From Reddit: A truly horrific story of abuse at a religious youth "boot camp"

[backscatter712]

This story comes from a woman who was forced by her parents into a WWASP facility called Cross Creek Manor, where she was drugged, subjected to verbal abuse, physically abused, and pretty much forced to live the Stanford Prison Experiment. Just horrific. Reading this story just fills me with rage, and makes me want to commit acts that I can't describe here without violating DU's rules against advocating violence.

http://www.reddit.com/r/troubledteens/comments/jvcen/my_parents_paid_thousands_of_dollars_for_therapy/

In May of 1993 I was sent to a girls home called Cross Creek Manor (CCM) in southern Utah where I lived for four and a half months. This facility is owned and operated by a notorious umbrella organization called World Wide Association of Specialty Programs (WWASP). While attending I was physically attacked, suffocated, tormented, and put in isolation on a regular basis for three day periods at a time.

I was denied all access to communicate with the outside. Once a staff member (while invading my privacy) told me I wipe the wrong way after using the toilet. In addition, I was put on unprescribed and inappropriate medication that created physical side-effects, essentially I was drugged.

...

I mention my attendance at a Bible college because the youth at Cross Creek Manor (CCM) were meant to feel like they were criminals or that they were somehow mentally disturbed, and I certainly was not; nonetheless, that’s how we were treated during our incarceration. The primary difference between prison and residential centers today is that prisoners are allowed a lawyer and a phone call.

While attending I was deprived of an education, lied to, and my mail was confiscated. I was denied appropriate exercise, sanitary conditions, and emotional/medical attention. I also slept on a floor in the isolation room where I peed to avoid staff monitoring me in the bathroom and making sick remarks.

(the picture is one that came from Tranquility Bay, one of the most notorious youth boot camp hellholes out there.)

[begin_within]

1. God hates religion.

[Fumesucker]

2. And vice versa..

[formercia]

3. They just wanted to make her into a 'True Believer.'

Some people call it 'Brain Washing.'

[backscatter712]

8. See the movie Jesus Camp for an example with a younger set of kids... n/t

[begin_within]

4. I consider that kidnapping. There needs to be a whole new set of laws regarding this stuff.

There should be a set of federal laws called the "Minor's Rights Act" or something. That the minor can be separated from his or her parents or guardians only by express written consent of the MINOR themselves as well as the parent or guardian. And that the consent form must be signed by all partied in front of a lawyer or at least a notary public. And that there must be a 3-day "cooling off" period between the day of the signing and the day the minor leaves the home to go to the facility. And that communication between the minor and their parent/guardian is never censored. And that the parents/guardians may visit the facility and see the minor on ANY DAY they see fit, during visiting hours. And that the facility can never forcibly detain the minor and refuse to let the minor leave the facility provided that parent, guardian or legal representative of them accompanies the minor. And most importantly that these are federal regulations and cannot be overturned at the state level by a state legislature or local jurisdiction. Of course putting all this in place would likely put the "schools" out of business unless they are willing to reform themselves and actually do the job the parents pay them $5,000 a month to do.

[backscatter712]

9. Where's Dexter when we need him? n/t

[Danger Mouse]

11. I agree that this is a case where we need new laws to address this kind of garbage.

[Hydra]

14. The problem is that Minors are the absolute last people to get rights

And considering the problems women, minorities, lbgtqi's, poor people and others have, it's going to be a LONG wait.

[immoderate]

16. Let's outlaw religion!

Fucked up people use religion in a demeaning way. What nicer people do with religion doesn't justify it, though. (I'll have to admit that prohibiting religion, won't make most people nicer.)

--imm

[malaise]

5. Tranquility Bay was amajor scandal in Jamaica

even though it was run by foreigners

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tranquility_Bay

[Ilsa]

6. The state health departments need to be regulating these facilities

or shut them down. They will fight it, of course. We had that battle decades ago in Texas with the Roloff Homes. They abused those children but refused inspection by the state, citing separation of church and state. The homes eventually closed.

I met a young woman who had been sent to The Rebekah Home for Girls. She was living back at home. She did as she was told, but I don't think anyone could see how angry she was underneath her sullen behavior. She looked like she was biding her time until she had enough money to leave her mother.

[backscatter712]

7. In many states, especially Utah, the church boot-camps have no regulation.

The health dept. may technically have jurisdiction, but the prosecutors won't touch them, the courts will always let them off the hook, and if a kid who's had enough of the abuse tries to escape, the cops will do nothing except bring the kid back.

[Ilsa]

12. Their "defense" is that the parents put them there and know what is happening. nt

[backscatter712]

13. Keeps them off the hook, but if that were the case and you followed the logic,

then both the parents and the youth camps would be guilty of felony child abuse.

[Ilsa]

15. And both groups should be prosecuted for felony child abuse. nt

[backscatter712]

17. Absolutely! n/t

[Danger Mouse]

10. Anybody who sends their child to a place like this needs to be put in jail...

...and their children taken away from them.

This is disgusting. I remember hearing about Tranquility Bay a long time ago...a sick and disgusting place. I'm glad it seems the shithole has finally been closed down. There's no lower form of scum than somebody who hurts a kid.

[BlueIris]

18. Sick.

Absolutely just...sick.