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

Teen Mentor (Costa Rica) shut down by authorities

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thomasC:
Seems like I've heard this story somewhere before...

English article:
http://http://www.insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2011/march/22/costarica11032204.htm

--- Quote ---PANI Rescues 20 Young Americans Who Suffered Various Attacks

The Patronato Nacional de la Infancia (PANI) - Costa Rica's child welfare agency - says it rescued on Monday a group of 20 American minors who allegedly received psychological and physical abuse by managers of a reformatory in Puntarenas.

The academy "Teen Mentor" has been operating since 2010 in the Hotel Carra in Tarcoles de Garabito, Puntarenas.

The PANI took the action to intervene following complaints from three psychologists at the academy. Ten children were transferred directly to a PANI shelter, while the case is still in under investigation.

Parents paid from us$600 per month to keep their children between the ages of 13 and 18 in the program.

PANI officials say all the youths found in the academy on Monday were all Americans.

Jorge Urbina, manager of the PANI, told the media on Monday that the U.S. Embassy in San José was in the process of notifying all the parents to come get theri children.
--- End quote ---

http://http://www.nacion.com/2011-03-22/Sucesos/NotaPrincipal/Sucesos2722171.aspx

Need someone to translate this one. Some details from this article according to some machine translation:

The academy was closed after complaints from three psychologists who had worked at the program to PANI.
There were 21 minors in the program
The allegations involve physical and psychological abuse, isolation, severed communication between students and their families, lack of medical supervision, lack of proper education, lack of recreation programs promised by the school's advertising
The program lacked the proper permits to operate in Costa Rica
The corporation registered as owning the school lists Robert Walter Lichfield as owner, article speculates as to relationship between this person and former PIllars of Hope/Dundee Ranch (also raided by authorities) owner Narvin Lichfield
A PANI official is quoted saying that children were forced to sign a document stating they were at the school of their own free will, threatened with 8 days in an isolation room if they did not comply.

Ursus:
Wow. Seems like that place just opened!


--- Quote ---The corporation registered as owning the school lists Robert Walter Lichfield as owner, article speculates as to relationship between this person and former PIllars of Hope/Dundee Ranch (also raided by authorities) owner Narvin Lichfield
--- End quote ---
I guess Costa Rica must be gettin' hip to the Lichfields...  :D

Sam Kinison:
PANI as well as the Costa Rican government in general is sending these fiends a message
YOU WILL NOT DO HERE WHAT THEY DON'T LET YOU DO AT HOME REGARDING MINORS
Although Lichfield(Dundee Ranch)was acquitted,the prosecutors really tried to nail his ass to the wall and he had to wait in jail until his acquittal.I don't think he'll be returning anytime soon.
Unfortunately they'll probably friendlier confines in Nicaragua where Daniel Ortega and his cohorts are not above taking a bribe for any reason.It's corrupt here as well,but they do have their
limits.

PURA VIDA
Sam

Sam Kinison:
Just finished reading the La Nacion link
Según el encargado de mantenimiento del hotel, en el momento de la intervención del PANI “los encargados de Teen Mentor se fueron y los jóvenes quedaron solos”, aseguró

These assholes ran off and abandoned these kids waiting for the PANI(Child Welfare)like Nazi guards running off at a concentration camp.This could have been a very dangerous situation for the wrong kid at the wrong time(retribution,gang activity).These people are real bastards and hopefully INTERPOL will get involved and find these scumbags.They are criminals,they know it,and they're looking for a safe haven to continue their barbaric acts.
I am enraged

Oscar:
We first heard about the program late 2010, so it is new. It is a former hotel and the owners did not inform the guests that the hotel had been sold according to some traveling webpages.

Before the web-publishers did get a hand on the webpage you could read from the preferences that the owner was "Red River Academy".

We were able to get a computer location with an electronic match between google maps and the photos from the webpage which led us to the precise location and there is a datasheet on the Fornits Wiki about this program. The news about the raid will go on the datasheet as soon as possible.

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