Author Topic: Reports of Abuse at Provo Canyon School  (Read 25518 times)

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Offline Anonymous

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Reports of Abuse at Provo Canyon School
« Reply #30 on: June 09, 2004, 03:44:00 PM »
Dear Alvin--

    Has anyone ever asked whether your apparent  cognitive disorder also impairs your ability to recognize or diagnose psychological issues in patients?

    In at least some programs,  "lack of empathy"  is considered an error in thinking.
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Offline darkhunterhope

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Reports of Abuse at Provo Canyon School
« Reply #31 on: June 09, 2004, 06:42:00 PM »
please, you need to back down from Alvin and let him be, it is much for me to say this since I like and approve of so few. But Alvin is a good man and I respect him, he works very hard at what he does, and he is a caring staff member. With all of the staff there and so many with cruel intentions, we need to let the good reside and haunt the rest until they learn, for if they leave it only leaves room for worse to come. Thanks you.
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Offline Anonymous

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Reports of Abuse at Provo Canyon School
« Reply #32 on: June 10, 2004, 01:00:00 AM »
Quote
On 2004-06-08 22:59:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Tyler,

So good to see you on the net!!  I am constantly reading these sites for two reasons, first, to see if any former students I know leave messages and, two, to remind myself of who I have been given the great responsibilty to care for and to educate myself to the concerns and issues regarding PCS.  It makes me a better, more effective and empathetic staff member (except for when I raise my voice.  Hey, stop laughing.)



You are right about Tony.  He is an excellent therapist and I am glad you had the opportunity to work with him.  Jackson is doing well and still sounds like Barry White on the phone.  



It is not often I get to work with our students outside the Investment Unit, but when that chance comes, I relish it.  Yeah, I can be firm, even strict, but I pride myself on being fair and never shying away from a moment to give a  needed hug or word of encouragement.  Jackson, on the other hand, well, just call him everybody's "dad".



Best wishes to you Tyler.  Give us a call sometime and let us know how you are doing.  While a major part of your stay at PCS was challenging, I am grateful we met.



Respectfully,

Alvin    "


Alvin, I understand that you may feel the need to be the "good" staff member----meaning you probably are a good guy and are probably torn with what the poor kids that get sent would go through if you left.

Unfortunately, I think your presence enables PCS to keep its doors open and keep hurting kids, because they can point to staffers like you to try to convince parents they're a good place to send children---when, clearly, they're not.

I know you must have turned this over a thousand times in your head, agonizing over what the right thing to do is.

I would hope that you always continue to ask that question, because some day the day is going to come when you're going to have the opportunity to testify before Congress about the abuses you've no doubt noticed---if not seen directly, seen the physical evidence of.

That's when you're really going to need to step up  so that they'll understand that this industry needs strict regulation and governmental oversight and control.

Timoclea
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Offline Anonymous

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Reports of Abuse at Provo Canyon School
« Reply #33 on: June 10, 2004, 11:30:00 AM »
Is this notice that's been on the ISAC website for awhile related to the Utah Attorney General's recent decision or are these 2 separate kinds of investigations?

"Attention Survivors of Provo Canyon School: If you experienced or witnessed abuse at PCS, Amanda Rader of the Utah Division of Child and Family Services wants to hear from you. Contact Ms. Rader at 801-374-7282 or http://www.isaccorp.com

Thanks!
 :wave:
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Offline Anonymous

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« Reply #34 on: June 11, 2004, 01:54:00 AM »
They are two separate but related investigations. Amanda Rader, supervisor of Provo Child Protective Services, indicated that she had never heard of any reports of abuse at Provo Canyon School. So her name was posted to allow former patients and opportunity to notify her of the abuse they witnessed and experienced.
CPS send in a private investigator to determine if five particular children were victims of abuse, since this was reported to them.  The Attorney General determined that it was not criminal to do the following:
1)force medicate a child against thier will and without parental consent
2) Fracture a child's back in a human take down and then deprive that child of proper medical care and evaluation
3) Deprive a child of medical care when the child has severe side effects of a forced injection of Haldol, including blindness.
4) Isolate a mentally ill child for a week because the child reported abuse in a group therapy session.
(partial list)
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Offline cherish wisdom

