Transcript of Interview with Mel Riddile, conducted by William Earnshaw
Monday, January 13, 2003
Introduction:
The following questions pertain to Dr. Mel Riddile?s position as director of Straight, Inc.-Springfield, VA
1. WE - Where did you train for your position as director?
Riddile ? St. Petersburg, Florida
2. WE - Who trained you?
Riddile ? Dr. Miller Newton, Chris ?, Melissa ?, Ruth Ann Newton
3. WE - Did you receive any type of degree/certification in drug abuse treatment as a result of this training?
Riddile ? No
4. WE - During what years were you the director?
Riddile ? 1982 - mid 1984
5. WE - How many clients were treated during your tenure?
Riddile ? estimate between 300-350
6. WE - Who signed the payroll checks?
Riddile ? Executive Director of Straight, Inc.
7. WE - Why were clients not allowed privacy when using the bathroom?
Riddile ? That was only on first phase; for their protection and safety
8. WE - Who instituted that policy?
Riddile ? originator of Straight
9. WE - What services did volunteers provide?
Riddile ? After-hours receptionist, janitor
10. WE - Why wasn?t treatment individualized? For example, 12 year olds who only drank 2 beers received the same treatment as adult IV drug users.
Riddile ? So the program could be accredited and the parent?s insurance would cover the cost.
11. WE - Did the program employ a janitor to perform routine cleaning?
Riddile ? No
12. WE - Did any staff members drink alcohol?
Riddile ? I?m not aware of any.
13. WE - Were clients who wished to leave the program being physically restrained by other clients?
Riddile ? Yes
14. WE - Why did you allow that?
Riddile ? We were responsible for keeping them in the program.
15. WE - Why did you purchase higher-rated UV light bulbs?
Riddile ? They were daylight bulbs to duplicate sunlight.
16. WE - Did anything happen that could be considered abuse?
Riddile ? It may have, but I wouldn?t tolerate it.
17. WE - What happened to client files?
Riddile ? I don?t know.
18. WE - Which meals did the program provide?
Riddile - Lunch and dinner
19. WE - Were host homes in compliance with county fire codes?
Riddile ? I?m not sure, don?t know what the codes were.
20. WE - Were host-families paid for hosting clients?
Riddile ? No
21. WE - Were junior and senior staff members certified as drug abuse counselors?
Riddile - It wasn?t required. It was up to the individual
22. WE - Was there a medical doctor on staff?
Riddile ? Yes Dr. Joseph Puglise then Dr. Richard Schwartz.
WE - Was he paid or a volunteer?
Riddile - paid
WE - How often was he at the building?
Riddile - Once a week, on call the rest of the time.
23. WE - Was there a psychologist or psychiatrist on staff?
Riddile ? Yes ? psychiatrist
WE ? What was his name?
Riddile ? I don?t remember
WE - was he paid or a volunteer?
Riddile - paid
WE - How often was he at the building?
Riddile ? one afternoon per week
24. WE - Who was the accountant for the program?
Riddile ? Anthony Agliardi
25. WE - Why were first and second phasers denied schooling?
Riddile ? treatment policy
26. WE - Why was Straight, Inc. allowed to violate Virginia?s compulsory school attendance law?
Riddile ? it wasn?t considered truancy
27. WE - How many hours did you spend at the building each week?
Riddile ? Too many; 50 ? 60
28. WE - What types of chain of commands did you review?
Riddile ? Rarely if ever, saw any chain of commands. They were handled by the associate director [ Suzanne Byrd ] and lower staff.
29. WE - Did parents, staff and/or clients return ?cop-outs? to the program using physical force?
Riddile ? They were directed not to do that.
30. WE - What was the purpose of ?treatment plans??
Riddile ? Eligibility for insurance coverage;legitimacy
31. WE - Were all of them reviewed by a licensed psychologist?
Riddile ? Yes, they were reviewed by a psychiatrist, but not every week.
32. WE - Were there any suicide attempts while you were director?
Riddile ? I don?t remember, but there were suicide watches.
