Red Flags
This section contains a list of “Red Flags” for parents to use when considering residential treatment. If the program you are considering incorporates even one or more of these child welfare violations, we suggest you DO NOT enroll your child.
Some practices of the “Tough Love” Troubled Teen Industry that are illegal, abusive, unethical and a blatant violation of human rights.
1) Admittance without consent or due process/ Involuntary and forceful escorting to program.
2) Aversive Behavior Modification/ Fear and intimidation based control.
3) Physical/ Mechanical Restraint/ Pressure Points and Use of chemical control methods (such as pepper spray) as punitive punishment.
4) Isolation/ Social Ostracism used as punitive punishment.
5) Stress Positions/ Infliction of painful punishments.
6) Food/ Water/ Bathroom/ Sleep deprivation.
7) Denial of adequate medical care.
8 )Denial of communication with Parents/ Access to law enforcement, lawyers and advocates.
9) Mail censorship.
10) Placing higher level students in a position to police and punish lower level students.
11) Inadequate or “Fast Track” education/ Lack of qualified teachers, tutors and proper class oriented participation.
12) Forced Labor/ Denied access to school as punishment. (ie: 8 Hour Detention/ “Homeless”/ “Worksheets” or all day work projects)
13) Lack of proper social interaction/ Levels of silence/ Code silence punishments.
14) “Attack Therapy” Using mental, emotional and verbal abuse as “Treatment”.
15) Sexual abuse/ Forced sexualized behavior/ Sexual shaming.
16) Operating as a private/ unlicensed/ unregulated “Treatment Center” without being subject to regulation of clinical standards in patient care.
17) Accredited by Program Trade Organizations that DO NOT properly monitor or set specific standards of care to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students. Often spearheaded by the program owners themselves and only perpetrated as a third party agency. Membership status does not depend on proof of standards being met, only requirement is payment of dues/fees/penalties.
We advise the reader to do further research to identify these organizations.