Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > The Troubled Teen Industry
Rare video of children being abused at Pasadena boot camp
Oscar:
Pasadena boot camp leader heads back to court
By Brian Charles , Pasadena Star News, November 10, 2011
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PASADENA - With controversy boiling around juvenile boot camps, Kelvin "Sgt. Mac" McFarland will head back to court on Nov. 16 to face charges of kidnapping, extortion, child abuse, child endangerment and unlawful use of a badge.
McFarland will appear in Pasadena Superior Court.
The charges stem from a May 16 incident where McFarland allegedly handcuffed a truant Pasadena school girl and extorted money from her parents.
The embattled boot camp instructor, who runs Family First Growth Camp in Pasadena, allegedly told the girls parents that he would take the teen to a juvenile detention center if they refused to pay money to enroll her in McFarland's camp.
Helen Edwards, a parent connected to Family First Growth Camp, said the May 16 incident resembled a recruiting tactic McFarland employed repeatedly dating back to 2010.
She alleges McFarland targeted "immigrants and the illiterate" when he canvassed Pasadena and handcuffed children to enlist in his program
cmack:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me ... 2275.story
For teen program's chief, tough love may have turned criminal
The operator of a Pasadena 'boot camp' aimed at turning around troubled lives with military-type discipline faces trial on charges of kidnapping and extortion for his treatment of a girl and her family.
By Ricardo Lopez, Los Angeles Times
November 13, 2011
The surprise visit to Alberto Ruiz's house was swift.
Dress quickly, he was told. You're going to boot camp.
His parents, worried about his drug use and habit of skipping school, had followed a friend's advice and called Kelvin McFarland.
Ruiz's behavior had earned him a spot in McFarland's Family First Growth Camp in Pasadena, a place with a reputation for breaking gang-bangers and drug addicts and turning them into law-abiding teens.
A former Marine who likes to be called "Sgt. Mac," McFarland founded the camp two years ago and boasted that his tough-love tactics and military-strict discipline were the perfect formula for reforming gang members, taming runaways and getting through to troublemakers.
Ruiz, who is now 18, credits McFarland's intervention for helping him finish school and quit drugs.
But authorities say McFarland's scared-straight approach crossed the line and veered into criminal behavior earlier this year when he crossed paths with another Pasadena teen.
Investigators allege that in May, McFarland was driving in Pasadena when he spotted a girl walking along the street during school hours. He stopped to question her, then handcuffed her, placed her in his car and told her to direct him to a relative's home. At the relative's home, he demanded money from her father to enroll the 14-year-old in his program. The girl's father mistook McFarland for a truancy officer when he flashed a badge, Pasadena police said.
McFarland is facing trial on felony charges of kidnapping, extortion, false imprisonment and child abuse, and unlawful use of a badge, a misdemeanor.
Now Pasadena police are investigating possible abuses that allegedly occurred at a rival Pasadena boot camp where McFarland once worked. The Pasadena Star-News recently published videos allegedly filmed in 2009 in which McFarland can be seen yelling at teens, forcing them to gulp down water even as they retch and vomit. In one scene, McFarland and other drill instructors appear to scream at a youngster, inches from his face, as he collapses in tears under the weight of a car tire on his shoulders.
The publicity has had a chilling effect on McFarland's Family First boot camp. Parents have pulled their kids out in droves. Where several dozen cadets once attended, only a handful remain.
"I'm not going to lie… we don't have 75 cadets, but we're still continuing," said Elpidio Estolas, one of Family First's directors.
McFarland is quick to defend his work in the community, as is Keith Gibbs, the director of the rival boot camp. Both say they offer a last resort for exasperated parents who have nowhere else to turn.
In interviews with McFarland, his cadets, their families and those who have worked with him, a complex portrait emerges. Critics describe him as a fast talker, easily seducing working-class Latino families with his authority-laden persona. Supporters say McFarland is a man filled with good intentions, who has overcome his flaws such as convictions for DUI and a misdemeanor assault.
McFarland says his criminal history allows him to dissuade cadets from a life of incarceration. He talks openly about the months he was homeless and his continuing struggle with alcoholism. These attributes, he says, make him a relatable figure.
McFarland is set to stand trial Wednesday, though the case has been delayed several times — once after his boot camp could no longer afford to pay his attorney, a former Pasadena mayor. He is now represented by a public defender.
But McFarland continues to operate his program throughout Pasadena, in local parks and occasionally a small strip-mall church.
In fact, it didn't take long for the boot camp to resume after McFarland got out of jail
In mid-June, from the stage of Faithworks Ministries church, McFarland — freshly released on bail — thanked his cadets and their families, quoting the Bible as he spoke. For days, they had rallied on his behalf outside a Pasadena courthouse, hoping a judge would reduce his bail.
McFarland, a deeply religious man raised by an aunt in rural Georgia, looked on quietly. Dressed in his signature military fatigues, he occasionally barked commands as the cadets stood in formation.
"I don't know of a boot camp that praises the Lord as much as we do," said McFarland, who granted The Times access to his boot camp last summer but has since refused to speak with the paper.
