Facility profile Mexico

Casa by the Sea

Later called Come Back Youth Services

Closed Baja California, Mexico

Casa by the Sea was a residential treatment center in Baja California, Mexico, operated by World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS). It operated from 1998 to 2004.

About Casa by the Sea

It was founded by Dace Goulding.source

It was located in US office at 1786 N Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024.source It cost about $2,200 per month plus intake fees.source

Survivor testimony

What people who lived or worked here say happened. Survivors' own words are published with their permission; forum accounts are what was posted publicly and are reported as claims, not findings.

Reported on survivor forums

Timeline

From the records: who ran it and the deals that moved it, its names, and the deaths, incidents, inspection findings, lawsuits and news stories on file. Point at an event, or tap "More about this", for the details.

199819992002200320042006201119982011

  1. 1998

    1. Opened

      Opened in Baja California, Mexico

  2. 1999

    1. Incident

      Abuse

      A former resident said that at Casa by the Sea, a WWASP program in Ensenada, Mexico (1999), room restriction meant lying face down with chin on tile for 4 to...

      Abuse

      A former resident said that at Casa by the Sea, a WWASP program in Ensenada, Mexico (1999), room restriction meant lying face down with chin on tile for 4 to 12 hours and that he was pulled off a top bunk on his first day; the program has since closed.

      source

  3. 2002

    1. Incident

      Closure order

      Reported as one of five WWASP facilities shut down in four years for child abuse and neglect.

      Closure order

      source

  4. 2003

    1. In the newsMay 25, 2003

      Provo Canyon School Closure

      1 article in The Salt Lake Tribune.

      Provo Canyon School Closure May 25, 2003

      Following the arrest of director Narvin Lichfield and an exodus of students prompted by Costa Rican officials, the Academy at Dundee Ranch faced closure. The facility was part of the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools network, which faced various allegations including false imprisonment...

  5. 2004

    1. Incident

      Investigation

      The US Consulate in Tijuana reported the closure concerns included unlicensed staff, reports of abusive practices, expired medications and unauthorized pharmacy use.

      Investigation

      source

    2. IncidentSeptember 10, 2004

      Closure order

      On September 10, 2004 Mexican authorities raided Casa by the Sea after a joint Mexican Federal Police and FBI investigation.

      Closure order September 10, 2004

      source

    3. Closed

      Closed

    4. ClosedSeptember 10, 2004

      World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS): Mexico closed Casa by the Sea and two other Baja schools

      World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS): Mexico closed Casa by the Sea and two other Baja schools September 10, 2004

      Mexican authorities raided and ordered closed three Ensenada-area schools for American teens in September 2004, citing immigration violations and reports of abuse: Casa by the Sea (about 530 students), Casa la Esperanza and Genesis by the Sea. WWASPS president Ken Kay said the association counted the schools among its members. The LA Times noted earlier closures in Mexico and the Czech Republic and the Costa Rica raid.

      source 1, source 2

  6. 2006

    1. Settlement

      World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS): Sued by former students in Utah federal court; case grew to 350-plus plaintiffs

      World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS): Sued by former students in Utah federal court; case grew to 350-plus plaintiffs

      A lawsuit brought in 2006, first on behalf of a Texas man, against WWASPS and principals Robert B. Lichfield and Brent M. Facer had more than 350 plaintiffs by 2011, mostly former students alleging abuse and their parents. Reason reported 133 plaintiffs in June 2007. A separate suit filed in June 2011 in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City concerned Casa by the Sea and High Impact, which that complaint said Mexico shut in 2002.

      source 1, source 2

  7. 2011

    1. IncidentMay 2011

      Lawsuit

      In May 2011 a former student of Casa by the Sea and High Impact sued WWASP alleging constant abuse, naming Robert B.

      Lawsuit May 2011

      In May 2011 a former student of Casa by the Sea and High Impact sued WWASP alleging constant abuse, naming Robert B. Litchfield and Brent M. Facer as defendants and seeking at least $500,000; the outcome is unclear.

      source

    2. IncidentJune 2011

      Lawsuit

      In June 2011 a former student filed a federal suit against WWASP and its owners, alleging he was a virtual prisoner for nearly two years at the school.

      Lawsuit June 2011

      source

As Casa by the Sea

1998 to 2004 | WWASPS

Lawsuits

  • Wood, et al. v. World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools, Inc., et al. Unknown | Fifth Judicial District Court, Washington County, Utah | 120500380 Names this facility

    William Chase Wood and several hundred other former students and their parents sued the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS), founder Robert Lichfield, his business partners and dozens of affiliated programs, marketing and billing companies in Utah's Fifth Judicial District Court in Washington County. The document on file is the plaintiffs' 228-page first amended complaint, submitted July 24, 2013, which refers to claim sheets filed in the case on December 17, 2012 in opposition to a WWASPS motion to dismiss. It alleges that students placed at WWASPS programs in Utah, other states, Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Samoa and the Czech Republic from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s were beaten, restrained, locked in isolation and small boxes or cages, denied food and medical care, sexually abused and forced to work without pay. It alleges the programs operated as a single enterprise that deceived parents and concealed the abuse, and brings negligence, fraud, contract, conspiracy and emotional distress claims. The document does not show how the case ended.

