whatever happened. Resolute uses unlicensed therapists. "Therapy" includes group and individual sessions where boys are forced to talk in great detail about every sexual thought, fantasy and act since age six. They must fill out
fantasy charts each day. If they say they didn't have any fantasies, they are yelled at and called liars. They are constantly threatened with being sent to DOC if they do not "work their program." Parents who do not agree with this program are called "in denial." They can have visiting and phone privileges taken away. Reports to the court
are exagerated and contain many outright lies about what the boy has admitted doing. Boys are abused mentally, emotionally and physically. For this, we the taxpayers, pay $300.00 per child per
day. Many times whole families are destroyed because of the sexual curiosity of one boy.
FACES has tried for nearly two years to get this information out via the media. It has always been silenced. We need a strong showing at this rally to get the attention this problem deserves. Let us know if you can attend, show up, wear a red shirt, bring a sign or use one of ours. We cannot continue to let young lives be destroyed by what
should be a "woodshed" offense that in the past was handled by the family.
Its time to close this Hotel California down,
The waste of taxpayers dollars for all these places is over 100 million a year in the State of Indiana. 100 Million a year for un-licensed people who abuse these children in the name of the state
Much, much more at the link above. Lots of BS mixed in with info. Reads kinda like Fornits sometimes.
God, does this sound familiar!!
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Deb, that's a great story, but it's unrelated to this thread. Also, you would be well served to stop copying such lengthy text, and summarize key points for the Forum. It seems like spam to have such lengthy text copied into the discussion furum.
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On 2004-11-05 06:54:00, Antny wrote:
"Deb, that's a great story, but it's unrelated to this thread. Also, you would be well served to stop copying such lengthy text, and summarize key points for the Forum. It seems like spam to have such lengthy text copied into the discussion furum."
I disagree. It is a bit lengthy but it is hardly War and Peace. The trouble with just giving a link is that the origial article often disappears after a while.
As for it being off-topic, well, you are new around here but I think you will find we tend to be pretty flexible about such things.
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Media Release
Contact:
Jackie D. Reynolds, Jr.
Brownwood, Texas 76801
Phone: 325-998-6116
Web: http://www.whataboutthekids.info (http://www.whataboutthekids.info)
Email: http://www.whataboutthekids.info (http://www.whataboutthekids.info).
###
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On 2005-08-23 20:13:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Media Release
Contact:
Jackie D. Reynolds, Jr.
Brownwood, Texas 76801
Phone: 325-998-6116
Web: http://www.whataboutthekids.info (http://www.whataboutthekids.info)
Email: http://www.whataboutthekids.info (http://www.whataboutthekids.info).
###"
This sounds like the typical bullshit defense of people who have been nailed dead-to-rights.
"They're persecuting me because I'm black (or asian, or satanist, or what-have-you)," "They're biased," "They have an axe to grind with my employer and I'm taking the hit," etc., etc., etc.
This is just denying the real victims (the children) and shifting the focus off the CRIMINAL SEXUAL PREDATOR.
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On 2005-08-24 06:08:00, Dysfunction Junction wrote:
This sounds like the typical bullshit defense of people who have been nailed dead-to-rights.
"They're persecuting me because I'm black (or asian, or satanist, or what-have-you)," "They're biased," "They have an axe to grind with my employer and I'm taking the hit," etc., etc., etc.
This is just denying the real victims (the children) and shifting the focus off the CRIMINAL SEXUAL PREDATOR.
"
Did you even bother to read the lawsuit? Do you know the specifics of what he is alleging? Do you even care that an innocent man was labeled a child predator because it suited a political agenda?
What happened to the presumption of innocence in this country? Why don't you educate yourself before presuming someone is a criminal sexual predator? Oh, wait, I guess that wouldn't suit YOUR agenda!
You claim he was nailed dead-to-rights. If that's true, then why were the criminal charges dismissed in March of this year? Just stop and think for a second: What if you're wrong? What if he's right and he didn't do it? What a horrible thing to accuse someone of without any evidence to support your contention. You should be ashamed of yourself.
