Tag Archive | restraints
16/04/2023  

940. TSI Owens Cross Roads

This facility will change name. If it will change its way, remains to doubt. Fact is that criticism against the facility include unsafe living conditions, staff abuse and neglect, and improper and excessive use of restraints. A number of students tried to escape the facility over the years making themselves and possible residents at risk.

As of May 2022 it is empty.

Numerous facilities operated by Sequel TSI have been investigated. Because Sequel TSI basically is a business they rebrand as Brighter Path of Alabama, so they can continue their way to conduct business after using some paint and money on new marketing material. Why the authorities fall for this scheme remains a mystery.

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

Sources:

24/07/2022  

902. Asheville Academy for Girls

Asheville Academy for Girls is located on 126 Camp Elliot Rd, Black Mountain, North Carolina. This address used to house Stone Mountain School run back then by Aspen Education Group. The campus was shared with Solstice East.

The target group is younger teenager girls aged below 15 at enrollment.

Some testimonies on Google state what kind of environment the girls are placed in:

If you are reading this, and you are having trouble with your daughter, I just want to let you know that, what your daughter is going through is not forever and while it may be difficult and you are unsure what to do as a parent, the best thing you truly can do is be there for your kid and not expect some program to try and fix your child’s problems. As a young adult woman now.. the problems I faced as a 12-13 year old girl surpassed as I got older and I got through the cruel phases of puberty that all women go through in their lives.

It’s been roughly 5 years since I attended this therapeutic school program. I was sent here in continuation from another treatment center as a way to slowly integrate into a normal school system. This school is set in a beautiful environment, the house where Solstice and AAG was in was very nice and whilst being there, it was going under remodeling so I can only imagine what it is like now.

The biggest problem with this program I can share is, the lack of understanding between the staff and the students. The program was set in a level system where you can earn privileges as you increased in rank. You proceed in your rank by taking accountability, showing respect, leadership, progressing in therapy, and doing assignments, etc. I got to the 3rd highest rank within the program. In this program I felt trapped and I felt very lost. Music was and is my life but for the majority of my time there, my music listening was restricted to 30 minutes per weekend. Staff also put restrictions as to what the students can and cant listen to or read so being my 13 year old self, this only caused me to rebel and look for ways to sneak in my books, and my cds. Music regardless of genre and style or content, is extremely helpful in therapy and I was quite baffled as to how that was considered a privilege? It was the hardest thing about attending AAG. AAG put a new wave of defiance in me with all of the restrictions they put upon the students. No student is one and the same, what one girl may find helpful, maybe different for another. Therapy is personal.

The actual therapy wasn’t very good, I couldn’t relate with my therapist at all and I found that my therapist often rarely worked with me. I would have to send requests but even then, she wouldn’t acknowledge them sometimes. I did Ptsd based therapy but I wasn’t even sure that was the problem, the main problem was that I had no liberty and the only way I could escape or free myself from this institution was look to books and religion. I’d also work with a doctor who would prescribe me medication without my fathers discretion. I can’t even remember all the different kinds of pills they put me on, now today my digestion is messed up from it all, young girls from the ages of 10-14 shouldn’t be taking 60 mgs of prozac or prescribed 20mg of ritalin. Its terrible for their health and any reasonable adult should know that this stuff is not good for developing bodies. I had no say, it was a “doctor knows best” deal, and most typically doctor dont always know best.

I found myself more depressed in AAG than I was before in my everyday life . I was suicidal, I missed my father, and more importantly I felt so disassociated with reality, reality isn’t accountability groups and “I feel statements”, reality is knowing your situation, and learning to make a mistake and take that mistake and learn from it. This school should’ve preached love instead of making these poor girls feel bad about themselves in front of their parents. What those girls wanted was someone to understand them through this confusing and difficult time, and all we truly had was each other. Sisterhood is very real in this place, I am still friends with the girls I met 6 years ago at AAG. They have all grown to be great strong young women.

This isn’t trying to hurt the school, this is just some of the things I experienced while I was here. For some it might be a good fit, but for me, it really was a nightmare.

