Boston Globe Editorial Board •
Boston Globe •
Sep 11, 2023
Physical Restraint
Disability RightsOversightLegislationMassachusettsJudge Rotenberg Educational CenterDepartment of Developmental ServicesMassachusetts Department of Developmental Services
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld the legality of electric skin shock therapy at the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, noting that the practice remains subject to annual probate court review. The decision emphasizes the state department's responsibility to use those hearings for substantive oversight and to consider less intrusive treatment options.
Facilities:Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, Department of Developmental Services, Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services
Key Figures:Justice Scott Kafker, Attorney General Andrea Campbell
Paighten Harkins •
The Salt Lake Tribune •
Jul 21, 2023
Child DeathSuicideMedical Neglect
Group HomeDeathSuicideLicensingOversightStaff MisconductUtahDaniels AcademyAspiro Education, LLCHidden Hollow Care CenterDiamond Ranch AcademyNine’s Foster Agency
Utah health officials issued an emergency licensing order against a Heber City youth residential treatment facility following a resident's death by suicide. Regulators stated that facility staff were aware of the resident's suicidal ideation in the weeks prior to the incident, and previous inspections had documented rule violations regarding staff interference with state investigations.
Facilities:Daniels Academy, Aspiro Education, LLC, Hidden Hollow Care Center, Diamond Ranch Academy, Nine’s Foster Agency
Staff MisconductArrestGroup HomeArizonaCanyon State Academy
An employee at Canyon State Academy was arrested at the school on suspicion of assault, disorderly conduct, and criminal damage following an incident at a local business. According to police and arrest records, the employee became involved in a dispute with a manager over an order and damaged the manager's cellphone.
Physical RestraintGraphic Descriptions of Assaults or Injuries
Group HomeChild Protective ServicesStaff MisconductSafety ViolationsArrestArizonaCanyon State AcademyDesert Lily AcademyRite of Passage
Police records and Department of Child Safety documentation from Canyon State Academy in Arizona detail multiple incidents of staff members physically assaulting students during restraints and altercations. Several staff members faced criminal charges, including aggravated assault, while state agencies and law enforcement reviewed institutional oversight and training protocols.
Facilities:Canyon State Academy, Desert Lily Academy, Rite of Passage
Key Figures:Robert Stapleton, Brian Heath, Anton Clark, Edwin Peña Lopez, Phillip Miller, Timothy Gloston, Larry Dailey, James Parks, Sarah Shanno
DeathSafety ViolationsStaff MisconductLakeside AcademySequel Youth and Family ServicesWolverine Human ServicesRed Rock Canyon SchoolPomegranate Health ServicesStarr
The article reports that a teen named Cornelius Frederick died after being restrained in a facility. The report indicates that warning signs were missed and that the restraint may have contributed to the fatal outcome. The case highlights concerns about safety protocols in residential treatment settings.
Facilities:Lakeside Academy, Sequel Youth and Family Services, Wolverine Human Services, Red Rock Canyon School, Pomegranate Health Services, Starr
Key Figures:Joanna Neborsky, Michael Mosley, Zachary Solis, Heather McLogan, David Boysen, Sara Gelser, Spencer Richardson-Moore, JooYeun Chang, Donald Sappanos, Anastase Markou, Kiana Carolyn Garrity, Will White, Elizabeth Carey
ClosureGroup HomeIowaClarinda AcademyClarinda School District
The Clarinda School Board renewed an agreement with the state of Iowa to continue using the facilities of the former Clarinda Academy, which closed in 2021. The district utilizes the gymnasium, athletic fields, and parking areas for school sports and community youth programs.
Facilities:Clarinda Academy, Clarinda School District
Staff MisconductSexual MisconductTrialArrestUtahFalcon Ridge RanchToquerville Treatment Center
A former staff member at a youth treatment center in Toquerville, Utah, was sentenced in 5th District Court on multiple felony charges, including forcible sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of a minor. The defendant pleaded guilty to several charges under a plea agreement that dismissed an initial first-degree felony rape charge.
Facilities:Falcon Ridge Ranch, Toquerville treatment center
Key Figures:Paul Anthony Nichols, Nathan Reeve, Eric Gentry, Tyler Bonzo, Jay Winward
Paul Anthony Nichols, a former counselor at Falcon Ridge Ranch-Lava Heights Academy in Toquerville, Utah, was sentenced on May 16, 2023, for seven second‑degree felony charges related to sexual abuse of two teenage girls. The victims, who were residents of the treatment center, reported inappropriate touching and sexual assault that occurred over several days. The judge imposed a concurrent prison sentence of 1 to 15 years for each count, emphasizing the need for the defendant to be supervised after release.