I know Jack. And I know the specifics of the allegation. I know for a fact that he didn't sexually abuse that child. I know this because there is no way for him to have done what he was accused of in the manner in which he was accused of doing it and there be NO corroborating evidence to support the allegation. He's innocent
Signed,
Ashamed to be an American these days.
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Correct me if I am wrong Dysfunction, but wasn't this person cleared of any wrongdoing and charges dropped against him? Wouldn't that mean that he is not actually a child molester? That charges were brought against him in error? Or are you saying that he is guilty and somehow got away with it?
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On 2005-08-24 09:17:00, Anonymous wrote:
What happened to the presumption of innocence in this country?
Do the kids interred to programs like Woodside Trails have the benefit of a presumption of innocence? We did not inherit this land from our ancestors, we borrow it form our children.
Haida
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On 2005-08-24 09:18:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Correct me if I am wrong Dysfunction, but wasn't this person cleared of any wrongdoing and charges dropped against him? Wouldn't that mean that he is not actually a child molester? That charges were brought against him in error? Or are you saying that he is guilty and somehow got away with it?"
I said it SOUNDS LIKE, not "it is." Why don't you read what I wrote instead of telling me to read something else?
If I cared to read all the literature and come to an opinion, I would have.
All I stated is what is SOUNDS LIKE TO ME, as I've seen that "defense" many times.
So, whatever.
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This sure sounds like you considered him guilty:
This is just denying the real victims (the children) and shifting the focus off the CRIMINAL SEXUAL PREDATOR.
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You've got problems, buddy.
Good thing the kid "recanted" (by the way MANY kids who were actually sexually abused "recant" their stories out of embarrassment or fear of taking the stand and reliving the abuse).
So, again, whatever. It looks like a case of "the lady doth protest too much."
For all I know you are a child molester who got off the hook, just like many before have done.
By the way you act on here, you seem to me to be a deeply troubled individual. Just how you're capable of acting out, I wouldn't know.
By the way, if you're not responsible for presuming the innocence of program children, why am I suddenly in charge of innocence presumption in regard to you? What am I? The "innocence presumption" police?
The art of the double-standard, illustrated...
________________
"Compassion is the basis of morality"
-Arnold Schopenhauer[ This Message was edited by: Dysfunction Junction on 2005-08-25 07:52 ]
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Well, Jack, sometimes the kids fight back. Are they going to fight the judge or the parent who consigned them to the program? No, what good would that do. They'll fight who they can get at. And, as you were evidently there as an adult and took part in enforcing the program on them, you're pretty much fair game. Don't know whether you're guilty of the specific abuse alleged or not. But you damned sure owe those kids something.
And, btw, you'd have to have been accused of some pretty fucked up shit to earn 60 years. Most sex offenders get out in 10 or less.say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith, I consider a capacity for it terrifying and absolutely vile.
--Kurt Vonnegut, American author
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Remember, as my 1st Seargent so wonderfully put after he smoked us. "Shit rolls down hill." YOur at the bottom of the hill bitch, and no non-stick claim in the world can save your ass when a kid decides to take you out and works on it with all his heart.
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After reading the pleadings, I have many questions, but the most pressing is:
Why does a boy who wants you to adopt him claim you sexually abused him?
What are your credentials? I don?t remember that being mentioned. I also thought that the person who prepared the service plan was supposed to be a licensed professional.
And why were you moved to a different camp? If they place so much value in the 'relationship based therapy' they offer, why in the world would they allow a child to bond with a counselor, who frequently tells the kid he loves him, and then rip that person out of his life.
You said to the kid: Have you ever heard of the saying, "You can't see the forest for the trees?" Well, that's me right now. I'm too close to you to be an effective counselor for you--and trust me, that's not easy to admit because I really want to be there for you and watch you grow.
Somethin' ain't right.
Was there "Permission to Flirt", like "Permission to Lie" at the facility? The whole dialogue about the boys flirting with counselors and being jealous seems weird to me. And was there "Permission to Bump"? Whatever that is.
