Typical Program Parent ??

[Anonymous]

I am a parent of a 15 year old son named Tony. Up to recently he was a student at the Academy At Dundee Ranch in Orotina, Costa Rica. He is now in Tranquilty Bay in Jamaica. I am going to endeavor to keep this brief, however, I am not sure that I can do that. There is nothing more important to me then the health, happiness, and well being of my child, and I truly want you to understand my feelings and my position.

I will start by telling you some of what I was dealing with as a single parent of a 14 year old prior to making the heart wrenching decision to place him in a "program." At 14 years old he was drinking, smoking pot, dropping acid and huffing freon and other lethal chemicals on a regular basis. He was expelled from school for fighting and was getting ready to go back to the 7th grade for the 4th time when the next school year started. He was already in "alternative" education when he was expelled. I was at the end of my options. I had been researching programs and such for a year prior to his placement at Dundee. In the beginning I did not know how I could possible afford to do this. I looked at "boot camps" and decided against them. They are dangerous and why would I pay someone 15 thousand dollars to yell at my kid for 3 months. I had yelled at him for 3 years for nothing and accomplished nothing. Short term program.. Short term results. I had a kid who I loved dearly, who was headed for either the morgue or the Juvenile Justice System and he didn?t seem to care which one it was. I had to do something and I finally came to the realization that I could not afford to do it immediately.

When I came upon WWASP I looked at their program outline and finally started to see some hope. Of course I did my research and talked to other parents. David, my initial contact at Teen Help was the best. He was very up front with me and my questions of "how long and how much." As much as we would like to believe that our children are extensions of ourselves, the truth of the matter is that they are unique aspects of the creative energy with the god given free will that we all possess. All kids are different. Some will take longer to "get it" and there are no guarantees. I choose WWASP and Dundee Ranch because of their commitment to family healing and the outlines of the seminars offered to the kids and to the parents.

I fully and completely reviewed the program rules and disciplinary policies before I voluntarily signed the guardianship of my child to the staff at Dundee Ranch. As a 20 year veteran of the Correctional System I understood more then most parents the need for "restraint" clauses. I also knew that a program where adherence to rules is stressed is right where my child needed to be. Like I said, I have worked with convicts for many years. In my educated opinion, the main reason that someone winds up in prison is because they just do not see the correlation between their choices and their consequences. Everything that happens to them is someone else?s fault. That is the attitude that makes a convict and it is really scarey to have a 14 year old child with that attitude. And knowing the system the way I do, I knew that if my child wound up in the Juvenile Justice System I would have no control over what happened to him. He would be subject to rape and assault by the other inmates and as much as the staff may try to do the right thing, the facts are, they are understaffed and undertrained. There would be no treatment there for him. In the system we refer to Juvie as "Gladiator School." All they teach them is how to grow up to be real convicts. I could not, would not, or will not, allow that to happen if it is in my power to prevent it. Until this child is 18 years old I am legally, morally, and financially responsible for his actions. And I will always be emotionally involved in his outcomes. Even tho the local School Board, School Principals and Police want to shave the kid?s head and look for the 666, I know my son. Underneath all that anger and belligerence is a good kid. I will do whatever I have to, to help him find his own light again.

In the year that my son was at Dundee Ranch I saw some wonderful changes in him. We are actually able to communicate again. I have done my parent seminars and he had done his. We are both busy working our own program and when we had the opportunity in our first Parent Child Seminar to practice our new communication skills it was truly an AWESOME experience. Altho it had been seven months since I had seen him, it had been four years since I had seen my child show his authentic self. I knew then and there that all the sacrifices I had made to place him at Dundee were worth it. Words can not even express the joy that I felt. He has made the choice to take the long road in his program. But that is his choice and I cannot make it for him. He is well aware of the fact that he could make his level three in a couple of months and we could have bimonthly phone calls. I have also had to take the firm line that until he make a level that he can have off grounds visits I will not bear the expense of the travel to go see him. These are his choices. I can only hope and pray he will get moving soon, cause I miss him so much.

