Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS)

Dundee Ranch Academy AKA Pillars of Hope

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ConstentGardener:
Dundee Ranch Academy - Costa Rica

The southern-most jewel in WWASPS's crown isn't sparkling so much right now.

Information from a reliable source indicates that owner Narvin Lichfield is being PROSECUTED by Costa Rican authorities and WILL stand trial sometime soon - possibly within the next 3 months.

Lichfield is facing felony charges of keeping children at the facility against their will and violating their civil/human rights by denying them food, education, and communication with parents, and subjecting children to isolation, humiliation, and physical abuse.

This has been a looooong time coming.

Costa Rican officials raided the camp in May 2003, hauled Lichfield's ass (and his cheap wig) to jail, and sent the kids back to the U.S.

The actions of the Costa Rican's also concerned South Carolina officials so much they banned him from being on the grounds of Carolina Springs Academy - another WWASPS program he owns.

In a curious "coincidence" of timing, Lichfield donated $10,000 to the President of Costa Rica a few months following the raid.

Sorry, Narvy, but uh, it looks like that tactic works better for you and your brother here in the U.S.

Wwaspsinfo.net has all the info on Dundee Ranch and the Lichfield clan.

posted May 31, 2006

teenhelpindustry.info

Anonymous:
You people out there do not even understand the programs or the kind of kids that end up here.  There are a lot of kids that go through the program that would never think about going to college. They get to go and some go to really good colleges. Some said that if it wasn't for the program that they would not have even seen their 18th brithday. They were in gangs, dealing, back talking, abusive to their siblings, and they have turned on their parents. Do you think that these kids will want to be at a place that makes them mind and gives them rules. Their are also kids in the program because the parents just don't want to deal with them.  There are a lot of kids that feel more love in the program than they do at home. But their are some that just want to fight and do not want any one to tell them what to do.  These people are just trying to help these kids before something bad happens to them or someone else.  The programs work.  You can not judge the program because of one or two bad apples.  Alot of the people that work at the one school that is near me love the kids as if they were their own.  It is so amazing see a child's life tranform right before you.  Everything I have read on this site is so negative.  But if you could see the kids that it helps you would be amazed. Did you know that there are state funded programs that are called wilderness programs that the kids are made to sleep outside.  They do get to sleep under a pole barn when it is raining.  But they sleep in the cold and the heat.  Now you want to talk about conditions. What about these and this is what the government gives money too. But you want to down rate these people.  The school that I live near the kids have it better than our military does. You just don't have a clue. If you could get the government  out of the home and the disapline of the kids maybe we would not have the need for any kind of places private or state ran faclities.  Now I agree with them getting into abuse case, but  don't take it to far where you can not disapline your kids. As far as Narvin Linchfield and the others that own thease places they do it because their is a need and parents need them. I seen the good work that these places do. There is so much negative out their because people in hast put their children in a program and do not know the cost or time it will take it depends on the child. If the parent pulls their child before they are ready YES their is a chance that it will get bad. I've seen so many children that made it and the change is so amazing. Now asfar as a cost parents need to be sure they can afford it if they can't and they pull their child the the parent
gets mad at thease programs, because they feel their child should have changed, and their child will LIE :exclaim:  GUYS you put them in there to help them because of their dishonest and your child are not not ready to go home. It all still comes down to  :D accountablity.  :D

Anonymous:
Excellent parody.

ConstentGardener:
This is the translation from Al Dia (Costa Rica's spanish paper) May 21 2003.
 
 
An indeterminate number of youth flee Academy
Youth abuse is confirmed
The attorney?s office of Atenas raids the Academy

Over 200 U.S. youth with behavioral problems left the troubled Academy
yesterday after national authorities in Orotina intervened. An
indeterminate number of youth rushed to leave the Academy after being
informed of their rights.

At approximately 9:30 PM last night, the police searched the surrounding
area of Orotina with the purpose of finding the location of several youth
that were still missing.

An investigation conducted by PANI confirmed the alleged physical and
psychological abuse against many under-aged youth interned at the Dundee
Ranch Academy in Cascajal de la Ceiba de Orotina.

This allegation, along with 10 other allegations against fundamental rights
was denounced on Monday by PANI to the attorney?s office of Atenas. The
officers of the ranch were ordered to immediately cease any violations or
threats against 200 or 193 interns at the Academy. (See images)

Fernando Vargas, the attorney for Orotina, 2 investigators from OIJ, and one
judge from Alajuela searched the premises of the Academy yesterday
afternoon. These individuals were accompanied by employees of PANI -
Patronato Nacional de la Infancia (child protection agency) and the Ministry
of Health.

Vargas explained yesterday that the search was based on allegations by Susan
Flowers, mother of Nicole H. Deniken, an intern of the Dundee Ranch, and
allegations from PANI. The search was conducted to enquire about the
violations of the rights of the minors such as violations of liberty and
coercion.

The joint search (raid) by judicial powers, PANI, and the Health ministry
fueled the rushed exit of many youth who felt the support from the law
enforcement agencies. Many youth left the Academy barefoot.