Incidents on record

  1. 1999 Abuse

    A former resident said that at Casa by the Sea, a WWASP program in Ensenada, Mexico (1999), room restriction meant lying face down with chin on tile for 4 to 12 hours and that he was pulled off a top bunk on his first day; the program has since closed.source

  2. 2002 Closure order

    Reported as one of five WWASP facilities shut down in four years for child abuse and neglect.source

  3. 2004 Investigation

    The US Consulate in Tijuana reported the closure concerns included unlicensed staff, reports of abusive practices, expired medications and unauthorized pharmacy use.source

  4. September 10, 2004 Closure order

    On September 10, 2004 Mexican authorities raided Casa by the Sea after a joint Mexican Federal Police and FBI investigation.source

  5. May 2011 Lawsuit

    In May 2011 a former student of Casa by the Sea and High Impact sued WWASP alleging constant abuse, naming Robert B. Litchfield and Brent M. Facer as defendants and seeking at least $500,000; the outcome is unclear.source

  6. June 2011 Lawsuit

    In June 2011 a former student filed a federal suit against WWASP and its owners, alleging he was a virtual prisoner for nearly two years at the school.source

  7. Abuse

    Former detainees and parents complained of lack of therapy, overcrowding, children sleeping in hallways, and a lock-down facility with low-paid, uneducated staff.source

News coverage

  • The Spokesman-Review Jun 3, 2011 Lawsuit

    Former Participant Files Lawsuit Against Operator of International Adolescent Programs Alleging Abuse

    A 24-year-old survivor filed a federal lawsuit against the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools, alleging physical and emotional abuse during his enrollment in the organization's programs in Mexico starting at age 13. The lawsuit seeks damages for alleged mistreatment, including physical restraint and deprivation, while representatives for the defunct organization denied knowledge of the allegations.

  • Reason Jun 27, 2007 Expose

    Mitt Romney's Campaign Connections to Abusive Adolescent Treatment Programs

    The article examines the connections between presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign fundraisers and residential treatment programs facing widespread allegations of abuse. Founders Robert Lichfield of the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) and Mel Sembler of Straight Inc. faced numerous lawsuits and investigations regarding allegations of physical restraint, food and sleep deprivation, and psychological abuse.

  • WUWF / NPR Jan 2, 2005 Closure

    Mexico Shutters U.S.-Run Rehab Centers for Teens

    Mexican authorities closed and sealed the U.S.-run Casa by the Sea youth rehabilitation facility near Ensenada, Mexico. The facility, which previously housed up to 500 teenagers, was shut down by regulatory action.

  • The Salt Lake Tribune May 25, 2003 Corporate

    Overview of World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools Amid Costa Rica Facility Closure archived copy

    Following the arrest of director Narvin Lichfield and an exodus of students prompted by Costa Rican officials, the Academy at Dundee Ranch faced closure. The facility was part of the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools network, which faced various allegations including false imprisonment, misrepresentation, and physical restraint.

Staff

Notable staff

As Come Back Youth Services

from 2004

Nothing on record is dated to these years yet.

Videos

I BROKE INTO Casa By The Sea !! Breaking Code Silence - The truth behind Torture Bootcamps for Teens Watch on YouTube
SURVIVING CASA BY THE SEA: rehab boarding school that abuses kids Watch on YouTube
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Connections on the network map

The companies, people and programs our research map ties to this program. Open it on the network map.

Names

  • Come Back Youth Services Later known as

Ownership

  • WWASPS

Documents

Documents on file (3)

Research that mentions this program

The whole research library

From the Unsilenced archive

263 documents about Casa by the Sea that Unsilenced collected and Kids Over Profits does not hold a copy of. They open on Unsilenced's Google Drive. Their whole folder: Casa By The Sea.

Documents (261)
Pictures (1)
_filename_conflicts / 1pdwvfc2H89yj0FEbNmJqnQJwOQbokvRj (1)

From SCIAD NET

5 documents about Casa by the Sea that Kids Over Profits does not hold a copy of. SCIAD NET keeps them on Google Drive, where they open.

Court records (2)
News clippings (3)

Wiki entries

Materials and links

Materials the project holds for this facility. Ask through the correction form to see any of them.

News and media

  • News articles

Manuals and handbooks

  • Parent manual

Other documentation

  • Archived website

External links

A program's own website is linked as an archived snapshot, so the page reads as it did when it was captured.

Survivor posts and discussion

Reference and research

From SCIAD NET.

Other links

Record updated . Generated from the Kids Over Profits facility database. Suggest a correction