Do you support Bebe Gaines latest tactic to reopen the program under a new name and with a new classification, to avoid state licensing? Will they still be ?treating? ?sexual predators? primarily?
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Jack, how you can claim that Woodside Trails is even an "adequate facility" to be housing children is beyond my belief! I live in Texas, and it gets well below "cool" weather in this part of the country, and you know it. That facility is not a place that I would use to kennelmy DOGS! The authorities should be called to task for assigning ANY children to that facility! That is just my opinion on the PHYSICAL FACILITY.
The whole lack of an education and proper therapy for these children is a whole other issue.
And the ethics of YOU or any other "THERAPIST" getting involved on such a personal level with any "Client" as to be discussing ADOPTION is of this client is highly unprofessional to say the least.
MY OPINION: you do not need to be working with children until you learn some very basic rules about BOUNDARIES!
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I was accused of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child (forcing him to perform oral sex on me and performing oral sex on him). Each count carries a maximum sentence of 15 years. two counts X 15 years = 30 years.
You sound like a real sicko, buddy.
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I am not a 'folk'. Think you can write a sentence without using that word?
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Your website is pathetic. A tribute to a program you once worked for? What's wrong with you?
However, these quote made me smile:
n July 22, 2004, while attending a family dinner with my mother, father, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew, I was arrested for aggravated sexual assault of a child and sodomy. On August 5, 2004, another counselor was arrested on similar but unrelated charges.
My arrest and indictment were covered extensively by the news media. In almost every single major newspaper and news broadcast in the state, I was labeled a child rapist. My repeated and categorical denial of the allegation recieved no coverage.
I'm glad your family found out what a sick fuck you really are.
You know that saying.... what goes around comes around? Think about that next time you take a job at an abusive program.
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CPS also concluded I was guilty and issued what they call an RTB finding, meaning there is ?Reason To Believe? (RTB) I sexually assaulted a child at Woodside Trails. They issued a similar finding against the other counselor and also concluded that Bebe Gaines was guilty (RTB) of neglectful supervision of me. Two other RTB findings were issued against Woodside Trails as well.
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JACK: I saw the facility on TV and do have eyes. NO CHILD should have to live in those conditions, EVER. I PAY TAXES in the State of Texas...and those children deserve accomdations that are safe, warm, and that have the mere minimum of indoor plumbing.
I have NOT accused you of anything--except having a "lack of boundaries," IF YOU HAD discussions with ANY CHILD about future adoption of this child. NO "COUNSELOR" should ever let a child believe that adoption by his therapist is even a REMOTE POSSIBILITY--that is highly improper!! That is NOT THE ROLE OF A THERAPIST.
Whether or not you "abused some kid" is not my call. CPS is so "SLOW to come to the rescue" of abused kids here in Texas---and that has been documented to the hilt----that I can't help but wonder what documentation CPS has/had that made this agency have the RTB you sexually assaulted a child at Woodside Trails.
Your continued support of this PROVEN abusive facility makes no sense what-so-ever.
MY HARD-EARNED-TAX money being spent on such a place certainly makes no sense, either. These kids deserve more than living in the woods, and being denied an education and proper physical and mental health servicie.
AND YOU CERTAINLY CAN NOT SAY ONE WORD that can defend any of this that can make any sense to any of of "FOLKS" here.
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On 2005-08-26 15:58:00, jdr7181 wrote:
"Why are you posting this all anonymously? You're a coward, huh? You're real brave when the breadth of the internet stands between you and the person you make maliscious allegations against. I dare you to come out and state your full name and location. You won't because you're a coward.
Jack"
Well- I double, double dog dare you to...
fucking idiot. :rofl:
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me: My name is Jack Reynolds, and I'm an alcoholic.
crowd: Hi Jack!
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Let's simmer down a bit and give me a chance to defend myself from the unfounded accusation that I am a child predator. I'll be in the chat room tonight at 7pm cst (I live in Texas). Hope some of you come and talk to me.
howd the chat go/
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On 2005-08-26 12:17:00, Anonymous wrote:
"I am not a 'folk'. Think you can write a sentence without using that word?