Facilities:Falcon Ridge Ranch, Falcon Ridge Ranch-Lava Heights Academy
Disability RightsSurvivor StoriesLegislationOversightMassachusettsJudge Rotenberg Educational Center
The article discusses the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s consideration of lifting a consent decree that permits the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center to administer electric skin shocks to patients with developmental disabilities. It presents arguments from disability rights groups and the center’s supporters, noting that the center treats a small number of patients and that alternative, less intrusive treatments are available. The piece highlights the legal and ethical debate surrounding the use of aversive therapy.
Facilities:Judge Rotenberg Educational Center
Key Figures:Justice David Lowy, Justice Scott Kafker, Attorney Max Stern, Attorney Michael Flammia
Staff MisconductDeathRiotArrestLicensingOversightUtahProvo Canyon SchoolDiamond Ranch Academy
Police records show multiple emergency responses to the Provo Canyon School in Springville between February and April 2023, including a March incident where a staff member was assaulted and subsequently died following surgery. Additional police calls involved drug contraband, runaways, a reported sexual assault, and a physical disturbance involving multiple residents.
Facilities:Provo Canyon School, Diamond Ranch Academy
Key Figures:Dennis Torrens, Tim Marshall, Warren Foster, Nicholas Thomas, Charla Haley
LegislationDisability RightsOversightNew YorkJudge Rotenberg Educational CenterJudge Rotenberg Center
Proposed New York state legislation aims to prohibit government agencies from funding or sending individuals with disabilities to out-of-state facilities that utilize adverse conditioning techniques, such as electric shocks, which were banned within New York in 2004. The bill, designated as Andre's Law, is named after a former student who experienced severe corporal punishment at the Judge Rotenberg Center in Massachusetts. Advocates state that New York municipal agencies continue to allocate millions in public funds to the institution, while state officials debate whether those funds support the prohibited practices.
Facilities:Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, Judge Rotenberg Center
DeathSafety ViolationsStaff MisconductOversightLicensingWisconsinLakeside AcademyMichigan Department of Health and Human Services
The Wisconsin Department of Health and Human Services announced policy changes after the death of a teenager at Lakeside Academy. The changes aim to improve oversight and safety protocols for residential treatment facilities. The article reports on the state's response and planned reforms.
Facilities:Lakeside Academy, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Foster CareGroup HomeStaff MisconductDeathSafety ViolationsMichiganLakeside AcademySequel Youth and Family ServicesVivant Behavioral Healthcare
Cornelius Fredericks, a 16‑year‑old foster youth, died after being restrained by staff at Lakeside Academy in Michigan. Two former staff members pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter, while a nurse was charged with child abuse for failing to provide care. The case highlights concerns about safety practices in for‑profit group care facilities.
Facilities:Lakeside Academy, Sequel Youth and Family Services, Vivant Behavioral Healthcare
Key Figures:Zachary Solis, Michael Mosely, Heather McLogan
Bhad Bhabie, a 13‑year‑old at the Turn‑About Ranch therapeutic boarding school in Escalante, Utah, reported sleeping in a sleeping bag on a hard wooden plank inside a teepee. She also noted that a staff member, Jimmy Woolsey, was killed by a teen while she was there. The Utah Senate later passed SB127 to increase oversight of such schools.
Survivor StoriesLegislationGroup HomeOversightProvo Canyon School
Paris Hilton recounts her time at a residential program in Provo Canyon, describing it as abusive and restrictive. She advocates for legislative reforms to increase oversight of similar facilities and highlights ongoing efforts to support other survivors.
Sexual MisconductHumiliating PunishmentsChemical RestraintChild Sexual Abuse
Staff MisconductSexual MisconductSurvivor StoriesCelebrityProvo Canyon School
Paris Hilton recounts her 11‑month stay at Provo Canyon School, describing forced medical examinations, threats of sedation, and being required to sit nude in an observation room. She characterizes these practices as part of broader harms associated with the troubled‑teen industry.
SeclusionHumiliating PunishmentsInvoluntary TransportChild Sexual AbuseMedical Neglect
Survivor StoriesLegislationKidnappingStaff MisconductSexual MisconductProvo Canyon School
Paris Hilton discusses her memoir, disclosing experiences of being removed from her home by transport agents and subjected to physical restraint, isolation, and abuse while placed in youth residential facilities in Utah and across the United States. She also addresses her subsequent advocacy work supporting legislative reforms and investigations into the troubled teen industry.
Survivor StoriesCelebrityDocumentaryCaliforniaProvo Canyon SchoolCEDU Educational Services, Inc.
In her memoir, public figure Paris Hilton discusses the impacts of her placement in residential behavioral programs, attributing past behavioral difficulties and trauma responses to her experiences within the CEDU system and Provo Canyon School. She also notes her ongoing advocacy work regarding institutional residential facilities through her production of the documentary Trapped in Treatment.
Facilities:Provo Canyon School, CEDU Educational Services, Inc.
