Fornits

Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora
An open discussion about the troubled parent industry

They want a loophole in the law so they can do with the residents as they want without being held accountable.

After sexual abuse claims, politically connected treatment center seeks immunity
TONY COOK , KRISTINE PHILLIPS Indianapolis Star

A faith-based residential treatment center accused of allowing staff to sexually abuse boys is pushing for legislation that would protect it and similar state contractors from most lawsuits filed by victims and their families.

The legislation would provide immunity to child caring institutions and group homes in connection with the performance of duties under a contract with the Indiana Department of Child Services. Those contractors include Lifeline Youth & Family Services/Lasting Change, a politically connected operator that provides homebased services and runs a residential treatment center in Northern Indiana.

The Fort Wayne nonprofit is a leading promoter of the legislation. It is DCS's largest contractor, raking in nearly $200 million from the state since 2017. Its fundraisers have featured former governor and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.

Pierceton Woods Academy in Fort Wayne faces accusations

One of Lifeline's facilities is Pierceton Woods Academy, a residential treatment center about 30 miles west of Fort Wayne that provides care for sexually maladapted youth.

The academy has been accused of allowing employees to abuse teenage boys, then covering it up. A psychologist hired by the attorneys of one victim said in a report submitted as part of the 2020 lawsuit that at least a dozen staffers were known or suspected to have sexually abused boys at Pierceton Woods.

Curtis Smith, a spokesman for Lifeline, said the nonprofit denies allegations that it failed to protect minors from sexual abuse or that it was aware of and covered up sexual assault allegations.

"We love helping these boys heal and get better," Lifeline CEO Tim Smith told lawmakers during a hearing in March. "It is the only reason we do what we do."

But Travis McConnell, the attorney who filed the lawsuit alleging sexual abuse at Pierceton Woods, said Smith lied to lawmakers about his client's case in an effort to keep the immunity legislation alive.

?If there?s no accountability for their actions, then there?s no incentive to do the right thing," McConnell said. "By giving people immunity, you?re giving people a free pass to do whatever they please.?

The controversial proposal, House Bill 1282, appeared dead earlier this month after a Senate committee failed to advance it, but lawmakers appeared ready to add the liability protections to House Bill 1091 as of Tuesday. If that happens, the full House and Senate could vote on the measure this week.

CEO accused of misleading lawmakers

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last month, Tim Smith said the immunity legislation is needed because of a huge increase in insurance premiums. Without relief, he said, the company already has reduced the number of boys it serves and may not be able to continue providing important rehabilitation services.

Smith testified the annual insurance premium jumped from $30,000 for $3 million coverage to $500,000 for less coverage. He blamed ?one lawsuit in 55 years? even though it was settled for ?nuisance value,? a legal term for an amount less than it would cost to fight a lawsuit. Smith said he could not disclose the settlement amount because it was confidential.

McConnell, the Warsaw attorney who represented the family in that lawsuit, called out Smith on the nuisance settlement claim.

?That statement was not true,? McConnell said. ?So not only does Lasting Change want the taxpayer to cover their negligence, its CEO is willing to lie to the Legislature in order to try and make it happen.?

McConnell said Smith?s statement voided the confidentiality agreement, and he provided IndyStar a photocopy of a $72,000 settlement check from Lifeline?s insurance company.

Curtis Smith, the Lifeline spokesman, said Tim Smith "stands firmly" behind his opinion that the settlement was for "nuisance value," adding that McConnell "appears to misunderstand" the terms of the settlement.

Records detail troubled history at residential treatment center

Court documents and DCS records in the lawsuit detail a troubled facility rife with allegations of the abuse of young boys ? most already abuse victims seeking treatment. The case alleged a 16-year-old boy was groomed and sexually abused by a female worker.

An investigation by DCS found that allegations of child seduction against the employee were substantiated, meaning there?s enough evidence for a ?reasonable person? to believe the boy had been abused. It also revealed the same employee had been investigated two years earlier for similar allegations and allowed to keep her job despite refusing to cooperate with that earlier DCS investigation.

