The new students have plenty of other students there to talk to. Teens that have been there a while and are not viewed as at risk for violence or running away can speak to whom ever they want.
Here is how "resistance" is broken down. When I say broken down please be clear that I mean this is how the level of resistnace is viewed in each student, NOT how they break students down. Certain rules have differnt consequences. Swearing is going to be differt from throwing a fist obviously. The students gain points for good behavior and are deducted points for negative actions. They can gain more privlagess the more points they have. When students continue to go up in points they are viewed as not in so much resistance as the teens that are not gaining any points. The teens actually give themselves the points, and the staff goes over the grading with students and talk about any disagreements. Because is all honesty (and this is from personal experience. I will stay away from assuming about other things as you have asked.) all the students really need to do is follow the rules. Some staff are jerks. No doubt about it. If you can be open to this thought though listen for a second... while there are staff memebers that can be jerks, there are jerks out there in the world as well. I'm sure there is some one in your workplace that you do not like. You have to learn to deal with them though. Same goes for the students. before I went to one of these schools, I personally would make other peoples lives a living hell if I didn't like them. On a very real basis (and this is opinion) no one deserves to be treated with great disrespect no matter how much you hate them. The harsh reality, it DOES SUCK to be in one of those schools. I have heard plenty of stories about abuse at the school I was at... from students that I was there with... and I witnessed what happens. Example... when a student picks up his school desk up above his head screaming swear words and how he was going to kill someone because they made him mad the staff restrained him. Let me describe for you in detail the restraint that I witnessed so we are 100% clear. There were 2 staff and both of them rushed at him, oen grabing his arms and the other yanking the desk out of his hands. When the desk was out of harms way they both took hold of him and brought him to the floor. I did not witness any unnessisary ruffness here. I think the staff did the best they could with this teen fighting back. The teen in laying flat on his stomach at this time and one staff sits on his legs so he cannot kick. The other one on his lower back (so they can still breath) and holds his arms to the side. They do this until the teen has calmed down (typically when the adrenaline stops rushing though you). They either clear the area around the student of any objects they can get ahold of or they take them to a room away from the other students. They are there until they can deminstrate the ability to act civalized and have not had any outburst for a period of time. I want to let you guys know that every staff memeber goes through a certification process every year called M.A.T.T. training. This is the process of defending themselves and restraint. There is no punching kicking or anything else close to that. I have also be restrained, and while it wasn't the most fun thing in the world, it was not abusive in any way shape or form.
To clear up the brainwashing, I don't think it's done. Course I suppose I could be brainwashed :razz: . But the way I look at it, I could still be dealing drugs and all the lame stuff... or I can be where I am now, with a full time job, living on my own, paying my bills with a beautiful girlfriend and straight A's in college. So if they did brainwash me... GOOD
It is clear that we all do not have the same opinion here.