813. Schuberts Minde

Year 2020 became the year where the management realized that they could not manage to provide a modern treatment approach. For too long they used a punishment styled approach against the children placed at the facility by the social services. It has not been acceptable in Denmark since Godhavn was forced to change its way in 1972 but for some reasons the facility managed to stay under the radar for decades.

In 2019 now grown-up former residents started a campaign to shut it down and with the boost of Paris Hilton’s documentary, even locally where the facility experienced some protection due to the number of jobs they provided realized that it was time to change but in fact it proved impossible to update 50 years of neglect in a short while. So the result became the closure.

It could not have been fun to be there as a teenager.

Sources:

• Behandlingshjemmet Schuberts Minde lukker: Forstander har sagt op – medarbejdere afskediges (Dagbladet Ringkøbing-Skjern – article in Danish language)
• Behandlingshjemmet Schuberts Minde lukker: – Vi er nødt til at handle nu (TV Midtvest – article in Danish language)
• Forstander Jørn Birk Nielsen stopper øjeblikkeligt på Schuberts Minde (Dagbladet Ringkøbing-Skjern – article in Danish language)

812. South Mountain Secure Treatment Unit

The media speaks of a civil lawsuit against South Mountain Secure Treatment Unit involving accusations of violence and intimidation to control underage residents.

It is a prison. The atmosphere and tone can be hard but when judges hand out sentences, they do not order broken bones and bruises as part of the sentence.

The idea with a prison sentence is also to re-integrate the youth into the society at some point and what will the teaching of violence then learn them? That they can use it on the streets if they are the strongest in a group!

It is not supposed to be fun to be there as a teenager but there should also be a limit to how awful it should be.

Sources:

• Stories of abuse, intimidation revealed in investigation of South Mountain Treatment Unit (Public opinion Online)
• Inside the alleged abuse of at-risk youth in Pa. treatment centers (Herald mail Media)
• Pa.’s youth development center staff are mistreating mentally disabled kids, advocacy group claims in federal lawsuit (Penn Lives – Patriot News)

811. Victor Treatment Centers

A number of incidents involving alleged assault resulted in closure of one of the group homes / treatment facilities operated by Victor Treatment Centers. It seems that the facilities were either under-staffed or had not got any training in how to handle situations with teenagers who suffer from various mental issues.

According to their website they deal this target group:

Victor Treatment Centers, Inc. (VTC) exists to provide a healthy, healing living environment for severely emotionally disturbed children and youth who have such great needs that they are temporarily not able to succeed in family situations and/or lower levels of care.

Such a target group requires specially trained employees and if this is not the case, then it is better to close down or it would not be fun to be there as a teenager.

Sources:

• THREE JUVENILES ARRESTED FOR ASSAULTING STAFF AT VICTOR TREATMENT CENTER ONLY THREE DAYS AFTER ANOTHER JUVENILE WAS ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTING HOMICIDE ON A STAFF MEMBER (Redheaded Blackbelt)
• Victor Treatment Centers to close in Redding. Announcement follows fourth assault at one of its facilities (Redding Record Searchlight)

810. Boarding schools in the town of Dehradun, India

The police is now investigating all the boarding schools in the town of Dehradun, India after several incidents shocked the community. A 9-year-old boy was allegedly molested by an adult who should look after the boy due to the Covid-19 lockdown which prevented his parents from getting him.

The incident is one among several reported from Dehradun’s boarding schools in the last few years, including gang-rape of a class-10 girl by fellow students and the murder of a 7-year-old class-3 student by his seniors.

It seems that staying at boarding schools in this town cannot be fun as a child.

Sources:

• 9-yr-old boy stranded in boarding school alleges sexual abuse by Warden (Times of India)
• Dehradun boarding schools to be probed after sexual assault on a 9-year-old boy in hostel (Hindustan Times)
• Dehradun boarding school 2018 rape case: Main culprit jailed for 20 years, school director for 9 years (New India Express)
• School buries body of 12-year-old boy to hide brutal murder by senior students (Meaww)

809. The Westover School

The Westover School used to be known as a place where rich foreigners sent their children for a good a solid education. Also girls from rich American families have attended the school.

However the fine reputation seems to come with a price. A girl was the center of too much attention of a male instructor and while this relationship was known by many at the school, none seemed to intervene.

The instructor was later fired and arrested in relationship with another case.

It could not have been fun to be there as a student while the instructor preyed at the young girls.

Sources:

• Elite, all-girls Connecticut boarding school sued by former student over sexual abuse (The New York Post)
• Correction: Prep School Abuse story (WTOP news)