Child Sexual AbuseSlursRacismHomophobiaSubstance Abuse
Survivor StoriesCelebrityUtahProvo Canyon School
In her memoir, public figure Paris Hilton discusses past instances of using discriminatory language, attributing the behavior in part to post-traumatic stress resulting from institutional placement at Provo Canyon School during her youth. Hilton states that the abuse and violation she experienced at the facility contributed to enduring psychological impacts, while emphasizing that her past language choices are not excusable.
Physical RestraintChemical RestraintSeclusionHumiliating PunishmentsChild Sexual AbuseRacismHomophobiaSlursSubstance Abuse
CelebritySurvivor StoriesSexual MisconductLegislationSafety ViolationsProvo Canyon School
Paris Hilton stated that her time at Provo Canyon School resulted in significant psychological harm and that she experienced physical, sexual, and emotional abuse while there. She attributed her past racist and homophobic remarks to the trauma she endured and is now advocating for legislative reforms to protect children in similar facilities.
Survivor StoriesCelebrityLegislationProvo Canyon School
Paris Hilton discussed her new memoir, which includes detailed accounts of alleged abuse she experienced while attending Provo Canyon School in Utah. She noted that reading the memoir was emotional for her parents and expressed pride in bringing attention to the troubled‑teen industry.
Physical RestraintChemical RestraintSeclusionHumiliating PunishmentsChild Sexual AbuseMedical NeglectSuicideSelf-harm
Survivor StoriesLegislationOversightStaff MisconductSexual MisconductDocumentaryCelebrityUtahProvo Canyon SchoolCEDUAscentThe Cascade SchoolUniversal Health Services
In her memoir 'Paris,' celebrity advocate Paris Hilton details allegations of physical restraint, chemical restraint, seclusion, and medical misconduct during her time as a resident at Provo Canyon School and other treatment facilities. The publication of the book coincides with her ongoing advocacy for increased industry regulations, transparency, and oversight within the troubled teen industry.
Facilities:Provo Canyon School, CEDU, Ascent, The Cascade School, Universal Health Services
The article reviews Paris Hilton's memoir, which recounts her experiences at the Provo Canyon boarding school and CEDU program, including allegations of sexual abuse and other mistreatment. It notes her later public disclosures and the broader cultural context of her brand, while also referencing related media such as the documentary "This Is Paris."
Anthony Sylvester and Katie Sergent •
WWMT •
Mar 16, 2023
Physical RestraintChild Death
Staff MisconductSafety ViolationsDeathTrialMichiganLakeside Academy
Two former staff members at Lakeside Academy pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter in the death of 16‑year‑old Cornelius Fredericks, who died after a prolonged restraint by the staff. The plea follows a criminal investigation that found the restraint violated ordinary care and resulted in the teen’s death. The case is scheduled for sentencing in December.
Survivor StoriesDocumentaryCelebrityLegislationPrivate SchoolsProvo Canyon School11:11 MediaPeacockDey Street Books
Paris Hilton discusses her memoir, which recounts her experiences at Provo Canyon School, a residential treatment program for girls, describing abuse she says she endured there. She also addresses her podcast, advocacy for legislative change, and recent personal milestones as a mother and entrepreneur.
Facilities:Provo Canyon School, 11:11 Media, Peacock, Dey Street Books
Survivor StoriesDocumentaryCelebrityCaliforniaProvo Canyon School
Paris Hilton's memoir discusses her experiences being sent to several youth residential facilities by her parents during her adolescence. In the book, she details instances of physical and psychological abuse, as well as sexual misconduct by staff during her time in the troubled teen industry.
Child Sexual AbuseHumiliating PunishmentsSubstance AbuseLaw Enforcement Abuse
Survivor StoriesLegislationStaff MisconductSexual MisconductCelebrityUtahProvo Canyon School
In her memoir, Paris Hilton details her experiences as a youth resident at Provo Canyon School, alleging physical, sexual, and psychological abuse by staff members. She later testified about these experiences before the Utah Senate in 2021 to advocate for legislative reform in residential youth care facilities.
In her memoir, celebrity Paris Hilton details allegations of physical restraint, isolation, and sexual misconduct while placed at Provo Canyon School in Utah during the 1990s. The article also outlines her subsequent advocacy efforts leading to legislative reforms in Utah regulating youth treatment facilities.
Child Sexual AbuseSexual MisconductSubstance Abuse
CelebritySurvivor StoriesStaff MisconductSexual MisconductPrivate SchoolsCaliforniaProvo Canyon SchoolSt Paul the Apostle School
Paris Hilton recounts alleged abuse by a teacher and staff at private schools, describing grooming, sexual misconduct, and drug spiking. The memoir presents her as a survivor of predatory men and institutional abuse. The account highlights the impact of these experiences on her life and public image.