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« Reply #35 on: June 15, 2004, 09:10:00 PM »
As long as the authorities do nothing and the people are ignorant - these abuses will continue. The abusive acts that occur in US prisons are also happening to mentally ill children in these teen programs. The licensed therapists protect and defend the actions of the un-licensed staff and the abuse continues because they are not reporting these abuses to the authorities. All of these programs that are violating laws and codes should be closed.  

They serve so that we don't have to. They offer to give up their lives so that we can be free. It is, remarkably, their gift to us. And all they ask for in return is that we never send them into harm's way unless it is absolutely necessary. Will they ever trust us again?

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=18' target='_new'>Michael More

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Offline Anonymous

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« Reply #36 on: June 15, 2004, 09:20:00 PM »
Inside (internal) investigations in private residential schools and programs should never be allowed, that is part of the problem.  But as evident by the AG's findings, relying on government agencies to conduct investigations is no guarantee that complaints of abuse will be taken seriously.  Parents really should use some common sense and understand that the more restrictive and custodial the program, the greater the potential for abuse.  Personally, I would not send my child to any lock-down facility so far away that I could not monitor the care and treatment of my child regularly and ON DEMAND.  Parents who willfully leave their children at the mercy of these greedy, ill-trained, ignorant caregivers are guilty of abuse and neglect.  They should be investigated, as well.
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Offline Anonymous

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« Reply #37 on: June 16, 2004, 02:20:00 AM »
This was taken from the petition to close Provo Canyon School:

I suffered greatly as a result of my time spent at PCS (years of nightmares, fear, shame...severe anxiety, anger, etc...)  Now ten years later, I have come to terms with what happened to me there.  I am able to step back and look at it through the eyes of a young professional- and I am appalled at what I see!  How could this have happened??  Who allowed this facility operate??  Why hasn't more been done to protect these children from such abuse??

If this program is properly and thoroughly investigated, I am quite sure it will not be allowed to continue operating.

 

*** please note that the children at this facility have been instilled with fear... they are threatened with harsh punishment should they speak negatively about the program to ANYONE.
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Offline Anonymous

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« Reply #38 on: June 16, 2004, 07:13:00 PM »
Does anyone know if the reporters are going to do a story about this program? This information needs to be exposed to the public since the authorities are doing nothing to enforce regulations and laws that have been established to protect children.  The public needs to be aware that those who they have trusted to protect the safety and rights of mentally ill children are allowing programs like Provo Canyon to abuse and torture children.  This must stop. It has been going on for too long.
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Offline Anonymous

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« Reply #39 on: June 16, 2004, 08:11:00 PM »
Unfortunately, news reporters seem to feel obligated to present fair-and-balanced reports so for every allegation of abuse, you can be sure there wll be 2 parents or more claiming just the opposite is true.  Second, if the news gets out that DHS and the AG seemingly concur that there is no credibility to allegations of abuse, the citizens of Utah are going to interpret their findings to be the gospel truth.  

Catch 22 - damned if you do, damned if you don't.

 :roll:
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Offline cherish wisdom

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« Reply #40 on: June 17, 2004, 12:43:00 AM »
(Excerpt From) Protest Flyer from former Provo Canyon Student.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Cyprus/6189/page11.html

After PCS- I can tell you from experience that the PCS experience doesn't end when they let you go. My whole life since has been an ceaseless struggle to forget, to regain my dignity and my belief in a social system that broke its implied
promise to protect and nurture me.

I committed no crime, have never been arrested or accused, yet I spent nineteen months in jail, with bars on the windows and guards by the doors. I was denied access to a lawyer, and letters sent to the ACLU in protest of conditions never made it past my therapist's desk.