"
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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(http://http://www.whataboutthekids.info/components/com_mambospgm/spgm/gal/His_Bed/JosephBed_Small.jpg)
Those kids were better cared for at camp than their families could ever imagine!
Really?
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(http://http://www.window.state.tx.us/forgottenchildren/ch02/photos/02sleeping/images/2c.jpg)
Sleeping platform at a therapeutic campsite.
Foster children have limited space for their possessions. A toothbrush and tube of toothpaste lay on the floor near the door. During the winter, plastic sheeting is used to provide limited protection from the cold. This facility receives a daily rate from DPRS for each foster child ranging from $80 to $115.
(http://http://www.window.state.tx.us/forgottenchildren/ch02/photos/02sleeping/images/2a.jpg)
Open fire pit and sleeping quarters for foster children at a therapeutic camp.
Foster children gather around the fire pit at night. There is no electricity or heat. This facility receives a daily rate from DPRS for each foster child ranging from $80 to $145.
(http://http://www.window.state.tx.us/forgottenchildren/ch02/photos/02sleeping/images/2b.jpg)
Sleeping platform at a therapeutic campsite.
DPRS standards require permanent camps to provide clean and sanitary bedding and clean mattresses. DPRS standards for wilderness camps do not address bedding or sleeping facilities. Foster children sleep in these conditions 365 days a year, during all types of weather.
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(http://http://www.window.state.tx.us/forgottenchildren/ch02/photos/00kitchen/images/0a.jpg)
Perishable food storage at a therapeutic campsite.
Foster children at this therapeutic camp cook their own meals at night and on weekends. The Comptroller opened this ?ice chest? during an unannounced visit in the middle of the day. There was no ice in the cooler. According to DPRS standards, when ice chests are used, adequate ice must be provided. Left-over meat patties were not wrapped. In addition to the daily rate that includes room and board, providers are reimbursed through the USDA free- and reduced-price lunch and breakfast program. This facility also receives charitable donations and weekly donations from the local food bank.
(http://http://www.window.state.tx.us/forgottenchildren/ch02/photos/00kitchen/images/0b.jpg)
Food preparation area at a therapeutic campsite, littered with trash.
DPRS standards for permanent camps require trash to be stored in containers with lids. This facility receives a daily rate for each child ranging from $80 to $115.
(http://http://www.window.state.tx.us/forgottenchildren/ch02/photos/00kitchen/images/0d.jpg)
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Those kids were better cared for at camp than their families could ever imagine!
Really?
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Bexar County will no longer send foster kids to Woodside Trails, a Hill Country wilderness/therapeutic camp that was the subject of a News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooters investigation. That's because the county terminated its contract because quote "there's too much smoke."
Now, the state legislature is investigating Woodside Trails along with other wilderness camps in Texas.
The News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooters obtained page after page in documents of allegations never seen before regarding Woodside Trails in Bastrop.
The Trouble Shooters first showed you pictures of foster kids living in crude outdoor camps, staying for months, and in some cases years at a time.
It's something State Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn explains, "This isn't care. It's cruelty." Her office spent months investigating foster care facilities in Texas, and says Woodside Trails has a lot of problems. She's concerned because of the rustic campsites, or the infamous "pee wall" that serves as a latrine, as well as disturbing allegations that hang like a cloud over the facility.
The nearly 200 pages of state documents that detail the allegations involving questionable behavior among campers and staff at Woodside Trails.
State Rep Carlos Uresti saw them, too. "They make you sick," Uresti says, "I mean they're graphic. They make you sick. They involve some of the staff that deal with our children."
There are allegations of instances documented where staff are accused of having sexual contact with the kids, and other allegations where the boys were supposedly left unsupervised and were able to have sex with each other.
In another case, CPS documented that a child tried to commit suicide by downing a bottle of Ibuprofen. Then only a couple of days later he was supposedly able to get his hands on more Ibuprofen and overdosed again.