The lawsuit alleged the woman coerced the boy, and other residents, into participating in various sexual acts over several months in 2019. The employee formed a so-called ?circle of trust? with the boys and repeatedly told them they could be open with her, according to a complaint filed in Kosciusko County in October 2020.

The complaint also alleged that multiple supervisors were or should have been aware of the accusations against the employee, but they ?failed to implement policies to prevent sexual assault? and, instead, ?chose to minimize and cover up? such allegations.

Indiana DCS investigates sexual assault accusations

DCS began its investigation in 2019. In interviews with a family case manager, the boy and another resident said the woman had sexual contact with them during movie outings and walks near Pierceton Woods. The employee admitted forming the ?circle of trust? with the residents and taking them on walks and outings, but denied any sexual abuse, according to the case documents.

In 2017, police and DCS looked into similar allegations against the same employee, but neither the woman nor the alleged victim cooperated. Lifeline kept the employee on staff with direct access to male residents, documents say.

Curtis Smith, Lifeline's spokesman, said the nonprofit can't comment on DCS investigations, although he said the nonprofit cooperated with the agency. The employee in question no longer works for Lifeline, he said. He did not say if she was fired or if she resigned.

A psychologist?s report prepared for the lawsuit said Lifeline ?showed deliberate indifference? to the rampant sexual abuse of young boys, interfered with the ability of residents and staff to report to DCS, and ?emboldened sexual predators.?

Staffers who were accused of or committed sexual misconduct were sometimes reassigned or given the opportunity to resign, allowing them to move to other youth organizations, Kristine Chapleau, a licensed clinical psychologist in Indianapolis, wrote in her 21-page report. Chapleau's assessment was based on interviews, DCS reports, mental health records, company policies and court depositions.

?The work environment at Pierceton Woods was highly sexualized. Several female staff talked openly about sex, fought over who was having sex with the male staff, and even bragged about abusing the male youth,? Chapleau wrote, citing an employee who boasted about such abuse. ?Yet, these ?giant red banners? were repeatedly ignored.?

At least a dozen staffers were known or suspected to have sexually abused boys at Pierceton Woods, according to Chapleau?s report. One employee was allowed to resign after sexually abusing a boy under 15 and was never reported to DCS, according to the report. So was another employee who sexually abused a 15-year-old boy inside a supply closet. Another was allegedly impregnated by a resident she helped escape from the academy, the report said.

In 2020, another female employee was investigated by DCS and arrested for child seduction. She pled guilty to two misdemeanors in a deal with the prosecutor.

Curtis Smith said Chapleau was hired by the plaintiff's attorney, McConnell, to pursue money damages in the lawsuit and neither visited Lifeline facilities nor interviewed any employees. He added that Chapleau's report was based on "hand-picked" information and documents.

During the litigation, Lifeline's attorneys expected their own medical experts to "deeply scrutinize" the findings and prepared to "vigorously cross-examine" Chapleau before the plaintiff decided to settle, Curtis Smith said.

Chapleau told IndyStar her report was based on the sworn depositions of eight employees, Lifeline?s policies, and the substantiated DCS investigation.

"Within a month of receiving my report, Lifeline agreed to settle without asking for my deposition," she said. "It?s troubling that, even today, Lifeline would rather 'deeply scrutinize' those who uncover the abuse than their employees who commit the abuse."

'This takes the consequence away'

The lawsuit filed by McConnell was voluntarily dismissed by agreement of the parties in February 2022 after discovery, including multiple depositions that were taken. That dismissal was tied to a then-confidential financial settlement with the family.

The dispute was rekindled last month following a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on HB 1282, which would prohibit negligence claims such as the one McConnell brought against Pierceton Woods.

Under the legislation, immunity would apply to most liability claims, including wrongful death, negligence, malpractice, battery and infliction of emotional distress. There are exclusions for criminal offenses, gross negligence and willful or wanton misconduct, but those cases are rare and much more difficult to prove.

McConnell said he shared information about the settlement in his case after hearing Smith downplay the incident in testimony to the Senate committee. He said Smith's public statement voided the agreement, and he doesn't want to see lawmakers swayed by what he considers misinformation.