I went for weeks at a time without ever seeing the sun and watched boys my own age be physically assaulted and humiliated by staff members. At one point I suffered a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide. My wounds went untreated and
became infected during my month long stay in the "secured" unit.

I have not spoken to my father since 1987 because I cannot look at him without being reminded of that place. I must lie on job applications and resumes because I am afraid that someone will know what PCS is. I have reoccurring nightmares, sexual difficulties and have become claustrophobic. This leaflet is a feeble attempt to make sense of the senseless, a last ditch attempts to save myself by saving others.

Please, dear parent, understand that whatever difficulty you are experiencing with your teen will eventually pass. Maybe they are making your life a living hell, but that is no excuse for making their lives one. Before you sign any
papers, before you write a check, go to the school. Stay there for a whole day.

Pretend you are your teen and that you can't leave. Watch how the staff deals with the students. Ask to see the secured units and don't take no for an answer. The admissions official you deal with will offer you hope for your troubled teen, even a cure for his or her problems. He will tell you about PCS's fine reputation and its credentials. It is his job. He gets a commission for each admission. He probably won't be able to have you speak to any ex-students because all the ex-students I know of like to pretend that it never happened.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Dear Sirs, (Letter to Editors of Diablo Magazine)

Thank you for your article on emotional growth schools. As a 1985 graduate of Provo Canyon School, I am extremely concerned about the proliferation of these schools and how they will effect these teens in the long term.

While I cannot speak for my fellow students, I can tell you that my stay at PCS has caused me a great deal of pain over the past fifteen years. It has affected every facet of my life, from my career to my relationship with my family, and I despair of ever being able to come to terms with the experience. Even 15 years later, I am just so full of anger, resentment, frustration and confusion, I can hardly stand it.

So, what did I do to deserve my trip to Utah, you ask? Not much. Like many other teens of then and now, I was sullen, asocial,self-involved, moody. I ran away from a private school, stayed out late, defied my parents, got bad grades. The only thing I didn't do was get in trouble with the law. I never even spoke to a cop, much less spent time in a state juvenile facility. Regardless, without any regard for my constitutional and human rights, my father was able to commit me to PCS, where I spent nearly two years in complete lockdown, my phone calls and mail monitored, my free time spent staring at a TV or standing off punishment points. It was a living death.

While my peers in public high schools explored their world and came into their own as adults, I couldn't even go to the bathroom without permission. But I had it comparatively easy. Some of my fellow students spent weeks at a time in a locked, windowless room for minor offenses, while others, who dared to defy the authorities, were physically restrained and placed in broom closet sized padded cells called "time out rooms."

When I graduated, I was not in good shape. After a year and a half, it was hard to get used to thinking for myself again. I felt so damn isolated--I had lost touch with friends on the
outside, and the staff at PCS had taken away phone numbers and addresses of fellow students, saying that I should stay away from them when I returned home. Who could possibly understand what I had seen, what I had been through? No one.

I am trying to put together some type of unofficial alumni association, but it's hard. It's been so many years, and many ex-students are embarrassed by the whole thing and want badly
to put it behind them.

Anyway, in regards to your article, I completely agree with Tom Burton when he said, "People grow up." Yes, they do. I would have gotten though my adolescence just fine without Farnsworth, Litchfield and PCS. But my parents had too much money, too little time, and they were looking for a solution. PCS offered them that solution, neatly packaged in a four color brochure and videotape, and they bought right into it.

I just want to say that, in examining the US Constitution, nowhere does it say that a citizen
must be of a certain age before these rights apply to them. The same thing goes for the
United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. Parents may have the right to protect their
children from themselves, but those children have rights too. The right not to be woken up
at 4am by a pair of large men and spirited away to Utah in handcuffs, for example.