There are also findings that Woodside Trails used something called empathy therapy, where a staff member forced a boy to re-enact some sequences of a sexual attack with the boy playing the victim.
The state comptroller's office tells me that CPS investigations of these allegations were often incomplete, while other allegations were never even investigated.
Woodside Trails Executive Director Bebe Gaines defended the camp recently to the state committee investigating it and other foster care facilities in Texas.
Bebe Gaines invited, "I said all along. Come and ask my kids. They're there because they wanted to be."
That's exactly what representative Uresti did. After that visit and reading these reports, he believes Gaines misled the state. "A couple of days ago we had the executive director testify before committee and left us with the impression that everything was fine, that there weren't any assaults, that the children never ran away...but the reports that were delivered to me [Friday] tell us otherwise."
Gaines tells News 4 WOAI in a written statement: "Carlos visited Woodside Trails last week and he has stated that he understands that our boys have failed in many prior foster placements and that this is the only home some of them have ever had. We filed an open records request with the Comptroller over three weeks ago, but she has never replied, so we haven't seen the reports Carlos is talking about, but we think that if we could sit down with him and review the reports he's seen, we could set his mind at ease and we hope to do so soon."
Her lawyer tells us that she may be able to respond to these allegations better once she sees these documents.
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sounds like a lovely place to put a child. :roll:
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On 2005-08-26 15:58:00, jdr7181 wrote:
"You're real brave when the breadth of the internet stands between you and the person you make maliscious allegations against."
Who here made allegations against you? I thought it was some kid at the program you worked for. You brought your own allegations here. You brought us your website. Who we choose to believe is our own choice. Very strange audience you have chosen to redeem yourself in front of. :tup: :em:
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Whether you want me to call you folks folks or not, I'm just asking you tone down the rhetoric a bit and discuss this with me rationally. That's all. If you're right, you have nothing to lose. If you're wrong, you learn something important: not everything is as it appears.
Jack
okay. ::dove::
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One Year Later: Counselor Continues Fight to Clear His Name
One year after his felony indictment on two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, former Woodside Trails counselor, Jackie DeWayne Reynolds, Jr., is still seeking vindication.
(PRWEB) August 25, 2005 ? According to Jackie DeWayne Reynolds, Jr., the former counselor charged last year with sexually assaulting a resident at the therapeutic camp Woodside Trails in Bastrop County, there is a consistent pattern of official misconduct related to his case that begins and ends with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and current republican gubernatorial candidate, Carole Keeton Strayhorn.
Mr. Reynolds wouldn?t comment on any specific evidence of misconduct by Mrs. Strayhorn, but did say much of the basis for his assertion could be gleaned in the lawsuit he filed recently in federal court alleging multiple violations of his civil rights.
?I just want my name cleared,? he says when asked about the lawsuit that names Mrs. Strayhorn as one of more than ten defendants. ?News reports of my arrest and indictment are all over the Internet. It?s frightening to think that state officials would intentionally label an innocent man a child predator knowing it wasn?t true, but I am convinced that?s what [the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and Bastrop County] did.?
On August 25, 2004, a Bastrop County Grand Jury indicted two Woodside Trails counselors, including Mr. Reynolds, for sexual improprieties with children that resided at the therapeutic camp.
Mr. Reynolds, now living in Brownwood, Texas, says he was shocked to learn through media reports that he had been indicted. ?I was never notified that a grand jury was convening,? he says, ?nor was I given an opportunity to present any evidence.?
Mr. Reynolds contends that the case should never have gone to a grand jury. According to his lawsuit, the alleged victim admitted he lied to Detective Suriano of the Bastrop County Sheriff?s office and Investigator Shaw with the Residential Child Care Licensing division of TDFPS nine days before the indictment.
But even if the child hadn?t recanted, says Mr. Reynolds, charges still should never have been filed.
?To suggest that I could sexually abuse a child while surrounded by eleven other children and staff and there not be a shred of corroborating evidence just isn?t believable. It makes me wonder whether they investigated the allegation at all or whether they just concluded I did it because it was politically expedient.?