Brad Catlin, an attorney who has represented multiple clients in DCS-related lawsuits, said the impact of abuse in youth treatment settings can be particularly devastating for the children involved.

"If they are hurt in places where they are put for care, that?s a terrible thing," he said. "It probably also will seriously make the issues they are dealing with worse."

Lawmakers should ensure contractors are held accountable, he said.

"If some somebody doesn't have a consequence, they're more likely to engage in bad behavior," he said. "And this takes the consequence away."

Feedback from employee

Unethical - Jun 25, 2021 - Youth Care Worker in Pierceton, IN

Pros: Working with the residents on treatment

Cons: Everything else. Unethical, Shady, ZERO treatment actually being done. The residents do not heal in the ways they should and usually relapse right after getting out.

Lacked integrity - Jul 20, 2022 - Youth Treatment Specialist

Pros: Got to know some great kids.

Cons: Got to know some pretty terrible kids. Management cared more about their image as a company than the boys

Article found online

Sexual Assault Lawsuit Filed Against Pierceton Woods
Amanda Bridgman, Staff Writer - Monday, October 26, 2020 6:00 AM

A lawsuit has been filed against Pierceton Woods Academy and employees there after a juvenile reported he?d been a victim of sexual assault while under their supervision.

Pierceton Woods Academy, 27 Pequignot Drive, is a residential placement facility for boys in grades 7 through 12 in need of services. It is a private Christian alternative school with a teacher to student ratio of 1:7, according to privateschoolreview.com. The facility is managed by LifeLine Youth & Family Services Inc. and Lasting Change Inc.

Attorney Travis McConnell filed a civil suit Thursday in Kosciusko Circuit Court on behalf of his client, a man whose minor son was a resident and alleged victim at Pierceton Woods Academy.

The suit is against Lasting Change Inc.; LifeLine Youth & Family Services Inc.; Darby Ellis Perry, an employee there; Brian Perry, an employee; Joe Gough, vice president of residential services; and Mark Terrell, CEO.

According to court papers, the lawsuit alleges Darby engaged in a pattern of conduct over multiple years where she methodically seduced multiple children to engage in sexual acts with her on the grounds of the academy and at local venues during unsupervised outings with the minors. The lawsuit alleges the outings were permitted by LifeLine and Lasting Change, ?in conformity with the institution?s lax policies.?

The suit claims both LifeLine and Lasting Change were negligent and owed a duty to prevent sexual assault against the residents under its charge.

A battery claim is charged against Darby for her alleged behavior between July and December 2019 against the minor plaintiff where she would ?work to change the hearts of the residents by earning trust through promises and counseling; inducing or encouraging residents to use drugs and promising that she would not report said use to supervisors; falsifying drug screen reports for residents; repeatedly telling residents they were in the ?circle of trust?; engaging in dirty talk and encouraging gossip of the same; kissing; full-front hugging; handholding, and allowing and encouraging hands to be placed on buttocks or other areas of her body; fondling of her body, including genitalia, and of other residents; requesting penetration from other residents; performing oral sex on the residents; and engaging in sexual intercourse with residents on their 18th birthday and beyond.?

The suit claims that in 2017, Darby was the suspect of an investigation with law enforcement involving accusations of sexual assault on another resident at the academy. Other staff members there also told of Darby?s inappropriate activities, the suit alleges.

The lawsuit further says that LifeLine and Lasting Change took no preventative actions in response to the 2017 accusations and investigations against Darby but rather promoted her and kept their ?deficient policies in place to protect residents from sexual assault by its employees and agents.?

The lawsuit goes on to say that Lasting Change and LifeLine allowed Darby to take minor residents to areas of the campus that are not recorded or visible to third parties and on unsupervised outings off premises. The company allegedly did not require more than one staff member to go on the off-premise outings as a cost-saving measure, according to the lawsuit.

The suit also alleges all defendants engaged in a conspiracy to ?negligently operate the Pierceton Woods facility in disregard for the well-being of its residents, namely failing to protect them from sexual assault,? even after the situation was investigated by the Indiana Department of Child Services and Pierceton Police Department, who both allegedly determined the offenses have occurred, according to the suit. The suit further claims that Darby continued to have access to the building where residents lived during the investigation.

