I'm trying to put together a writing project that chronicles The Seed's history. Here's what I've been able to gather via net research, mainly Fager's sites, and this forum:
Along with likening The Seed?s program to North Korean brainwashing tactics, the Senate concluded that its methods were experimental, and found that NIDA?s own regulations required that human subjects participating in US government sponsored research projects be required to sign consent forms. Thus, the Senate directed Robert DuPont to require Art Barker to attain consent forms from both parents and children. Due to Barker?s refusal to have his clients sign a consent form saying that The Seed was a ?risk to human subjects,? his failure to document the prevalence and type of drug abuse of his clients and adequately describe the program, and a concern that The Seed?s ?philosophy of treating all adolescents with only one method might be detrimental,? The Seed lost its bid for an additional federal grant from NIDA for expansion.
The Senate also determined that under its federally mandated charter, LEAA had not been established by Congress to sponsor medical research. In February 1974, in direct response to pressure from Senator Ervin, the director of LEAA, Don Santarelli, held a press conference to announce the cancellation of all LEAA funding for medical research, psychosurgery, and behavior modification programs like The Seed because, in his words, there were ?no technical skills on the staff to screen, evaluate, or monitor such projects.?
The U.S. House of Representatives also conducted a study of The Seed and concluded that Art Barker had refused to let government auditors see where federal grant money was being spent. All funding for Seed expansion was stopped in 1975, after which, Art abruptly closed all expansion programs. (IS THIS CORRECT?)
In 1975, Florida state health regulators instituted a set of regulations to govern the foster homes that Seed clients stayed in, provided by families who had their own child or children participating in the program. These new regulations stated, in part: ?The foster homes must provide the state with written assurance that they meet fire, safety, and health standards and provide privacy, freedom of worship, adequate food, adequate sleeping accommodations, and contact with the natural family to all those in treatment.? Barker declared that the new regulations undermined the effectiveness of his program and refused to abide by them, and consequently lost his license to operate the founding Seed program on October 13, 1975. The Seed in St. Petersburg had closed the day before. (I'LL INSERT YOUR ST. PETE SPECIFICS HERE, GREG)
(HERE'S WHERE I GET CONFUSED. SOMEWHERE I FOUND THIS INFORMATION. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THAT BARKER LOST HIS LICENSE THEN GOT IT REINSTATED TO TREAT ADULTS ONLY IN 1975? THIS CAN'T BE TRUE AS IT SEEMS THE SEED CONTINUED TO TREAT JUVENILES UNTIL 1987?) Soon afterwards, however, Barker got his license reinstated to operate a drug rehabilitation program for adults (age 18 and over), and six young Seed graduates and their parents formed Straight, Inc. in Saint Petersburg, Florida with $100,000 in grants from LEAA, in spite of the Congressional order to cease such funding.
DID CLEVELAND CLOSE IN THE FALL OF 1978?