Facilities:Provo Canyon School, St Paul The Apostle School
Sixteen former students who filed lawsuits against the operators of the now-closed Agape Boarding School have reached settlements for undisclosed amounts. The plaintiffs had accused the facility of negligence, emotional distress, battery, and physical and sexual abuse by staff and peers. The school, which was one of several unlicenced Christian boarding schools in Cedar County, closed in January 2023.
Facilities:Agape Baptist Academy, Agape Boarding School, Agape Baptist Church
Survivor StoriesTransportCelebrityUtahProvo Canyon School
Paris Hilton discusses her upcoming memoir detailing her experiences as a teenager at Provo Canyon School. In promotional interviews, she describes facing institutional conditions she characterizes as abusive and expresses an intent to raise awareness about systemic issues within the troubled teen industry.
Paris Hilton disclosed in her memoir that she was sent to therapeutic boarding schools operated by CEDU, including Provo Canyon School in Utah. She alleges that staff drugged her, subjected her to sexual misconduct, and used physical restraints such as handcuffs during nighttime incidents.
SeclusionUnsanitary ConditionsChemical RestraintChild Sexual Abuse
Survivor StoriesPrivate SchoolsCelebrityUtahProvo Canyon School
Paris Hilton discussed her decision to use a surrogate for the birth of her son, explaining that trauma experienced during her time at Provo Canyon School contributed to her fear of medical environments and childbirth. She detailed past allegations regarding her placement in seclusion and forced medical procedures while enrolled at the facility.
Child Sexual AbuseSexual MisconductSubstance AbuseMedical Neglect
CelebritySexual MisconductSurvivor StoriesPrivate SchoolsAbortionProvo Canyon School
Paris Hilton disclosed that she had an abortion in her early twenties and described multiple instances of sexual assault, including being drugged and raped as a teenager. She also recounted trauma experienced at Provo Canyon School in Utah, where she reported non‑consensual medical procedures and other mistreatment.
Child Sexual AbuseHumiliating PunishmentsMedical NeglectRacismHomophobia
CelebritySurvivor StoriesSexual MisconductPrivate SchoolsTransportCaliforniaProvo Canyon School
Paris Hilton disclosed that, at age 15, a teacher she was dating took her on a high‑speed car ride after her parents intervened. She also described alleged physical and sexual abuse, including non‑consensual nighttime gynecological examinations, while attending Provo Canyon School, a therapeutic boarding program for adolescents. Hilton linked these experiences to ongoing trauma and mental‑health challenges.
Private SchoolsSurvivor StoriesDocumentaryCelebrityUtahProvo Canyon School
Paris Hilton discussed how physical and mental abuse experienced during her time as an adolescent at Provo Canyon School contributed to subsequent trauma and medical anxieties. She previously detailed these experiences in her 2020 documentary, noting the lasting impact of institutional placement on her adult life.
Child Sexual AbuseChemical RestraintSubstance Abuse
Sexual MisconductSurvivor StoriesCelebrityPrivate SchoolsCaliforniaProvo Canyon School
Paris Hilton disclosed in a 2023 interview that at age 15 she was drugged with a substance she believes was Rohypnol and subsequently sexually assaulted by an older man. She also described non‑medical examinations conducted by staff at Provo Canyon School, a Utah boarding school she attended later. The account was presented in the context of her memoir and a Glamour UK interview.
Emily St. Martin •
Los Angeles Times •
Feb 24, 2023
Child Sexual AbuseSubstance Abuse
Survivor StoriesCelebrityDocumentaryStaff MisconductSexual MisconductCaliforniaProvo Canyon School
Paris Hilton detailed accounts of sexual assault, manipulation by an educator, and harassment during her youth and early career in a published interview. The disclosures include an incident involving a spiked beverage at age fifteen, a boundary violation by a high school teacher, and an encounter with Harvey Weinstein.
CelebrityPrivate SchoolsSexual MisconductSurvivor StoriesProvo Canyon School
Paris Hilton disclosed that her decision to use a surrogate for her newborn was influenced by trauma stemming from alleged sexual abuse she experienced as a teenager at Provo Canyon School in Utah. She described fear of medical settings and childbirth, noting that the abuse contributed to her choice to avoid pregnancy and delivery herself.
Survivor StoriesLegislationCelebrityProvo Canyon School
Paris Hilton discussed her past experiences of institutional abuse while placed at a behavioral modification program during her adolescence. She also detailed how the resulting trauma influenced her later decisions regarding reproductive health and family planning.
A 16-year-old boy named Daniel Yuen went missing after enrolling in a 'tough love' bootcamp in California. His family had been seeking help for his depression. The bootcamp, CEDU Running Springs, was supposed to provide support, but Daniel vanished. An investigation into the troubled teen industry has uncovered ties to a dangerous cult and raises questions about the treatment of teenagers in these facilities.