33. WE - If yes, were they reported to police or psychiatric professionals?
Riddile ? The psychiatrist
34. WE - Have you ever testified in a court of law on behalf of Straight, Inc.?
Riddile - No
35. WE - How were permits to operate Straight, Inc. obtained in Fairfax County?
Riddile ? Organizing parents from St. Petersburg
36. WE - Have you ever heard of Straight, Inc. labeled as a cult?
Riddile ? Yes, from the St. Pete Times
37. WE - What was the purpose of the ?program board??
Riddile ? fundraising, finances
38. WE - What training did the ?intake coordinator? receive prior to performing intakes?
Riddile ? Intake coordinators were parents or volunteers; none were professionally trained
39. WE - Was that a paid or volunteer position?
Riddile ? Paid, but they did not work with clients
40. WE - A client was kept in the broom closet for 10 consecutive days. Why was that allowed?
Riddile ? I didn?t know about that.
41. WE - For what reasons other than intakes were the intake rooms used?
Riddile ? Counseling, meetings, time-outs, restraining
42. WE - Do you think that it was clearly directing a parent to commit a crime (abandonment) by making the following statement?: ?If your child leaves the program you should not offer financial aid, emotional support, food, clothing, shelter and should return the kids to the program immediately upon notifying staff when a copout returns home.?
Riddile - No
The following questions pertain to Dr. Mel Riddile?s position as Regional Director of Straight, Inc.
1. WE - What was the date of your start as the Regional Director?
Riddile ? end of 1984
2. WE - Who made the decision to hire you for this position?
Riddile ? Bill Oliver
3. WE- Where was your office located?
Riddile ? 5515 Backlick Road, Springfield, VA [ Straight building ]
4. WE - In what cities were you responsible for implementing branches of Straight, Inc.?
Riddile ? Springfield, Boston, Cincinnati, Detroit
5. WE - Did you travel to any of these branches after they opened as part of your job?
Riddile ? All of them
6. WE - What did you do while you were visiting those branches?
Riddile ? Set up
7. WE - How were the directors of these branches chosen? (criteria)
Riddile ? ads in newspapers, word-of-mouth
8. WE - How were they trained as Directors of their respective branches of Straight, Inc.?
Riddile - The director of the Michigan branch was trained at the Cincinatti program; the director of the Boston branch was trained at the Springfield, VA program.
9. WE - What reason(s) did you have for leaving Straight, Inc.?
Riddile ? I became the director of the Straight Foundation; held that position for about 2 years.
10. WE - Have you ever met either Melvin Sembler or Betty Sembler? What about George H.W. Bush or any other high ranking politician while at Straight, Inc.? If so, who? Under what pretext?
Riddile ? Yes, all of them; Nancy Reagan and Princess Diana of Britain
General questions:
1. WE - What is your overall opinion of Straight, Inc. and your experience as its Director?
Riddile ? It helped kids and families, didn?t intentionally harm anyone; Springfield was improvement over the other branches.
2. WE - Are you aware that Straight, Inc.?s treatment methods still exist in programs throughout the United States and other countries?
Riddile ? Yes, but only after we told him.
3. WE - Would you be willing to help the survivors of Straight, Inc. shut down all of these programs, and pass legislation in Congress to forever ban this type of treatment?
Riddile ? open for discussion
4. WE - Are you aware of the criminal investigations concerning Straight, Inc. that are currently being pursued and that your name is included them?
Riddile - No
5. WE - Would you be willing, in the near future, to make a public statement apologizing for the abusive treatment that was given to the clients of the Straight, Inc. drug treatment program?
Riddile ? may be open to that
6. WE - Would you be willing to contact other former Directors of Straight, Inc. and gather their support to forever ban the abusive treatment in descendant programs?
Riddile ? may be open to that
7. WE - Would you be willing to meet with a delegation of survivors in the near future to implement a plan of action in regards to the ban?
Riddile ? possibly, may be open to that