As far as the claims against Brian Perry, the lawsuit alleges he and Darby were in an intimate relationship since at least 2017 and that he used his position of authority at Pierceton Woods to ?threaten and intimidate residents to prevent them from making complaints or to withdraw them once made,? as well as using discipline or the threat of discipline on residents who made and persisted in their complaints against staff members. The suit alleges Brian was in conspiracy with LifeLine and Lasting Change and the other defendants in the case. That conspiracy claim is represented among all of them for allegedly disregarding and concealing reports of sexual assaults from the appropriate authorities.

McConnell writes that as a direct and proximate result of the situation, his client has suffered damages including bodily injury with a permanent psychological injury, pain and suffering, disability, mental anguish, inconvenience, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, expense of hospitalization, medical and nursing care and treatment, loss of income and loss of ability to lead and enjoy a normal life. Those losses are either permanent or continuing, and his client will suffer the losses in the future, McConnell wrote.

?To date, Pierceton Woods Academy has taken no meaningful action to remedy the policies that permitted these sexual offenses. Nor has Darby Ellis Perry been charged with crimes brought to Kosciusko County Prosecutor Dan Hampton?s attention in early 2020,? McConnell said. ?The victims of Lasting Change and LifeLine deserve justice, just as the citizens of Kosciusko County deserve to see charges filed against individuals who violate Indiana?s child seduction law.??

Pierceton Police Department Chief Tim Sammons told the Times-Union he is aware of the civil lawsuit and that his agency submitted a criminal case pertaining to this case to the Kosciusko County Prosecutor?s Office for review, however, he has not heard of a decision from the prosecutors about moving forward with criminal charges.

In a statement to the Times-Union, Hampton said of the matter: ?Just prior to the pandemic, information about Pierceton Woods was brought to local law enforcement?s attention, which began an investigation that remains ongoing. In every criminal investigation, law enforcement conducts a very thorough examination ? not relying solely on assertions, assumptions or allegations? but rather on factual evidence. Due to this ongoing investigation, I will not confirm or deny any allegations raised in any civil lawsuit.?

Attempts to reach LifeLine and Lasting Change were unsuccessful, and it is unknown if any of the defendants have attorneys representing them in this cause.

They were foundedi in 2020.

First Light Wilderness Therapy (2020-present) Dahlonega, GA (Anti-Troubled Teen Industry Activism & Survivor Support)

Victoria Valentina Zubkis sadly passed away. The circumstances are not clear.

We have been looking into her connection with Sunset Bay Academy and found this piece.

The questions are:

Was her death fauld play?
Had it connection to Sunset Bay Academy?

