Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Lighthouse of northwest florida (fka VCA )/ Rebekah / Roloff )

Was Jubilee Different

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Anonymous:
I have a question that I have yet to find an answer to.

I was in the Roloff Jubilee Home in Corpus in the early 90's.  I was not a "favored" girl nor was I compliant with everything there.  I was actually a bit of a rebel as I did not agree with the religeous teachings there.  I was placed on "restriction" many times and wasn't allowed to speak to anyone else and vice versa.  I was eventually told to leave.  But I never saw any PHYSICAL abuse while I was there.  I do think there were some practices that were very detrimental to one's self-image.  But, I was allowed to leave the compound at one point for a "day in town".  I sang in the Jubilee ensemble and went on tour with them.  We even spent a day in San Antonio on the riverwalk.  We were allowed to split into groups and "do our own thing".  Anyhow....

My question is, why is it that there is very little said here (or anywhere) regarding Jubilee or City of Refuge?  Do you think it was because everyone in those 2 homes were adults?  Do you think it was the time frame?  I know I heard of fights in COR between men who were housed there and we would hear an occasional story of someone being hit by Wiley jr.  I personally was never struck or denied food or placed in a locked room.  I guess I'm a little confused.  Maybe it was because I was being supported by a church?  Which is another point I wanted to make, I had no money.  A church offered to take collections to pay for my stay there, but to the best of my knowledge only one check for around 1200 dollars was sent to People's Baptist Church.

Now, just to clarify, I am not defending the farm or any program.  I am just asking because I really am befuddled by the lack of information coming out of these two home.  I find it interesting that the PBC website is nowhere to be found any longer.  But at any rate I'm wondering why Jubilee and COR seemed to be different from the rest......

Anonymous:
Well I see 31 views and no replies.  This tells me that no one has any info on Jubilee.  Perhaps you folks should not have Jubilee as part of this forum since there has been no reported abuse from there.  I am not doubting what the others have said about the other homes, especially rebekah, but if no one has reported abuse at Jubilee is it fair for you to have them on a watch list?  And yes, I do understand it is a part of the Roloff compound...but apparently it is very different from the homes for the younger girls.  If anyone knows different....PLEASE correct me.  I am seeking the truth....

Anonymous:
There is always some difference between adult facilities and juvenile facilities. Adult can remove themselves from the program unless they are court ordered and if someone tries to stop them, they are committing a criminal act. So if someone in an adult facility does not follow the house rules there is only one solution - out on the street with the individual.

It have been the case regarding straight and all their off-springs. Several times the police have been at the facilities and got adults out. Maybe they were too cleaver at Jubilee. Maybe the expelled the people, who did not follow their rules.

I guess that why there is so little info on Jubilee. The category on Fornits Wiki about Roloff homes do in fact have very little info about this specific home. It is mentioned in relationship with the war between Roloff and Texas (Christian Alamo), but specific first hand testimonies about structure, program, levels, consequences are hard to find. Maybe it is because the people who lived there are just too old for internet use or dead.

But the reason for keeping the Roloff category is very clear. A lot of former staff members created their own private prison. They used the rules learned at Roloff or developed them. An interesting story is about the Bethels Boys Academy. They started out with the Roloff system and corporal punishment. Late before the original owners sold the place after hard weather also destroyed the place they adapted the WWASP system instead. A system the new owners have continued to use.

I will try to improve the articles about the adult facilities, so the difference in standard and treatment at juvenile and adult Roloff facilities can be clear to the readers. It seems that there was a huge difference.

Could you put some light on level system, daily life, living conditions, education etc?

Anonymous:
Might I suggest you register so those who may wish to respond privately can reach you?

Anonymous:
What you are saying makes sense.  I actually WAS kicked out.  I was given what was left of my money (about $50) and dropped off at the CC bus station where I called a friend to wire me enough money to get home.  I don't really recall levels.  I guess if you call helpers a level up then there were levels.  Most of us really did "want" to be there in Jubilee....we had children and broken families mostly due to drug use/abuse.  Many of us had already lost our children.  There were only 3 girls there who were court ordered and even they seemed ok with being there.  We DID the scripture chanting like the other homes and we were not allowed to look at the guys from the other homes.  There was no lockup that I remember.  Punishments were "scrub floors" and laps.  I ran several in that terrible CC sun!!  And restriction from talking to others was a big punishment.  I remember many hours in the fields picking peas and long hours cleaning up the come and dine.

Daily life for me was up at 5 to make a lap around the farm (walking).  We always went as a group and everyone had to participate.  Then we had a "devotional".  Then out to the fields.  Lunch and dish duty most days.  To the dorm for showers, devotions, that sort of thing.  We had scripture recitation in there again also.  We had to listen to Lester at least once a day.  A lot of it is hazy, it's been a long time.  I don't recall anyone being in school except for one girl who was sent to Jubilee even though she was 17 because she was pregnant.  I believe it was indeed PACE.  All of us had either finished high school or dropped out by the time we went to Jubilee.  The living conditions weren't luxurious by any means....it was a farm after all.  For a northern girl who has an aversion to bugs and is accustomed to anal retentive levels of cleanliness, it was not the best of living conditions.  But again, it was a farm.  I did see cockroaches several times but was told they are everywhere in Texas.  And we also had trouble getting rid of one very large rat.

Now I did not like any of the folks running Jubilee....couldn't stand the dorm mother actually.  But I have to say, she never abused me physically.

I'm just seeking info because I was there.  I was looking for a friend and found all these websites about the homes and was very sad.  Sad that I didn't recognize this was occurring and sad that I may have been supportive of an organization that abused children.  If anyone was abused at Jubilee it would be interesting to hear.

And again, I am not defending Roloff.  I am a new person these days....not because of salvation (I'm agnostic), and not because of Jubilee.  I'm a new person because I chose to be.

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