After the morning drills, the group moved inside the church. The teens marched single file into a side room for a self-esteem workshop. Their families, meanwhile, sat in the pews, listening to a nutritionist. Involving parents in the program is a key component of success, McFarland says.
"The program has benefited the children tremendously," said Mirza Balvaneda, who enrolled her son when he was only 8. "The other parents said I was brave to bring him in because he's so young, but he needed to learn some discipline."
In addition to the instilling of discipline, parents — most of whom don't speak English — said they hope their children will take more initiative in their studies.
When news of McFarland's arrest broke, some thought Gibbs, who operates Sarge's Community Base, was the one who had been arrested.
The men have similar authoritative demeanors and dress — usually camouflage pants with dark polo shirts. They even have similar nicknames. McFarland is "Sgt. Mac," Gibbs is simply "Sarge."
"People were calling me because they thought I was the one who had been arrested," Gibbs said.
Gibbs said that he hired McFarland in early 2009 and that his new employee became his right-hand man. But now the two compete for recruits and offer differing views of how their relationship fell apart.
Gibbs said he fired McFarland when he discovered his criminal history and heard complaints from staff that he was using excessive force when disciplining cadets. McFarland said he only followed Gibbs' orders.
Gibbs has also faced allegations of child abuse. In a 2010 letter from Edwin Diaz, superintendent of the Pasadena Unified School District, Gibbs was told his permit to use school district facilities for his camp had been revoked.
School officials had received reports from parents that Gibbs' boot camp tactics amounted to corporal punishment. Another parent charged that he had engaged in "an inappropriate sexual relationship" with a minor. Pasadena police investigated but never filed charges because the teen recanted her claims, Diaz wrote.
Gibbs calls the allegations lies spread by disgruntled cadets who wanted out of his program.
As his court date approaches, McFarland has kept a low profile, quietly running his boot camp and dismissing his critics, who he said are trying to destroy his business with baseless accusations.
He says that at the end of the day, "it's all about the kids."
http://bit.ly/nQYYhA). To turn a child around you have to turn around their belief system. For the record I can refute every statement made in the evil argument and so should you.
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mikeasr at 3:15 PM November 13, 2011
It's old news that neither the boot camp programs nor the "scared straight" programs work. They sound great, they get sold to a credulous audience, they provide drama--but they don't work.
Worse yet, those who operate them often are untrained persons who are chosen for their size, not their ability to work with people. This commonly leads to abuses and those abuses over the past 20 years have, in some programs, included the negligent deaths of those who were made to participate.
This article just provides additional proof of this.
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steveg68 at 2:50 PM November 13, 2011
I'm curious to know what type of training or background/credentials Gibbs and McFarland have in education, psychology and/or criminal justice. What type of licensing is required to run a camp like this?
What is the guy licensed as, a teacher, a rehab counselor, a criminal justice officer, a psychologist? There must be a State Board that issues a permit for the job as "Professional Idiot"--otherwise how could this guy be legally operating?
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dwobjector at 2:17 PM November 13, 2011
If bootcamps work so well to change anti-socal behavior, why are there so many military vets in prison? I was a correctional officer in the 80's when an embarassing percentage of American's prison population were Vietnam vets. We are seeing the pattern repeating itself today.
Bootcamps feed our desire for a tough recation to crime. Society wants a tough approach to appease our appetite for vengence - there's little emperical evidence that it works.
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chanteuse at 6:02 AM November 13, 2011
I've always had a "problem" with folks that wear military uniforms who are not in the military. Why does it seem that lately (the past few years anyway) that more and more police, firefighters, paramedics, corrections officers, etc. are wearing uniforms that look just like U.S. Marines? If I were I current Marine, I might be a bit upset at all the non-Marines playing dress-up. Police should go back to the traditional "police" uniform. I think they'd find they would be more appreciated and people might be less fearful of them if they didn't look like tactical combat soldiers. We're not living in Iran or Russia, are we?
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DanielLovejoy at 9:54 AM November 13, 2011
It's part of the plan. Police are para-military. A portion of the patriot act allows the president to mobilize or activate them, putting all law enforcement under the direct control of the president.
Firefighters, paramedics are auxillary. Not for law enforcement, but for clean up if thing go bad.
We have been becoming more like Cuba since 2001. The transition isn't complete, but it isn't stopping either.
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Computer Forensics Expert at 5:12 AM November 13, 2011
"Critics describe him as a fast talker, easily seducing working-class Latino families with his authority-laden persona."
Sounds like Obama.
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DanielLovejoy at 9:51 AM November 13, 2011
Way to add to the conversation troll.
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mikeasr at 3:21 PM November 13, 2011
Entirely beside the point, superficial, and ad hominem--a Republican profile of effective argument. Childish at best--pathetic in this context.
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azlefty at 6:11 PM November 13, 2011
So I see the Best Buy geek squad ins on break!
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steveg68 at 8:54 PM November 13, 2011
pretty funny...'cause its true
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Bundling at 5:00 AM November 13, 2011
A follow-up article on these types of facilities in general would be useful. How common are such reported abuses? Just reports or actual confirmations? What is their success rate-- not just anecdotal evidence, and not just immediately after the camp. I remember the "Scared Straight" programs, where juvenile offenders were taken to jails and supposedly scared enough by the prisoners that they did their best to always avoid jail after that. I also seem to remember that the lasting effect was much less than hoped-for.