Also on August 25, 2004, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS) ruled against Mr. Reynolds in their investigation, which was conducted jointly with the Bastrop County Sheriff?s office. TDFPS also ruled against the other counselor indicted that day and issued three other negative findings against their employer, Woodside Trails.
?There?s something really fishy about this whole thing,? says Mr. Reynolds. ?They (TDFPS) returned three rulings against Woodside Trails and two against its employees on the same day the Bastrop County Grand Jury indicts those same two employees? Come on, that?s too much of a coincidence?
Although the criminal charges against Mr. Reynolds were dismissed in March of this year, he still has to fight to keep his name out of the TDFPS central registry as a sex offender.
?They (TDFPS) botched my administrative review and now I have to wait up to two years for a Due Process Hearing. I am really looking forward to getting this before an actual judge. If given a fair hearing, I guarantee the ruling will be overturned.?
He claims he would have been happy to wait for his Due Process Hearing to clear his name, but TDFPS forced him to act by harassing him and threatening his family. Mr. Reynolds filed the Section 1983 lawsuit only after a TDFPS investigator told his fiancée that they would remove her children if Mr. Reynolds did not leave the home. In the lawsuit, he is requesting immediate injunctive relief barring TDFPS from any further harassment.
?I haven?t been convicted of anything, yet they charged my fiancée with neglectful supervision of her children based solely upon her relationship with me, nothing more. There was no evidence of any abuse in the home and they have admitted as much.?
Mr. Reynolds is forbidden from having any contact with his two step-children and is not allowed to live in the same home with his fiancée. He states the stress has put a strain on their relationship.
?We had to cancel our wedding. We had a great church reserved here in town and everything. Sent out invitations. We had to cancel it, though, because there?s just no telling what they?ll try next. They just sent the determination letter to her this week giving her forty-five days to respond, but they?ve left four voice messages on her cell phone since urging her to accept their services as soon as possible. It?s harassment, plain and simple.?
The threats and harassment notwithstanding, Mr. Reynolds says he will fight as long and hard as he has to to clear his name.
His lawsuit was received by the United States District Court, Western District of Texas, Austin Division on August 12, 2005, at 2:34 pm. It was assigned case number A05CA638 LY.
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Jack,
I have questions but first I want to respond to your comment,
?how does any of the issues you raised support the allegation that I forced this child to perform oral sex on me and vice-a-versa??
Only you and the boy know what happened. I understand your defensiveness, particularly if you are innocent, but you misinterpreted my intention. And further, I personally am not interested in having that discussion/debate with you. It?s really futile, imo. I?m more interested in the ?relationship-based? therapy, at the moment, and the specifics of how Woodside Trails operated.
You said that by having ?credentialed? employees, there would be little money left for the kids?
Well, to an outsider, that is what appeared to be the case ?without? credentialed employees. I do not believe that living in freezing cold and sweltering heat and what some would call 'squalid' conditions, is necessary to resolve one?s ?psychosexual issues?. That appears to be more about making $$$.
You said: If by "service plan" you mean the safety plan, it was prepared by a licensed professional, not me.
No, I meant this comment:
?37. As his incamp counselor and in close conference with his family and the treatment team?which consisted of the boy?s DFPS caseworker, the Executive Director of the facility, two masters level therapists, and at least six other counselors that worked the same camp?I set goals for his treatment and wrote monthly progress reports for his case file.?
I interpreted ?set goals? and ?monthly progress reports? to mean a ?service plan?. How is that different? What exactly did the two masters level therapist do to earn their money?
Quote from your pleadings:
27. As a counselor, I was encouraged by the therapists, my supervisor, and others at Woodside Trails to form close bonds with the children I worked with as a part of their therapy.
Q: Is it really appropriate to refer to yourself or for Woodside and other programs to refer to their ?uneducated? helpers as ?counselors?. My understanding is that is a ?professional? title that implies a certain level of education. You can?t just hang out the ?counselor? shingle and start doing therapy with folks (Sorry guys, it?s a Tx thang), especially those with 'psychosexual issues' without eventually being charged with practicing without a license. Wouldn?t ?care taker? be more appropriate?