ROSARITO B.C. EN CENTRO DE REABILITACION V?A DENUNCIA POR ABUSO SEXUAL Y TRATOS INDIGNOS A MENOR

/OF. NO. 0031/PT/13. El Sub Jefe JUAN LUCIANO RODR?GUEZ REYNAGA con los agentes ARTURO AVALOS P?REZ y RA?L JAVIER PAREDES ESQUER tripulantes de la unidad patrulla P-0947, al encontrarse en las instalaciones de la Direcci?n de Seguridad Publica, se presento una persona del sexo masculino, quien dijo llamarse VLADISLAW ZUBKIS de 53 a?os de edad, quien manifest? que tiene internada desde el d?a 01 de Diciembre del a?o pasado a su menor hija de 17 a?os de edad la cual responde al nombre de VICTORIA VALENTINA ZUBKIS, en el centro de Rehabilitaci?n para las adicciones denominado SUNSET BAY ACADEMY, ubicado sobre el camino viejo a Pemex, entre las calles Guadalupe Victoria y Calzada a la Playa de la colonia Lienzo Charro de este Municipio, lugar donde se encontraba el Hotel Villa Serena, la cual le manifest? que hab?a sido abusada sexualmente en dicho lugar, as? como recibir tratos indignos, por lo que solicito a los responsables de dicha instituci?n que se le permitiera sacarla del lugar, ya que el reportante no estaba de acuerdo por lo manifestado de la menor, neg?ndose a entreg?rsela, motivo por el cual se trasladaron al lugar en compa??a del reportante. Ya una vez en el lugar se entrevistaron con el que dijo llamarse SALVADOR ALBERTO MAYORAL GONZ?LEZ de 29 a?os de edad, quien dijo ser encargado nocturno de dicho centro, por lo que se le indico el motivo de dela presencia policiaca, solicitando autorizaci?n para entrevistar a la menor, al igual si exist?a por parte de esa instituci?n alg?n motivo para no ser entregada la de nombre VICTORIA VALENTINA ZUBKIS, a su se?or padre, manifestando con la negativa de que no pod?a ser entregada ya que contaban con un documento firmado por la madre donde les dejaba la custodia de la menor a dicha instituci?n, por lo que se le solicito pasara ente la autoridad competente y asimismo entregara a la menor, neg?ndose rotundamente, no siendo posible asegurarlo ya que se encontraba en el interior del inmueble, siendo en esos momentos que arribo al lugar el administrador del lugar, el de nombre MARTIN ARTURO BERNAL GAPI de 48 a?os de edad, al cual se le informo de los hechos manifestados por la parte reportante, solicit?ndole la pretensi?n del padre de la menor, mismo que accedi? inmediatamente a ser entrega de la menor a su se?or padre elaborando al momento un oficio de salida de interno suscribido por el mismo. Por lo que de estos hechos se le hizo de conocimiento al C. Director de Seguridad P?blica Municipal Lic. FRANCISCO CASTRO TRENTI, quien ordeno se elaborara el informe ante el Ministerio del Fuero Com?n, por tratarse de hechos presuntamente constitutivos de delito.

Sources:

• DENUNCIA POR ABUSO SEXUAL Y TRATOS INDIGNOS A MENOR (Arrasando La Noticia)
• Victoria Valentina Zubkis (Find a Grave)
• The Ocean Beach Connections in the Case of the Exiled Wall Street Fraudster (OB Rag)

When a child dies in your care, it is normal to think about changing name so parents and case-workers do not remember the bad things when they search for treatment for children. That is the case with Sequel TSI who now is named Brighter Path.

Sources:

• Sexually abused 15-year-old died by suicide when Alabama youth facility ignored pleas for help, lawsuit claims (AL.com)
• Lawsuit filed over teen?s death at Tuskegee youth facility (WSFA 12 news)

Sources mention that Farmers Christian Academy Girls Home might run under another name.

Mercy Mountain Academy aka Mercy Mountain Ministries located in Asheboro, North Carolina might be an attempt to hide from bad press so they can continue to detain girls in their religious nightmare of a school.

The address is stated to be: 2610 Cid Road, Lexington, NC 27292

More about the old facility: https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/36140791/posts/987

This are reviews from Yelp waiting to be recommended:

Listen to me when I say this place needs to be SHUT DOWN. The physical labor, abuse, and neglect that takes place there is absolutely inhumane and I'm not sure how it's even legal. The girls are forced to spend countless hours doing extremely hard, manual labor on the ranch in harsh weather conditions. They're punished over the most minuscule things like not smiling enough, talking without permission, being "attention seeking", or forgetful. The punishments are absolutely humiliating and a lot of time they're punished with something physical like doing 600 step ups or running miles up the side of the mountain. One of the worst punishments that goes on there is "the chair". The chair is when the girls are punished with sitting in a corner and staring at a wall the entire day. No slouching, no talking, and only being allowed to use the bathroom when they're told to (a lot of girls pee on themselves and suffer from kidney infections because of this). The chair can go on for as long as a YEAR which is sensory deprivation torture.  That's just the tip of the iceberg. The girls are sleep deprived and malnourished on the ranch. Most of the girls end up losing their period because of the stress that their body is under. The only productive thing that goes on there is all of the unpaid physical labor they do on the ranch to make the owner's life easier. They do NOT care about helping your daughter, they care about your money and all of the free dirty work your daughters will do for them on the ranch so they can sit back and relax. If you see the girls smiling in the pictures, it's because they are terrified of the punishment they will receive if they don't. Most of the girls that leave there suffer from ptsd, extreme anxiety, and depression and also end up falling into drugs and alcohol as a way to cope with the trauma they're left with. A lot of them also end up being behind in school because they're forced to prioritize their work on the ranch more than their education.  "Troubled" teens just need a little love and compassion from their FAMILY and they will become great people. The owners and staff consider themselves to be godly but my opinion is they're the antichrist. Not only is this company preying on young vulnerable girls and turning them into slaves, they're getting paid millions to do it. PLEASE do your research on the troubled teen industry and don't even consider sending your daughter here or any place like this.

