The Trouble with Troubled Teen Programs

How the "boot camp" industry tortures and kills kids

Maia Szalavitz from the January 2007 issue

(Page 4 of 4)

Because Anderson was African-American, some activists raised the question of racism. (Most teens killed in these programs have been white, since blacks are less likely to be able to afford the private camps and more likely to be incarcerated instead of diverted to public boot camps.) On April 19, students occupied the governor’s office in an attempt to spur the arrest of the guards responsible for Anderson’s death. Two days later, more than 1,500 people attended a rally at the state Capitol in Tallahassee calling for the state to shut down its boot camps. (Full disclosure: I spoke there about the dangers of the tough love approach.) The event was also aimed at keeping pressure on prosecutors to indict the guards and the nurse who didn’t stop the beating. At the rally, two Florida legislators spoke in favor of legislation that would shut down the boot camps. Tunnell was forced to resign as head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement after he mocked two men invited to speak at the rally, referring to Jesse Jackson as “Jesse James” and to Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (who ultimately did not attend the event) as “Osama bin Laden.”

This series of events has placed an unusual spotlight on tough love, connecting it not with rehabilitation but with death, cronyism, and bigotry. Previous deaths haven’t generated anywhere near as much activism.

To his credit, Jeb Bush recently signed into law a bill that shuts down the state’s youth boot camps. The replacement programs it creates are prohibited from using physical punishment or “harmful psychological intimidation techniques,” including humiliation and attempts to “psychologically break a child’s will.” But the kinder, gentler programs will still be run by the county sheriffs, and the regulations (which are limited to Florida, of course) do not apply to the majority of programs, which are private. Right now, children sent to private tough love programs have fewer rights than convicted prisoners. A parent can send a child to a private program where he can be held incommunicado until he turns 18, without any medical diagnosis or rationale for the treatment and without any oversight or means of appeal.

In both public and private programs, policies on the use of force are far less stringent than they are for adult prisoners or psychiatric patients. At the government-run boot camp where Anderson died, for example, restraint, punches, and kicks were routinely applied to teens to punish them for not completing exercise, for “whimpering,” or for “breathing heavily.” Administrators who reviewed 180 “use of force” reports found inappropriate actions in only eight cases, even though most people would think that beating someone for “breathing heavily” is not acceptable. In a prison or mental hospital, by contrast, force is officially permitted only if the prisoner or patient is an immediate threat to himself or others. Parents who engaged in such practices could be charged with child abuse.

And the parents who send their kids to these camps? For the most part, they are uninformed about the absence of evidence supporting tough love programs and often desperate to save their kids from drugs and delinquency. Until we figure out a better balance between the right of parents to place their kids in whatever programs they choose and the right of kids to be free from inappropriate punishment by agents of their parents or the state, the abuse will continue. The shame of it all is that we know hurting kids doesn’t help them.

Maia Szalavitz (maiasz@gmail.com) is the author of Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids (Riverhead).

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|10.4.09 @ 3:00PM|#

I think parents now consider on how well they can control their troubled teens by learning & training their selves with the tools that are necessary for effective parenting of today's teens. Limits and rules are critical in the development of safety, growth, and fulfillment of individuals or groups. If you are dealing with a troubled or defiant teen you are already familiar with the need for more defined structure. When setting rules for troubled teens you need to create several layers of preventative rules to assist your teen. For example: It probably would not work to have a rule of "Don't Use Drugs" but then allow your teen to associate with drug using friends or hang out at the wrong places. You should set some very clear preventative rules with your teens concerning "WHO" they may associate with, "WHAT" types of activities they are allowed to attend and/or participate, "WHERE" they are allowed to go, and "WHEN" they may go, as well as expected to return.
http://www.helpfortroubledteen.....tions.html , these suggestions might be very helpful for parents of troubled teens.

