Facility profile Samoa

Paradise Cove

Closed Aufaga, Samoa

Paradise Cove was a behavior modification program in Aufaga, Samoa, operated by World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS). It operated from 1994 to 2000.

About Paradise Cove

It was run by WWASP.source

It was located in Main South Road, near Aufaga, Upolu, Samoa.source It cost nearly $30,000 per year.source It was described as a behavior modification program.source 6-level system.source It business office in St. George, Utah.source It had 5 campuses in Samoa: Le Tiara, Sinalele Beach, Faga Beach, Fagatele Beach, Vavau Beach.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.

1994199820002001200319942003

  1. 1994

    1. Opened

      Opened in Aufaga, Samoa

  2. 1998

    1. Incident

      Abuse

      A former resident told 48 Hours he was hog-tied and handcuffed for two and a half days.

      Abuse

      source

    2. Incident

      Investigation

      In 1998 the U.S. State Department found credible allegations of child abuse and neglect at Paradise Cove and advised parents not to send their children there...

      Investigation

      In 1998 the U.S. State Department found credible allegations of child abuse and neglect at Paradise Cove and advised parents not to send their children there, but could not close it.

      source

    3. Incident

      Closure order

      Paradise Cove in Western Samoa, WWASPS-affiliated, was closed by the Samoan government in 1998 after child abuse allegations.

      Closure order

      source

  3. 2000

    1. Incident

      Closure order

      In 2000 Samoan authorities reportedly shut down Paradise Cove after the State Department investigation.

      Closure order

      source

    2. Closed

      Closed

  4. 2001

    1. Incident

      Lawsuit

      A legal complaint filed in 2001 describes punishments called Limbo (weeks of forced manual labor) and Le Tiera (isolation in a barbed-wire jungle compound 14-16 hours a day).

      Lawsuit

      source

  5. 2003

    1. In the newsMay 25, 2003

      Provo Canyon School Closure

      2 articles in The Salt Lake Tribune and US Represented, 2003 to 2014.

      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...

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. 1998 Abuse

    A former resident told 48 Hours he was hog-tied and handcuffed for two and a half days.source

  2. 1998 Investigation

    In 1998 the U.S. State Department found credible allegations of child abuse and neglect at Paradise Cove and advised parents not to send their children there, but could not close it.source

  3. 1998 Closure order

    Paradise Cove in Western Samoa, WWASPS-affiliated, was closed by the Samoan government in 1998 after child abuse allegations.source

  4. 2000 Closure order

    In 2000 Samoan authorities reportedly shut down Paradise Cove after the State Department investigation.source

  5. Incident

    The enrollment agreement allowed staff to use handcuffs, pepper spray and electrical disablers; the clause was reportedly removed after a Dateline NBC investigation.source

  6. 2001 Lawsuit

    A legal complaint filed in 2001 describes punishments called Limbo (weeks of forced manual labor) and Le Tiera (isolation in a barbed-wire jungle compound 14-16 hours a day).source

  7. Abuse

    One survivor reports that boys plotted to kill the smallest, youngest boy believing a death would close the program; he survived.source

  8. Restraint

    Survivors report boys were held in 3 by 3 foot isolation boxes for days and were restrained or hogtied with handcuffs, shackles and duct tape.source

News coverage

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • CBS News Oct 15, 1998 Expose

    An Examination of Behavior Modification Programs for Adolescents

    An investigative report examines behavior modification programs operating in remote locations under the umbrella organization Worldwide Association of Specialty Programs. Former students detailed allegations of physical restraints, confinement, and inadequate medical care, while program directors defended the operations and cited positive outcomes reported by some participants and parents.

Videos

48 Hours Watch on YouTube
Footage of Paradise Cove from 1996 Watch on YouTube
Dateline NBC Watch on YouTube
1 of 3

Staff

Notable staff

Rules and practices

Practices

  • Level system

Treatment methods

  • Large Group Awareness Training seminars

Program philosophy

  • Positive Peer Culture

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 (7)

From the Unsilenced archive

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

Documents (277)

From SCIAD NET

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

Court records (6)
News clippings (2)

Wiki entries

Materials and links

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

Manuals and handbooks

  • Parent manual

Other documentation

  • Archived website

External links

Survivor posts and discussion

Reference and research

3 of these from SCIAD NET.

Archived pages

From SCIAD NET.

Other links

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