Madeline McKenzie

*to clarify, this is about my experience with AAG, not solstice* My own PTSD regarding my traumatizing experience at this school years ago, has kept me from doing anything as simple as writing this review, in terms of speaking out. Somehow years later, I’m still so fearful of this place that I am afraid to speak out against it, and tell my story. But they don’t have any control over me anymore, they cannot punish me for writing an honest review.

In my and many other’s opinion, this school manipulates parents. Both in getting them to send their kids here, and getting them to stay. If you say anything negative about the school to your parents, they tell them that you are not “accepting” of the fact that you are here, and they make you stay longer. In the years following my stay here, my parents have recognized the many manipulation tactics they used, and have apologized to me for falling for them. Even if you have toured the school, and have had students tell you they are fine and dandy….. trust me. I was one of the students they paraded around during tours. I felt trapped into assuring parents that this school was safe, and was helping me. I feel guilty about that to this day, but I was emotionally trapped and had no choice (at 14 years old).

I witnessed a number of restraints that didn’t need to happen, people being taken to “the basement” for hours or even DAYS, with nothing to do except sit and get even more upset, as punishment. I witnessed a certain therapist scream at a student who was suffering, and the same therapist made fun of me while I was disassociating.

And while we are talking about staff, there were at least two staff members who worked at the school when i went there who, now that I am older, i believe may have been acting inappropriately towards students. in what exact capacity I’m not sure, but personally I know of one former staff member who would tell me and other students about her sex life in order to get us to do our chores, etc.

We were also forced to read “impact letters” from our parents, which stated explicitly why we were sent there, to a large group of other preteens. We could not skip words, and often had peers reading over your shoulder to make sure you weren’t leaving anything out. What purpose it served to be forced to read your parents words in front of the other girls, aside from shame and humiliation, I have no clue. Aside from my own impact letter, it was so uncomfortable for me to have to listen to other girls’ reading theirs, knowing how traumatizing it was. It was also just terribly awkward.

I have many other stories to tell, and I will one day. If anyone in charge this school is reading this, just know that I understand that some of you are well meaning. i get that. But in my opinion, at least a couple of years ago, you are/were not doing it right. This is not the nurturing environment you advertise it to be.

To use the words you so loved to throw in my face when I was there… me choosing to write this review, and in the future, tell my story, is my version of “advocation” and “authenticity”. I WILL advocate for the bettering of institutions like yours, as well as for the people who have been hurt by them. And I WILL be authentic, and eventually, unafraid, in honestly talking about my time here, in hopes to raise awareness and to help myself heal.

anonymous reviewer

It does not sound like a fun place to be as a teenager.

Sources:

17/10/2021  

862. Wolston Park Hospital

The Wolston Park Hospital located in Queensland housed mentally ill between the 1950’s and 1980’s. Reports in local media mention the children were exposed to repeated rapes, sexual assaults – by both staff and adult patients – torture, chemical restraints, cigarette burns, fear, isolation and degrading humiliation.

Today it is known as The Park Centre for Mental Health – hopefully it is managed in a different way.

It is safe to state that it could not have been fun to be there as a child.

Sources:

26/09/2021  

859. Kikhøj

The group home Kikhøj was located in Holbæk Denmark. In 2019 it closed after the authorities investigated the group home and found violations of rules regarding the use of restraints.

The group home was mentioned in a 2021 TV-documentary on the Danish TV2 called “Nødråb fra børnehjemmet” (Emergency call from the orphanage).

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

Sources:

10/07/2021  

848. Godhavn

Founded in 1893 as a reform school, it was converted into an orphanages in 1923. Up til around the early 1970’s the management used not alone corporal punishment but also beatings to an extend so it was abuse. None of the adults were charged when the facility went through a reform in the early 1970’s in order to avoid a scandal because the state had neglected its oversight and supervision of the facility.

In 2019 prime minister Mette Frederiksen apologized on behalf of the state of Denmark for failed actions to intervene in the past.