But then, perhaps you were indeed their primary ?therapist?. These comments from your pleadings certainly would suggest that:
38. I spent the most one-on-one time with him discussing his issues, known as Individual Counseling Sessions or I.C.S. time.
40. It was my responsibility to work closely with this child to help him work through his psychosexual issues.
f. I continually requested coaching and guidance from my supervisors and peers with regards to my complicated and therapeutic relationship with the alleged victim.
i. My work with the alleged victim was consistently monitored and reviewed by my supervisors, their supervisors, by the consulting psychologist and consulting psychiatrists, and by the therapist?all of whom with their combined 100+ years of experience in this field believed it consistent with the practice of relationship-based therapy used by Woodside Trails and NOT ?sexual grooming of a child? as Defendant DFPS continues to try to claim.
Q: Why would a ?care taker? spend the most one-on-one time (Individual Counseling Sessions) with highly distressed kids with ?psychosexual issues?? That?s a little more than what TSW described- addressing behavior, facilitating group therapy, issuing consequences. What training did you received? Was it from a person with credentials? What was your understanding of R-B therapy?
Re: being moved to another camp, you said: That's kind of a long story, but in a nutshell, my supervisor and I weren't getting along. Instead of working to solve the problem, I was forced to move to another camp, a decision I fought vigorously and completely disagreed with.
Q: Well, where does that fit into ?relationship-based? therapy? What does that model for the kids, when the adults can?t resolve an issue and the adult they have been groomed to bond with is removed from their life? Woops, another rejection due to another dumb adult conflict. Isn?t that the modeling most kids who find themselves involved with this industry experience? Conflict?. Someone goes away.
You said you were trying to explain why you had to move, but didn?t you actually lie to him? You said you disagreed with your supervisor, yet told the boy you were too ?close to be an effect counselor?, which I assume was the super?s opinion. Were you not allowed to tell him the truth? If so, how might that fit into the R-B therapy model? I personally expect honesty in my relationships (that matter). Doesn?t mean I get it, but I do have that expectation. And I?m going to assume the kids do too, particularly when they are being groomed to build trust (bond) with their care takers. I have to wonder if he knew or sensed that you were lying and that?s why he was angry.
Sorry about the confusion about the two boys and the adoption issue. It really wasn?t clear to me.
I didn?t ?fail to mention the overwhelming exculpatory evidence?. That?s not what I want to discuss, as mentioned earlier. I have no opinion, one way or another on your innocence or guilt. And as stated before, not what I?m interested in discussing.
While you fully trust Bebe Gaines, I have some serious concerns about the way she runs the program- how ?counselors? (people who want to help) are put in the direct line of fire- not being the least. I?m concerned that she?s opening another program and is using a slight of hand to avoid licensing, for what little protection it might afford these kids. And, the staff for that matter. While DFPS/CPS is flawed by design, it occasionally works as intended and the kids deserve to have the opportunity for it to work in their favor as much as it possibly and reasonably can.
For all intents and purposes, these types of programs are psych wards in the woods. Isolation from the world, meds, therapy, BM. WHY should they be allowed to operate totally unmonitored, even if it only provides minimal protection?
Any person with good common sense would not ever allow a ?counselor? to be alone with this population of kids, particularly, as TSW suggested. And aren?t there state regs for ratio? One ?counselor? for 11 ?sexual predators? who are potentially violent. Did you hear about the ?counselor? who was on duty alone (against regs) and was hit in the head with a baseball bat and locked in a closet where he died? Or the EMT that hiked a kid to death, ignoring signs of heat exhaustion because she was ordered to defer to the programs ?method? of flushing out fakers? I don?t know how that affected her life, but the owner is still earning money off distressed kids (parents?) under a new name. Sorry, but while you appear to have the greatest respect for and loyalty to Ms Bebe, I?m not so sure she has your?s or the childrens best interest at heart. I ?spect she is a business woman with the intent to make money, and defend her livelihood, first and foremost.