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steveg68 at 2:51 PM November 13, 2011
then, you've got to see the show called "beyond scared straight", it's a laugh riot
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marsaro at 2:55 AM November 13, 2011
Hi;
this guys sounds like he went over the line. He probably had some good intentions, but went too far. Shame becuase we need more programs to help kids, and not lock them up in cages. I grew up in a military family, and it was not easy. I used to have a lot of problems with my father being over borad. But, growing up in NoHo I was lucky looking back. I do not smoke cigarettes thanks to dad making me smoke a cigar in the garage until I was green. Harsh, but it worked.
Awake:
I wonder how common it is for these troubled teen boot camps to force kids to drink excessive amounts of water to the point of throwing up? At Ascent that was a daily practice as well, right after lunch, and before intense workout regiments. I threw up, and witnessed it happen often. It was in the back of my mind after awhile, even though we only had 5 min to eat each meal so it wasn’t too hard to watch how much you ate. Amazing how badass those staff felt about themselves, pretty clearly from the video, for making a like13 yr old kid puke and cry.
Oscar:
Press-release from: Domestic prisoners of conscience
For once a DCFS investigation could mean all the difference
For nearly a decade absent parents in the Californian town of Pasadena used private boot camps to straighten up their kids so they could avoid the burden of leaving the TV and miss out of their favorite show.
Needless to say the parents must have known the extend of abuse the private boot camps put their children through. The Boot Camp operators and employees have posted a lot of videos online where they boast about their treatment of the so-called unruly children.
Children were shouted at and they were forced to drink water in such a huge amount that they were vomiting in the videos.
Once side of this case is the police investigation of the acts committed by the boot camp employees. Another side is the permit these parents gave the boot camp operators to mistreat their children. Should parents which grant such permits be allowed to keep their children at home or should the DCFS start their investigation and if possible remove not only the children but also their siblings from the parents?
Of course they should research this matter to its full extend and if the result is that some of the children should go to the foster care system, then it should be so.
The boot camp operations in Pasadena are far from a single incident. It is a worldwide problem!
* In Mexico did the authorities shut down a boot camp where parents from all over the states sent their children so they could be placed in dog cages tied up.
* In Spain did the authorities shut down a private treatment facility where children were placed in small cages built for pigs. The parents came from Germany and Switzerland.
* In Texas a girl was tied and dragged after a van because she refused to walk while she participated in a boot camp organized by a church. The parents had provided the boot camp with permission to use force.
* A lot of private residential treatments centers and boarding schools have been subjected to investigations by the authorities and several have been shut down due to child abuse investigations.
* More than 100 children from the United States have lost their lives in private programs according to a GAO investigation back in 2007.
Parents must step up and investigate the options they choose if they want to continue their absent role in the lives of their children or they must choose to be a part of the lives of their children.
Either way they must be held accountable.
If some of these parents related to the Pasadena boot camp scandal are brought to justice this could be the very step forwards fewer deaths and less institutional child abuse.
Never have a DCFS investigation counted as much.
Source:
Cops turn to DCFS in Pasadena youth boot camp investigation (Whittier Daily News)
Reddit TroubledTeens:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2 ... arges.html
‘Scared-straight’ teen boot camp instructor may face more charges
January 25, 2012 | 3:40 pm
Kevin McFarland
The operator of a Pasadena-based juvenile boot camp known for his "scared-straight" approach may be facing more criminal charges in connection with alleged misconduct against wayward teens.
Kevin McFarland, operater of Family 1st Growth Camp, is already facing extortion and false imprisonment charges for a May 2011 incident in which he allegedly handcuffed a girl and took her to a relative's home, then demanded payment from the girl's parents.
The Pasadena Sun reported that Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Caroline Lugo told L.A. County Superior Court Judge Teri Schwartz on Wednesday that she needs more time with McFarland's case. "We may be filing on other" matters, Lugo told the court. "That decision has not been made."
After the incident with the girl, Pasadena police began to investigate videos of boot camp activity in which one juvenile was forced to walk with a car tire around his neck as adults yelled at him from inches away and other juveniles appear to have been forced to drink water to excess. McFarland has denied that he had a role in alleged misconduct on the videos.
McFarland is a former Marine who likes to be called "Sgt. Mac." He founded the camp in 2009 and boasted that his tough-love, scared-straight tactics and military-strict discipline were the perfect formula for reforming gang members, taming runaways and getting through to troublemakers.
On Wednesday, Lugo declined to state whether the potential new charges may stem from the videos, though Pasadena police have interviewed more than a dozen witnesses related to the videos and forwarded the information to prosecutors.
Schwartz granted an extension in the case until Feb. 22.
-- Bill Kisliuk, Times Community News
Photo: Kevin McFarland, known to his students as "Sgt. Mac," runs a program called Family 1st Growth Camp in Pasadena.
Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angles Times
Email: newstips@latimes.com
Twitter: @lanow
Facebook: Los Angeles Times Local News
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