The number of children staying at the facility were reduced and the children got their own rooms. For a number of decades everything then sounded fine.

But in 2021 news came that the facility failed to reports incidents where they had restrained the children which is against the laws in Denmark as every case where children are restrained has to be reported to the state authorities in order to evaluate the use of restraints and learn how to prevent them in the future.

It functioned as inspiration for the movie “Der kommer en dag” (The day will come)

It could not be fun to be there as child in the past and not now either as there is a reason for the mandatory reports to be made.

Sources:

22/05/2021  

841. Don Dale Youth Detention Centre

The Don Dale Youth Detention Centre has been hit with a lot of negative press coverage as result of photos leaking from the prison showing children in shackles and forced to have their heads covered by hoods. In year 2000 a boy died there.

Plans have been made to close the detention centre down but it has not been implemented yet. Maybe the authorities believe that the entire matter would be forgotten once other media topics take the front pages over. All the inmates lately seems to be Aboriginal.

Australia have recently introduced legislation to prevent foreign NGO from taking interest in the facility because they demand that social media like Facebook that activists use as communication have to pay too much for quoting articles from Australian newspapers, so this tool can no longer be used to inform people abroad about conditions in Australia.

It cannot be fun to be there as a teenager.

Sources:

30/01/2021  

820. Camp E-Kel-Etu

Camp E-Kel-Etu was a wilderness program operating under the ownership of Eckerd Youth Alternatives. The company was founded by Jack and Ruth Eckerd.
In year 2000 a 12 year old boy died crushed to death by a 270 pound so-called counselor trying to restrain the boy. Legal loop holes cleared the employee of possible charges.
Years later not able to live on with the death of her son, the mother died.
In 2011 the camp closed.
It could not have been fun to be there as a teenager.

02/01/2021  

819. Havregaarden Kostskole

Havregaarden Kostskole was a boarding school used by the social services in Denmark. In 2020 a number of articles revealed conditions at the school which proved unacceptable and as result the authorities decided that the boarding school should closed.

There have been suicide attempts, sexual assaults among students, violence and illegal restraints at the school. The manager even dressed up as convicted submarine murderer Peter Madsen.

It could not have been fun to be at the school as a teenager.

Sources:

Update 2022

A trial started against the manager. Among the news mentioned in relation with the trial was that a student was forced to attend the schools morning assembly in underwear only.

Source:

31/07/2020  

801. Atlantis Leadership Academy

This facility is located in the area of Treasure Beach, Jamaica. The owner has a past as student in one of the WWASP schools and sought to create a modernized version of the school system he became a product of. The feedback from the students confirm his success in doing that.

Former students claim:


I was mentally abused and been told I was worthless and disgusting as a method to change my behavior. I was underfed as a punishment at at times forced to do long strenuous labor for friends of the programs director. I was kicked, punched, and was told I was going to be killed as a knife was put to my throat for not cooperating. every time I tried to contact my parents to ask for help my letter to them was edited and deleted. we were also forced to smile in every picture taken by the programs staff member so it looked as if we were enjoying our time in the program.


We were starved, beaten and kept in seclusion for months at a time. I personally was forced to lay in a room on my stomach alone for 3 months and ate nothing but rice and drank nothing but water… i lost 50lbs while i was there at the program i was 6’ 186 when i got there and when i left i was 6’ 135.

I give WWASPSurvivors permission to use this statement. I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct. Executed on(date: MM/DD/YY):
7/10/19

It cannot be fun to be there as a teenager.

Sources:

09/07/2020  

796. Tippen

Tippen was a group home located near the town of Varde in Denmark. It was run by the local authorities. A report from a government supervision organization revealed unnecessary use of restraints, poor standard of reporting and children who did not attend school when they were supposed to.

The supervision organization were tipped by an anonymous letter claiming that a group of teenagers living in the facility controlled the group home. These allegations are yet to be proved. Also the rumor that people in the local department of social services were aware about the conditions will be either hidden or revealed by the investigation. Not all evidence are expected to be surfaced as it is often the case when the public sector investigate themselves.

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

Sources:

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