Lets talk about observation placement or "OP" for a minute. I know a lot of people have a problem with this. Here is my experience of OP. In the correctional system we have Special Housing, commonly referred to as the "hole." Most inmates never go there. Of those that do, most only go once. Solitary confinement is not a lot of fun. But there is a need for it. If you go there, it is for a reason. As a correctional officer, I do not just snatch someone up for no reason and send them to special housing. Their actions create that event. If you don?t like it there, you will stop doing whatever the obnoxious behavior was that got you their in the first place. It is all about choices and consequences. Tony decided that in his first few months at Dundee that he would go to OP. That was his choice dictated by his behavior. He was well aware of the rules and the consequences of his actions. Of course I hated it for him, but I could no more get inside his head and make these choices for him then I could keep him from cussing out his teachers and the local cops when he was home. But here is the rub. One day when my family rep was not available for our weekly phone call, another staff member took my call in his place. This incredible human being is one of the guys who supervises OP. In the 45 minutes that we spoke , I learned so much about what was going on inside my kid?s head. Even tho my child was kneeling on a tile floor with his nose on the wall, there was someone sitting behind him who really cared about him, talking to him, and letting him talk. Someone who saw him for who he really was and didn?t just write him off because of his actions. Someone who was willing to look deeper then the surface. And when I was at the school for the second time at our first Parent/Child Seminar, my son would not let me leave before I met this person because he was "so cool." And when Tony finally found him, he did not greet him with a handshake, he greeted him with a big hug. I also got a big hug too! Was he tramatized by this? I seriously doubt it as he was so excited to show me the OP room and his "pose" while we were doing the school tour. He was laughing and joking about the time he spent there in the early stages of his program.

Altho I could go on for a few more pages about the Blessing that Dundee Ranch and WWASP have been for me and my son, I did promise to try to be brief. I am firmly committed to my son, WWASP, and the owner and staff at Dundee Ranch. The fiasco that preceded Dundee?s temporary closing should not have happened. I have faith in a higher being that the wrongs will be righted, and I am doing my level best not to focus on the financial hardship that this has created for me. I have been to Costa Rica twice. The country is very beautiful and the people are warm and friendly. I do not blame the whole of the Costa Rican government for the actions of a few of their representatives. One of the reasons why I decided to send Tony to Dundee Ranch was because I admire the politics of the Costa Rican Government and have wanted to visit there. I think that a large part of this current situation is because the Costa Rican people do not have the same problems with their kids that we face here in the States. Their frame of reference does not allow for an understanding of why the program operates the way it does or why I felt like I had to send my child away to save his life. If anyone believes that I did this on a whim or to just get rid of my problem they don?t know me very well. And anyone who believes that I have somehow been brainwashed really doesn?t know me very well.

With Love and Light,

Kathleen A. Crozier

these parents are completely insane.  :eek:

[Anonymous]

What I find most interesting is her programized interpretation of OP. Choice and consequences. Yeah... we heard a LOT of that at the program.

Why doesn't she accept responsibility for her son then? Raising her son badly was her choice and his behavior is now the consequence. You notice in EVERY SINGLE parent support statement and letter there is absolutely no mention of any parental problems. EVEYRTHING is the childs fault. That is how it works at WWASP. You take the blame or you will never leave.

The parents are paying a shitload of money to break their teen down to the point they will say what they aparently want to hear- "it's all my fault, and I am sorry.'

TOO BAD parents, because it's not that simple. Stop being such hypocrites and take responsibility for YOUR actions.

Why do almost all WWASP prisoners come from broken families? Is this the fault of the child? NO!

These programs are sick and the parent who wrote the letter quoted above is sadistic. Since she is a jail guard, I'm sure she loves WWASP. It is sickening. I can't believe so many parents are willing to send hteir kid away to be abused and rewired. You think this helps in the long-term? Or are you so selfish all you want to do is allay your fears until we are adults and you 'technically' don't have to worry about us anymore?! FUCK YOU

 :flame:  :flame:  :flame:

[OverLordd]

Where the hell did you get this? I suddenly want to kill that parent.

[Antigen]

http://www.prisonexp.org/links.htm

I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard was not what I meant.