While these kinds of schools may be helpful for some children, they assuredly are not helpful for all, despite what Karr Farnsworth says. To protect the latter group, the admissions procedure of these schools should be highly regulated, with a 3rd party child psychologist or other state official (one who does not profit from the admission) checking out every kid and deciding if they truly need such a drastic solution. I only wish a system like this was in place in 1984; if it had been, my parents would have been forced to find another way to deal with me in lieu of sending me to what amounted to a prison without the benefit of due process.

You have my permission to reprint any or all parts of this letter on your Web site or

elsewhere.

Thank you,

David D.
[ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-06-16 21:51 ]
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Offline Anonymous

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« Reply #41 on: June 17, 2004, 01:02:00 AM »
B.I.N.G.O.  this boy just confirmed the fact that teens don't need programs, they need parents who have the time and interest to parent their children through adolescence instead of dumping them off in places like PCS.
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Offline Anonymous

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« Reply #42 on: June 17, 2004, 01:14:00 AM »
CW:

Have you filed a civil lawsuit against PCS on behalf of your daughter or are you and other victims planning a class action lawsuit vis a vis gathering potential plaintiffs through the online petition?
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Offline cherish wisdom

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« Reply #43 on: June 17, 2004, 01:44:00 AM »
Anon: yes, I have a lawyer. But what is more important is seeing that others are not abused. It's also important to fully notify the authorities about the abuse - even if they do nothing. A law suit should be the last resort. It is up to my daughter who was the person harmed and injured.  She was an exceptional athlete. One of the girls who was equal to her athletically just received a full-ride soccer scholarship to Notre Dam. Staff at PCS fractured her back in a violent human take down - because she got out of a chair to use the bathroom without permission and mouthed off to the staff member who told her she couldn't.  They then denied her medical care and evaluation. Isolated her for a week (in violation of core rules and state and federal mental health codes). While in isolation, with a painful broken back, she was forced to clean bathrooms, walls and vaccume. She was also forced to sit and stare at a wall when she wasn't cleaing. Talk about torture. When she tried to escape she was stripped naked.  
The authorities in Utah ALL know about this and they don't see anything wrong with this. They have informed me that these things were not criminal or abusive.  So there is no other alternative.  I'd just like to have the money to really go for the jugular - and sue them for such a horendous sum of money that it would cause fear in other similar programs. Any suggestions????  [ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-06-16 22:48 ]
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Offline cherish wisdom

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« Reply #44 on: June 23, 2004, 04:19:00 AM »
Call 801-374-7005 if you were abused at Provo Canyon School or another facility in that area.

Here is some infomtion from a parent:

Please call Provo Child Protective Services and report your abuse and the abuse you witnessed. Give the names of those who have been injured, kicked, beaten, sexually assaulted, punished with isolation and seclusion for more than four hours, forced druggings and denial of proper medical care. These are all violations of law. Torture is not therapy - and they do not have a right to abuse you. You may not become aware of this until later because of what they tell you. Don't let them brainwash you. I know they have a great song and dance for the parents and many are totally sucked in to the PROGRAM - which in reality is a REPROGRAMING of your mind and values using extremely abusive methods of conditioning and warped behavior modification to meet that end.
If you are a parent - realize that they are very good at getting parents to accept all the wonderful things they are doing. As long as you have money they will continue to tell you that your child is not ready - they only want your money. How much are they charging? $8,000 per month - $10,000 per month - This school makes about 2 million dollars per month off of all of you. You are paying them to punish your child in most outrageous ways. It's desparate parent like you all who keep this abusive industry alive and thriving. At least revoke your consent for chemical and physical restraints and isolation - because these tools of the trade can KILL YOUR CHILD.
Students and Former Students - please report the abuse you experienced and witnessed to the authorities. Your parents have been programed not to believe you. They are warned in letters and at parent support groups that many of you will say and do anything to get released. Others will believe yoy. The abuses of staff must be exposed.

A vote for GW is a vote for America's Führer.
--Anonymous (it's best that way...)

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