So many accounts of child and animal abuse coming from this place.
They put the girls through hell and call it treatment, the abuse is the treatment. If there was any justice they would all be locked up for the rest of their lives.
There is an on going child protection services investigation for abuse, and a lawsuit from 21 young women.
The girls are worked like slaves, fed very little, and only crap food. Most of the girls loose their period due to malnutrition, overwork and incredible stress
They are not give proper gear for the winter cold, frostbite is common.
They don't have any mental healthcare professionals, there is no therapy of any kind. They use "humiliation therapy" or "attack therapy". Beyond disgusting.
There have been incidents of medical neglect, a girl was bucked off a horse into a barb wire fence and cacti, they would NOT allow them to stitch her up or give her anything for pain. She has horrible scars to this day. They lied to her parents so they wouldn't come an get her!
Another girl had her arm purposely broke in sadistic and prolonged restraint. A restraint is when they pile on a girl and hold her down applying great pressure to her pressure points putting her in horrible pain. They usually do this for an hour!

They made the girls go to the bathroom in a bucket, as part of the investigation they agreed to supply porta potties. But they watch the girls, and they watch the girls shower. Why do they do this? In the owner's words she said that they treat girls who are victims of sexual assault, and girls that have experienced sexual assault can have an obsession with their genitalia, and they need to be broken from this obsession.
Does this sound like any place for your girl? Will she really thank you? Will this demented place bring you closer? Look up what the survivors are saying on Tik Tok, Reddit and Fornits.
All the pictures of smiling girls on their web site are fake, there is no indoor yoga gym. They just force the girls to run up and down a hill until they drop
This has to end.

Edit, this is the state investigation for child abuse, they would not let the girls go to the bathroom so they would constantly be forced to pee themselves.
These people are monsters.

Horrible! I was a girl there for almost 5 months before graduating.. I was 17 at the time, now I'm 21 and I still think of this place daily. First of all, the majority of the women here are in their early 20s and very unqualified!! They are definitely not equipped to deal with mental health problems, and punish by giving physical consequences. You are NOT allowed to talk, stare, or even smile at any other girl there. If you get caught doing so without going through staff you will get a hill run,(its NOT a hill) which includes running up a mini mountain with raddle snakes while staff times you... If u dont get up & down in 15 mins you must redo it . Third, you run over a mile a day, up and downhill.... You are given no choice. If you feel sick or are injured they say they don't believe you and force you to run anyway.. Over the course of my nearly 5 month stay, I got a gash in my head that almost needed stitches and broke my tailbone/strained my back because staff forced me to ride on an unruly horse. I was threatened with tacking on months to my stay and being level dropped if I got off, so out of desperation I did what they asked. Sure enough, due to staffs incompetence, the horse steps on sharp wire, bucks up, knocks me off and begins to roll on top of me .... The helmet broke. Just as bad, the woman, instead of calling for help, forced me to walk almost a mile back to the ranch... When we fianally got to the cabins, i was told to go to the bathroom to clean up, where in terrible pain, had to tell the lady there I had just fallen off a horse. Finally, after delaying about an hour, they took me to the emergency room. sure enough, my tailbone was broken..However, I was so brainwashed by the crap that I didn't see just how messed up everything was until I got out. They have something called "Life Review" meaning youve done something "bad", and are forced to sit facing the wall. All day. EVERY day. Thats all you do. You cant be around anyone, you sleep on the floor, cant participate in anything, cant talk to staff, and if u get caught doing something as minor as looking around the room, you get olives and beans to eat. This can last anywhere from a week to MONTHS. I saw girls lose their minds after being on this for months.
Also, they didn't diagnose me with any mental health issues, which turns out I have quite a few, like bipolar disorder anxiety and depression. After getting out, I immediately started cutting, ended up with an eating disorder, and also began to struggle with drug and alcohol abuse, so I've been in and out of rehab. I'm so traumatized by this place. Please, shut it down!!!! It makes teens worse,not better.