---Richard Nixon

[4peace]

If your son is doing/did so well in Costa Rica, then why in the world did you pull him from there and send him to Hell, I mean Tranquility Bay?  
Am I the only one noting an oxymoron here?  Or maybe just a moron?

[Anonymous]

That lady seems to be absolutely thrilled by the idea that her son will be treated as if he's a convinced criminal (and worse). This is absolutely sick.

[Antigen]

On 2005-07-20 09:22:00, 4peace wrote:

"If your son is doing/did so well in Costa Rica, then why in the world did you pull him from there and send him to Hell, I mean Tranquility Bay?  

Am I the only one noting an oxymoron here?  Or maybe just a moron?"

Cause the Costa Rican authorities shut down Dundee Ranch.

sunday school: A prison in which children do penance for the evil conscience of their parents.
--H. L. Mencken, American publisher

[Anonymous]

Actually, the Costa Rican government didn't "shut down" Dundee Ranch.  They came in to check it out (after some complaints from people like Buzzkill and PURE (Sue Scheff's outfit) and all hell broke loose.  The damage the kids did to the property required it be closed down.  It is now re-opened.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like they need to riot again. From what I've seen, riots are the only thing that brings press/attention to these facilities. We need more riots at these places.

[Anonymous]

Wasn't it Su Flowers who got the ball rolling in Costa Rica when she went down there trying to get her daughter out?

[Antigen]

On 2005-07-20 13:55:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Actually, the Costa Rican government didn't "shut down" Dundee Ranch.  They came in to check it out (after some complaints from people like Buzzkill and PURE (Sue Scheff's outfit) and all hell broke loose.  The damage the kids did to the property required it be closed down.  It is now re-opened. "

And don't forget that they arrested Narvin.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=du ... vin+arrest

Religions are all alike; founded upon fables and mythologies.
--Thomas Jefferson, U.S. President, author, scientist, architect, educator, and diplomat

_________________
Ginger Warbis ~ Antigen
Drug war POW
Seed Chicklett `71 - `80
Straight, Sarasota
   10/80 - 10/82
Anonymity Anonymous
return undef() if /coercion/i;

[Anonymous]

On 2005-07-20 13:55:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Actually, the Costa Rican government didn't "shut down" Dundee Ranch.  They came in to check it out (after some complaints from people like Buzzkill and PURE (Sue Scheff's outfit) and all hell broke loose.  The damage the kids did to the property required it be closed down.  It is now re-opened. "

How many kids were sent to another WWASPS program after Dundee shut down?

Also, did Sue Scheff place any DRA kids in one of the  programs she refers to?

[Anonymous]

On 2005-07-20 14:26:00, Antigen wrote:

"

On 2005-07-20 13:55:00, Anonymous wrote:



"Actually, the Costa Rican government didn't "shut down" Dundee Ranch.  They came in to check it out (after some complaints from people like Buzzkill and PURE (Sue Scheff's outfit) and all hell broke loose.  The damage the kids did to the property required it be closed down.  It is now re-opened. "

And don't forget that they arrested Narvin.



http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=du ... vin+arrest

Religions are all alike; founded upon fables and mythologies.

--Thomas Jefferson, U.S. President, author, scientist, architect, educator, and diplomat

_________________

Ginger Warbis ~ Antigen

Drug war POW

Seed Chicklett `71 - `80

Straight, Sarasota

   10/80 - 10/82

Anonymity Anonymous

return undef() if /coercion/i;"

Now that was funny ... Narvin Litchfield in the BIG HOUSE ...

:rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:

[Anonymous]

I heard he was detained for questioning. I thought that was different than being arrested.

Maybe not in Costa Rica. :wink:

[Antigen]

Well who told you that? Cause all the papers that covered the story said he was arrested, booked, held overnight. At the same time, authorities back home actually banned him from his own campus at Carolina Springs due to abuse allegations.

How do you manage to keep yourself convinced that these people are the martyrs in this story? Don't they get the results they intend through their actions?

The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.
--Benjamin Franklin, American Founding Father, author, and inventor