Facility profile Mexico

High Impact

Closed Baja California, Mexico

High Impact was a wilderness therapy in Baja California, Mexico, operated by World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS). It operated from 2002 to 2002.

About High Impact

It closed in 2002.source It was founded by Miguel Rodriguez and Dace Goulding.source It was run by WWASP.source It was billing by R&B Billing, owned by Robert Lichfield.source Co-owned by Dace Goulding.source

It was marketed as 28 plus days; teens sometimes kept up to 6 months.source 2,000 laps required to finish; some reported 4,000.source

It was a member of WWASP affiliate.source

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.

2001200220052006201420012014

  1. 2001

    1. Incident

      Investigation

      Mexican authorities raided High Impact in 2001 amid allegations of child abuse, neglect and abhorrent conditions.

      Investigation

      source

    2. IncidentDecember 5, 2001

      Closure order

      On December 5, 2001 Mexican authorities raided the facility, found children dirty and injured with sunburns and blisters, and took the teens into protective...

      Closure order December 5, 2001

      On December 5, 2001 Mexican authorities raided the facility, found children dirty and injured with sunburns and blisters, and took the teens into protective custody; the program closed shortly after.

      source

  2. 2002

    1. Opened

      Opened in Baja California, Mexico

    2. Incident

      Closure order

      The WWASP facility was shut down after investigators reportedly found children held in dog cages in the desert.

      Closure order

      source

    3. Closed

      Closed

  3. 2005

    1. Incident

      Abuse

      The High Impact Mexico operation was shut down when investigators found children held in dog cages in the desert.

      Abuse

      source

  4. 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

  5. 2014

    1. In the newsDecember 1, 2014

      Provo Canyon School Closure

      1 article in US Represented.

      Provo Canyon School Closure December 1, 2014

      This article examines documented instances of systemic abuse, neglect, and human rights violations across various residential treatment programs and youth facilities in the United States and internationally.

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.

Every case in the lawsuit directory

Incidents on record

  1. 2001 Investigation

    Mexican authorities raided High Impact in 2001 amid allegations of child abuse, neglect and abhorrent conditions.source

  2. Abuse

    Two parents told the Rocky Mountain News their children at High Impact were made to lie in underwear for three nights with fire ants and threatened with a cattle prod if they scratched (allegations).source

  3. December 5, 2001 Closure order

    On December 5, 2001 Mexican authorities raided the facility, found children dirty and injured with sunburns and blisters, and took the teens into protective custody; the program closed shortly after.source

  4. 2002 Closure order

    The WWASP facility was shut down after investigators reportedly found children held in dog cages in the desert.source

  5. 2005 Abuse

    The High Impact Mexico operation was shut down when investigators found children held in dog cages in the desert.source

  6. Abuse

    Survivors report teens were confined in dog cages and stress positions in the desert sun, forced to run laps, and starved, losing about 35-65 lbs in around 60 days.source

  7. Restraint

    Survivors report violent restraints as punishment causing spinal injuries, broken jaws and other broken bones, with no medical attention.source

  8. Sexual abuse

    Survivors accuse director Miguel Rodriguez of assault, rape and attempted murder of children at High Impact; one survivor reports he groped her and other girls during night showers.source

News coverage

  • My UP News Mar 18, 2026 Event

    Paris Hilton supports MI bill preventing use of restraints in 'troubled teen' transport

    A Michigan bill aims to prevent the use of restraints during the transportation of minors to residential treatment programs. The bill was supported by Paris Hilton, who shared her own experience of being taken from her home in the middle of the night and restrained. Other survivors also testified about their experiences, including Elizabeth Bennett-Faucett, who described being transported to a facility in Mexico against her will.

  • US Represented Dec 1, 2014 Expose

    An Examination of Systemic Abuse and Oversight Gaps in Residential Treatment Programs

    This article examines documented instances of systemic abuse, neglect, and human rights violations across various residential treatment programs and youth facilities in the United States and internationally. It highlights findings from government investigations and congressional testimony demonstrating a lack of federal oversight, inadequate state regulations, and the persistence of harmful practices within the troubled teen industry.

  • 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.

Videos

Inside Edition's "Tough Schools" - High Impact Watch on YouTube
high impact video (2012-02-04) Watch on YouTube
Tough Schools (2007-01-07) Watch on YouTube
1 of 3

Staff

Notable staff

Connections on the network map

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

Ownership

  • WWASPS

Documents

Documents on file (4)
Woodbury Reports Mentions (2)

Research that mentions this program

The whole research library

From the Unsilenced archive

58 documents about High Impact that Unsilenced collected and Kids Over Profits does not hold a copy of. They open on Unsilenced's Google Drive. Their whole folder: High Impact.

Documents (57)
_filename_conflicts / 1pdwvfc2H89yj0FEbNmJqnQJwOQbokvRj (1)

From SCIAD NET

2 documents about High Impact that Kids Over Profits does not hold a copy of. SCIAD NET keeps them on Google Drive, where they open.

Wiki entries

  • High Impact Tecate, Baja California, Mexico | unknown-2002

Materials and links

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

Other documentation

  • Archived website

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