My experience at Trinity was torture for me. I was not what you would really consider a troubled teen. Worst grade I had in High school was a C, I did not party, do drugs, or have sex. I did have communication issues with my parents and that is what I was sent to Trinity to address. I felt that the information my parents found on Trinity before sending me was misleading and the issues could have been better addressed in family therapy rather than a residential treatment facility. I was there from May 2008-Aug 2010.

I was sent at the age of 17, after getting drunk for the first time at my oldest brother's wedding. I was there for 26 months. During that time I saw my parents twice. I was not allowed to see my brothers or my grandparents. My grandmother died during my stay and I was not allowed to attend her funeral. Communication with my parents was monitored very closely. If anything I said on a phone call was seen as negative by staff I lost my phone privileges with my parents. I felt forced to say what staff wanted to hear even if it wasn't the truth for fear of losing contact with my parents. If the letters I sent were not considered "positive or uplifting" they were returned to me to rewrite. This was the only contact I had with my parents over the two years.

I have done research since leaving on the behavior modification model, also known as coercive persuasion. I encourage parents to do some research if you are considering residential treatment for your teen. The environment of this center feels very similar to a cult and masks abuse (physical, psychological, and emotional) as "tough love". I have had many other girls confide the same feelings to me since leaving. I was left feeling isolated, sleep deprived, overworked, and desperate to get home. Even after I turned 18 I was told that I was not allowed to leave. I was never informed of my rights. I was terrified to even ask because I did not want to be knocked down levels for being "defiant" or "manipulative". It is a constant state of fear. The "challenges" were assigned to either humiliate or break a certain behavior. I felt that very few of the challenges I endured actually had any positive effect on me.

The program is run on a "need to know" basis. The staff never disclosed how long I was to be there. My parents thought I would only be there for a few weeks. The anxiety behind not knowing the length of stay or even when the next time I could see my parents was unbearable. Any "change" I believe was inspired by the stress and were not effective outside of the ranch. After two years I had only reached level 3 of 6. I can't imagine how long it would have taken me to graduate. My stay cost my parents about $200,000+ dollars. My relationship with my parents after was still a mess. I felt lost and confused when I left, even though the staff claimed I was in a good place. I was 19 which I believe played a major part in me being able to leave. In my opinion, the truth was that nothing about Trinity had prepared me for re-entering the real world. Everything they had "taught" me there I felt was a lie and had no real world value.

I felt like the exorbitant amounts of money spent to keep me here should at least have afforded us things such as clean unused underwear, and clothes.

The Government Accountability Office website has thousands of reports of abuse regarding the troubled teen industry due to the lack of regulations. Trinity claims on their website, "As a Christian based Residential Treatment Center, Trinity Teen Solutions uses individualized treatment plans to help your child be a functioning part of today's world with the least restrictive environment possible." I feel that this is a lie based on my experience. I feel that the ambiguity depicted on their website does not accurately depict the level of restrictions and discomfort that they are exposing teens to. I felt that I had no freedom, no support; only fear, deprivation and isolation. We as humans need to be loved and accepted and will adapt to the environment around us to survive. That is what I did here, I survived, but I am left with the aftermath of the abuse and it will forever be part of my life.

I want you to know that I'm coming from this with 11 years of perspective. I have worked hard outside of Trinity to repair relationships with my family, but Trinity did not help me accomplish that. I believe that any success I have had in life is in spite of it. I am now happily married with 3 beautiful girls. I could never imagine putting them through a place like this. It is my job as their parent to protect them. I still to this day have nightmares that I get sent back (10 years since I left). My parents and I are on great terms now that they have seen me reach my potential as a mother and adult. It took us years to reach this place and to leave the hurt that Trinity caused us in the past.