Found an old St. Pete Times article on it on ISAC....
http://www.isaccorp.org/straight/NewtonCollection.pdfEx-Straight Leader Files to Helps Kids
By Curtis Krueger
Originally published in the St. Petersburg Times, August 24, 1999
ST. PETERSBURG - The once controversial counselor, however, says he's not interested
in working with a substance abuse program again. Miller Newton, who once helped lead
the highly controversial drug treatment program Straight Inc., applied earlier this year for
the right to provide substance abuse counseling to youths referred by Pinellas County's
Juvenile Assessment Center. But Newton, a psychologist who also came under fire for
his work at a center he managed in New Jersey, said Monday that he has no intention of
getting back into substance abuse treatment of teenagers. "I'm not involved in any highprofile,
controversial kind of work anymore," Newton said. "I'm 61 years old next week,
and I'm living a little quieter kind of life. I'm not really interested in directing a program
or doing anything like that any more." In the early 1980s, Newton served as national
clinical director and in other posts for the St. Petersburg-based Straight Inc., which was
repeatedly criticized and sued by former clients for alleged psychological and physical
harassment.
He left the center in 1983 and later became president of Kids of North Jersey, which
provided mental health services for youths. This agency was involved in controversies
similar to the criticisms leveled at Straight.
A report filed earlier this year by New Jersey Assistant Attorney General Barbara Pryor
Waugh said that in the Kids program youths often were prevented from contacting their
parents; clients were restrained without proper authorization; clients were restrained by
other clients; and staffing was insufficient.
The New Jersey program paid $45,000 to the federal government in 1996 to settle a claim
that Newton and the program improperly submitted 254 insurance claims. The program
and Newton denied any wrongdoing. The Kids program closed last year.
Newton said he is working locally as a psychologist and worked briefly with another
psychologist, Roma Schiefer, who has an office in Seminole.
Newton said he did not recall sending an application for referrals for substance abuse
counseling in January to the Juvenile Assessment Center, which is where juveniles are
evaluated after being picked up by police in Pinellas County.
But he said he could have because the office he worked with was sending out several
such letters to build up clients. An advisory board to the Juvenile Assessment Center
reviewed his application and decided in June to table it until board members could learn
more about Newton's work since his days with Straight. The state Department of
Children and Families sent Newton a letter this month saying he "cannot continue to
operate without a (substance abuse) license," or without proving that he is exempt from
needing one. But Miller said he is not working as a substance abuse counselor. He said he
is properly licensed as a psychologist. He said he works primarily in the area of
neuropsychological assessments and is not doing any ongoing treatment of clients, except
to finish with a few people he worked with at Schiefer's practice. He has otherwise quit
Schiefer's practice, but she said the parting was a business decision and not based on any
concern over his treatment methods.