Pingback| 10.9.09 @ 10:32AM

The Trouble with Troubled Teen Programs - Reason Magazine | Finally! Be free from sm links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

with Troubled Teen Programs - Reason Magazine | Finally! Be free from smoking Finally! Be free from smoking Home The Trouble with Troubled Teen Programs - Reason Magazine January 1, 1970 Jonathan Foulds, MA, MAppSci, PhD wrote an intriguing post today on Here’s a little taster As far back as 1978, however, employees had begun to quit Straight and contact regulators, reporting beatings and other…

Jacob W|10.12.09 @ 1:07PM|#

Anderson's death never should have happened. The biggest problem with these types of programs is the lack of staff training. If the staff think a kid is faking they should treat the kid just as if they were having a serious problem. Most deaths occur within the first few days of being admitted. The first days are very challenging for the teens and the staff. The problems with many of these kids are deeper than the outward signs they are displaying. There needs to be better oversight on these programs and better training dealing with new admissions. There are also reviews available for many of these places online http://fortroubledteens.com

Pingback| 11.1.09 @ 10:26AM

Latest troubled teen programs news – The Trouble with Troubled Teen Programs – Reason links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…a browse and let me know what ya reckon. They’re just from a few different sites I’ve been surfing lately that are generally good for information like this… The Trouble with Troubled Teen Programs – Reason Magazine How the "boot camp" industry tortures and kills kids. Information Regarding Programs for Troubled Teens | Parenting My Teen An explanation of the different types of…

Pingback| 2.9.10 @ 9:15PM

Behind Liz Cheney’s group, a weird legacy of torture | Nunya links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…of torture by teenagers abused in its secretive facilities. The best reporting on Straight’s frightening history in recent years has appeared in Reason, the libertarian magazine, under the byline of Maia Szalavitz. Some of the techniques that eventually brought Sembler’s organization to the attention of law enforcement authorities will be eerily familiar to anyone who remembers what happened at Abu…

Pingback| 2.10.10 @ 1:46PM

Torture becoming more mainstream in US « Later On links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

Pingback| 2.22.10 @ 4:59PM

More on Cheney Terrorism connections « Jibarosoy's Weblog links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

…blog entry. It turns out that Dick Cheney, his daughter Liz, and Bush were both connected to a Mel Sembler, Bush’s Ambassador to Italy. He was also a funder and founder of a series of teenage “boot camp” organizations that used coercive methods to wean those teenagers from drugs. These organizations, such as Straight, Inc. and others, subjected young people to a series of assault s,…

Pingback| 3.10.10 @ 9:57PM

Mel Sembler: Behind Liz Cheney’s Group, a Weird Legacy of Torture | The Alex Constant links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:

|9.5.10 @ 11:37PM|#

They made me LITTERLY INSANE! One of the guys there (SCOTT) held me down in cross position with penis on my ass ... near a picture of God, Oh nd they think that its all a joke! You shouldn't ever send your child here unless you plan on making them go mentally insane. They hold your wrists on both sides everyday all day.. It was just a living nightmare I litterly wanted to kill myself & them!! & Im Christian!!! I just hope this place goes down , they arent helping they are hurting kids mentally & physically I would just like the parents who are having a hard time LOOK into what you plan on spending ALOT of money on BEFORE you do it! You could get ripped off like my mom did, because in the end THEY DIDNT HELP ME , BUT ONLY MADE IT WORSE!! I just thank GOD & my Mom for saving me by sending me somewhere else because when i left that place I DID GET BETTER! Because they ARENT CIVIL TO THE CHILDREN! The main old guy there freaked out on me and was yelling as loud as he could in my ear to make a point to the other children just to be afraid of him. Turns out I happened to have a mental disabilty i got treated at a CIVIL place where they treated people like humans & NOT like another kid that they are going to have to watch all day! Turnabout Stillwater Academy I want one thing for you guys & its NOT to be running anymore!

|9.10.10 @ 4:27PM|#

I think that if parents consider going to enroll their child in a teen program, should consider researching into the program. They should visit the area, and see if it would be a perfect suit for their child. I had enrolled my child in to west ridge academy in utah, I had my child come with me, so I can see how he interacts with the others. It was a great decision for him, he's a lot happier now and days.

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