An indeterminate number of youth, some between the ages of 15 and 30,
entered into official vehicles, while others run through the streets and on
through the countryside. Last night, many of the youth returned to the
Academy.

Due to this incident, members of the Police asked the attorney general as to
the course of action to follow. The attorney general explained that they
could not take anybody by force or make the youth enter into the official
vehicles. The youth could go into the custody of PANI and the youth were to
have a choice as to where to go, the authorities could not force the youth
into making any decisions.

Last night, PANI and the attorney general took the custody of 6 minors.


Aid from the U.S. Embassy

Peter Brennan, chief of public relations for the U.S. Embassy informed
yesterday afternoon to the Al Dia that the youth that left the Academy could
call the telephone number 220-3939. The hotline will provide help 24 hours
a day. The youth can also contact the consulate or other personnel.

Brennan explained yesterday that the consulate knew of the actions of the
Costa Rican authorities but not of the abandonment of some of the youth.

Ana Teresa Leon manager of PANI stated last night that there was a measure
taken to ensure the protection for the youth from the Academy, the ages for
the youth are between 15 and 19 years old. The officials at the Academy
have 30 days to rectify the situation.

If within the 30 days, the Academy does not meet the Costa Rican regulations
and the requirements from PANI, the Education Ministry, the Ministry of
Health, and international norms for human rights, the Academy could face
being shut down.

There were attempts to talk with Narvin Lichfield, a U.S. citizen and the
owner of the Academy when he arrived on a moments notice to a meeting in the
Health Centre of Orotina attended by authorities from the Ministry of Health
and PANI. Narvin Lichfield declined to make any comments or talk to this
media. He carried plans and documents, as possible documentation in his
defense.


Dazed and Confused

Youth that fled the Academy yesterday looked horrified and appeared
terrified to look back. The youth were vigilant and on the lookout for
people following them to make them return to the life that they had been
living.


Witnesses of a stampede
Nowhere to go

Justin, Albert, Jen, Matt, Todd, Tyler. Students at the Dundee Ranch
Academy left yesterday at 4:20 PM with the hope of being able to talk to
their parents and to return to their respective homes. Few were able to
achieve their goals.

Those who witnessed the stampede of students could hardly believe the events
that happened.

I was surrounded by law enforcement officers, and even the law enforcement
officers were perplexed at the stressful images. They were trying to
understand why many youth fled from the Academy.

At approximately 1:00 PM, the attorney general raided and searched the
premises of the Dundee Ranch in an intense investigation that tries to
determine if there were human rights violations against the minors. The
investigation also looks to determine charges against privacy and liberty.

After a bad interpretation of the explanations by the attorney general of
Orotina, Fernando Vargas tried to explain to the youth the rights that they
had. Many youth fled the inside of the Academy into the streets.

The rumor quickly spread to the entrance of the Academy. Keysey, a youth
who was in the higher levels of the program and was about to finish the
program the next month asked us if we had seen some of his friends. The
alarm sounded that the first youth fled the premises.

Out of many youths whom I spoke with, keysey was in the small minority who
expressed any interest in returning to such a place.

Following Keysey, Justin and Albert were also looking for friends who had
fled the place. They did not want to remain in the Academy but they did not
want to face the dangers found in the streets of Orotina or the punishments
that many youth faced in the past at the Academy if they were found and
taken back to the Academy.

Jen stated that she had some food in her pocket and wanted to see her dad.
Jen was one of the first 3 youth who fled the place.

16 year old Jen, a native of South Carolina was nervous about her future and
did not want to return to the Academy. Later, Jen was aided by PANI and was
taken to a shelter run by PANI. Jen asked the question if at the shelter
she would be allowed to talk to her parents and that if she had to endure
physical abuse and hits. Along with Jen, Matthew, Todd, and two other
unidentified youths left.

?This is a cage and I cannot stay in this place? stated Todd while on our
surroundings tens of youth left the Academy. The youth were encouraged by
the staff at the Ranch to go into the cars of PANI and the law enforcement
agencies.

It is evident that authorities did not expect certain reactions from the
youth. Many students feared leaving Dundee Ranch because they feared any
reprisals from inside the Academy

The scene of youth leaving the premises did not slow down and the personnel
from the Academy was divided. Some tired to calm the youth while others
encouraged the youth to take to the streets. Many youth were disoriented
and confused with the events and fled barefoot through the large rocky
street without any apparent direction.



Findings

This is only an extract of the arguments from the regional office of PANI in
Alajuela to denounce the violation if rights to the office of the attorney
in Atenas.

The physical premises at the Academy do not meet the conditions to meet the
basic needs of the minors. The premises do not have proper ventilation,
proper lighting, and the premises do not have any privacy.

The nutrition levels are lacking and are not enough to meet the requirements
of the youth. The youth allege that they only received limited quantities
of food, a menu that was not similar to their previous diets, and that the
food hygiene was not very sanitary.

There is a restriction placed on the youth to communicate with family or
other close relatives. By limiting the contact with parents, there is a
creation of distance between the youth and their respective families.

It is noted that the Academy lacks properly trained personnel to take care
of and safeguard the rights of the population.

The immigration issues with many of the youth are not clearly defined. Many
youth do not even know where they are located.