Seems like you could very well be the royal scapegoat in this ordeal. Given the role of ?counselor?/ ?therapist? by Woodside. Instructed to form bonds with the kids, aka relationship-based therapy. Worked alone with the kids. Abuse allegations directed at you, not the credentialed folks. People who ?just want to help? should consider protecting themselves when they hitch up with a program in this industry.
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Jack, IF YOU ARE INNOCENT...and IF YOU EXPECT to have a life with your fiancee and IF YOU EXPECT to have contact with your OWN CHILDREN: sounds like you need a good attorney; that you need to stop supporting this so-called school, and find a new line of work!!!!
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August 29, 2005 ? United States Magistrate Judge Andrew W. Austin has granted a motion allowing a former Woodside Trails counselor to proceed with his Section 1983 lawsuit against state officials without paying court costs.
The same day he filed the lawsuit, Jackie DeWayne Reynolds, Jr. filed what is called an in forma pauperis plea requesting court costs be waived on the grounds that he is indigent.
?I?m delighted the court approved my plea,? said Mr. Reynolds. ?Being able to proceed in forma pauperis is a big relief. It was the first big hurdle I had to overcome.?
According to Mr. Reynolds, now that the expense of litigating a costly civil rights lawsuit is less of a concern, he can focus all of his attention on the flurry of dismissal motions likely to follow.
?I suspect they will try to assert various immunity defenses and I have to be ready with an answer. Civil rights litigation is complicated and this would obviously be much easier if I had an attorney.?
Mr. Reynolds confirms that he has spoken to several attorneys and is confident he has a legitimate case. This was confirmed in the Notice of Order or Judgment granting his in forma pauperis plea issued by the Court on August 23, 2005.
?After reviewing Plaintiff?s Complaint,? the notice reads, ?the Court has determined that this case should not be dismissed as frivolous . . .?
Despite the confirmation and previous assurances that his case is valid, the attorneys he spoke with were unwilling to represent him at this time.
?I don?t know why, quite frankly,? says Mr. Reynolds. ?I?ve been told that I should be scared of the state. They convicted me of child molestation in the court of public opinion. My reputation is utterly destroyed. I really have nothing to lose and I have a legitimate case.?
Jackie DeWayne Reynolds, Jr. was one of two Woodside Trails counselors arrested and indicted last summer on child sexual assault charges stemming from his work at the therapeutic camp in Bastrop County. The indictments led to the revocation of the facility?s license by the Department of Family and Protective Services.
Less than six months after the criminal charges were dismissed, Mr. Reynolds filed a 109-page, 18-count lawsuit on his own behalf alleging that, among other things, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and republican gubernatorial candidate, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, deprived him of his civil rights under the color of state law.
According to the Section 1983 lawsuit, the charges against Mr. Reynolds were "motivated by ill-will toward Woodside Trails and its former or current employees and was undertaken on behalf of and as a direct result and consequence of the reckless and wanton abuse of power and authority by Defendant Strayhorn."
Section 1983 of Title 42 of the United States Code makes every "person who, under color of [law]. . . subjects, or causes to be subjected, any citizen of the United States . . . to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution" liable to the party whose constitutional rights were deprived.
Other defendants in the lawsuit include officials of the Department of Family & Protective Services, Bastrop County District Attorney Brian Goertz, Assistant District Attorney Kathy Holton, Sheriff Richard Hernandez and Detective Steve Suriano.
In addition to the deprivation of civil rights charge, other counts include conspiracy, malicious prosecution, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, abuse of process and defamation of character.
The Section 1983 lawsuit was received by the United States District Court, Western District of Texas, Austin Division on August 12, 2005, at 2:34 pm. It was assigned case number A-05-CA-638 LY.
A copy of the lawsuit can be viewed at http://www.whataboutthekids.info (http://www.whataboutthekids.info).
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Woodside Trails: abuse, or government conspiracy?
I vote "abuse"
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