There are punishments that fit the definitions of physical abuse and
psychological abuse. These types of abuse are strictly prohibited under
Costa Rican law.

Some of the types of abuse include isolation and physical restrictions.

The Academy is overpopulated, the place houses more than 200 youth and many
youth sleep on the floor. The sleeping facilities are not convenient, are
uncomfortable, and there is little hygiene in the bathrooms.

Source:
Resolution ratified yesterday, Tuesday at 2:30 PM in the Academy Dundee
Ranch in Orotina

ConstentGardener:
Excerpts from an Ex-Director of Narvin Lichfield's Dundee Ranch
 
Subject: Experience of Dundee Ranch Academy from ex-Director


I worked as the Director at the Academy at Dundee Ranch from March to August of 2002. During this time, Mr. Joseph Atkin was
the Financial Director. Mr. Kenneth Wilson was the Student Director. I replaced Mr. Ron Del Aguila  (who replaced Mr. Randall Hinton). After I left in August of 2002, Mr. Joseph Atkin replaced me. Mr. Atkin left in February of this year, and has been replaced by Mr. Francisco Bustos.

I feel that Dundee Ranch Academy should not be allowed to operate because it is poorly managed, takes financial advantage of parents in crisis, and puts teens in physical and emotional risk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Although the profit margins are approximately 50% -75%, Mr. Lichfield is unsatisfied. He continues to try to squeeze out every penny he can. This is achieved by hiring unqualified, untrained staff, providing the bare minimum of food and living essentials, and by adding huge margins to additional services. For example, if a student needs a ride to San Jose to visit the doctor,Dundee charges the parents $250 when it costs them $50. If a student sees the Doctor, parents are charged $50; Dundee pays $15. If a student needs medicine, parents are charged $30; Dundee typically pays $2 - $3. Parents pay $95 per month for "incidentals" like toothpaste and deodorant.These incidentals, while I was there, cost Dundee $15 per month.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
As an employee, the only training I received was on how to manipulate parents. I was told many times that "there is no reason for a student to return home before 'graduating' the program". Once they are in, they are there to stay. This process takes 12 to 36 months. There were many students who had psychological, medical, or special education needs that we could not meet. When I suggested that they be sent to another place where they could receive the help they needed, I was told to "keep my mouth shut and make sure that their parents kept them there." I was threatened with my job. If there were students who would be better off going home or entering another program, I was not allowed to suggest this to the parent.  * Ironically, if the parents had concerns about what was going on, we were told to tell the parents that their children were "just manipulating them."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Students were not allowed to communicate freely with their parents, or anyone else. They were allowed to write a weekly email and letter, but the staff was instructed to read the email and letter and take out anything they did not like, or write comments to the parents. The students were not allowed to express their true feelings. Students were not allowed to talk with their parents until they were "Level 3", which could take anywhere from 4 to 24 months. At that point, they were allowed a 15 minute phone call
once a month. Staff was instructed to hang the phone up and terminate their conversation if the student said anything negative about the program.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Students were not allowed to talk without permission. Typically, they
would be able to speak with their friends for about 15 to 30 minutes a day.They were isolated from the outside world. They did not have a chance to view a newspaper or the internet. Emotionally, this was very difficult for the students, as many of them processed their emotions by talking about them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 "restraints" were common. This was when a staff
member would twist a student's arm around their back and throw them to the ground or against a wall. I know of at least one case where an arm was dislocated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Another punishment was writing "essays" of 3000 to 150,000 words.
Students were required to sit in a dark room without proper back support, and write these essays until they finished the required number of words. Often,staff members, for no apparent reason, would rip up the essays and make the students start over. Students were required to write for 8 hours a day until their words were completed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
The worst punishment was "OP" or "Observational Punishment." In this, students were required to stand, kneel, sit, or lay on a cement floor without moving for 30 minutes at a time. They had to do this for 8 hours a day, until they had "served their time". When some of the kids accepted this, the staff made them run 100s of laps around the pool, just to make it miserable enough that the kids would want to comply.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Everything was focused on the profits Mr. Lichfield could make, not onthe health or welfare of the students. Some additional examples of this are:

* The city water was disconnected and students were given well
water to drink, because the city water was "too expensive". Shortly thereafter, approximately 40 students got diarrhea and eventually drinking water was filtered. This may have been a coincidence. But even if the water did not have any problems, they should have tested it before they began giving it to students.

* The kids are crowded in their rooms. There are as many as 15 kids in what used to be a single hotel room. They were required to sleep from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am to save on staff costs. (We only needed 2 staff when the boys were in their beds, versus 6-8 staff when they were awake.) Mr. Lichfield did not want to spend the money to hire additional staff.

* For the first 10 months that the school was open, there were no
trained staff administering medicine. After several students were given the wrong medicine, or were not given their medication, I insisted on hiring two full-time nurses. Before that, the minimum wage staff members who could not speak English were required to pass out medicine.

I did not have the resources or support necessary to provide what I felt was a humane and safe environment for these teens. I was also concerned about the "High Impact" extension that was a copy of a program that was shut down in Mexico

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