Mitt Romney: A Voice of Freedom and Hope? Not for America’s So-Called “Troubled” Youth

Mitt Romney (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mitt Romney’s Deep Connections to the Troubled Teen Industry

Mitt Romney’s biography describes him as a well-educated businessman, skilled economic adviser, and typical family man.  He is quoted as stating, “I refuse to believe that America is just another place on the map with a flag.  We stand for freedom and opportunity and hope.” [1] 

His biography references his involvement in the formation and operation of Bain Capital in 1984, an investment company that purchases and rebuilds otherwise failing enterprises.  What the biography fails to include is that some of these enterprises – including CRC Health Group and Aspen Education Group – have directly profited off of the abuse and imprisonment of American youth.

The connection does not stop there.

Mitt Romney is linked to the troubled teen industry in more ways than perhaps any other candidate running for office.  Outside of directly owning some of the most notoriously abusive programs he has also employed a litany of financiers who have made their living off of what can only be described as the antithesis of Mitt’s political slogan; enslavement, restriction, and hopelessness.

Bain Capital, CRC Health Group, and Aspen Education

In 2006, Bain Capital acquired CRC Health Group.  The $720 billion dollar deal was the most expensive acquisition of its kind and helped to position Bain Capital at the forefront of the addiction treatment playing field. (2)

Bain Capital spent an additional $290 million in 2006 to acquire Aspen Education Group, a network of private, for-profit adolescent treatment facilities. [3]  Aspen Education Group is largely considered one of the top players in the adolescent behavioral health field.  Their network of programs include behavior modification facilities, residential treatment centers, wilderness therapy programs, therapeutic boarding schools, and long-term residential weight loss centers for children and young adults.  Their target clients are middle to upper class American families who are looking for substantial changes from their children and are willing to spend anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands monthly to achieve the desired results.

As Bain Capital gained entry into the adolescent behavior modification field, private therapeutic schools and wilderness therapy programs had become a booming industry with estimated profits exceeding $2 billion in 2007.  [3]  More and more private companies were seeking to gain access to the profitable field and Bain Capital, armed with its newest acquisition CRC Health Group, was one of them.  Upon acquiring Aspen Education Group, Bain quickly merged the two companies together and Aspen became the adolescent division of CRC.  The powerhouse created would persist until this day.

Aspen Education Group describes itself as being, “recognized nationwide as the leading provider of education programs for struggling or underachieving young people.”  [4]  While Aspen programs may be recognized as “leading” in their industry, their network of facilities has also been one of the most notorious in regards to allegations of abuse, neglect, and negligent homicide.

Family Light, an IECA certified group of educational consultants responsible for referring children to private facilities posted an open letter to Aspen Education Group stating that they now only recommend referring to or enrolling in any Aspen or CRC program with “great caution.”  Their list of complaints include Bain Capital’s overarching interest in profits over patients, deceptive marketing practices by Aspen Education Group, one-size-fits-all treatment methods and the use of counterproductive, harsh, and punitive therapeutic methods across the facilities overall. [5]

Mount Bachelor Academy in Rural Oregon where DHS alleges Students Suffered Abuse

Mt. Bachelor Academy, Aspen Education’s flagship program, was closed following substantiated claims of abuse by the Oregon Department of Human Services on November 3rd, 2009.   At least 17 former students have filed a lawsuit seeking $25.5 million in compensatory damages.  [6]  Students suing for sexual and emotional abuse have asserted that as part of the program’s Lifestep seminars children – some of whom were victims of prior rape or incest – were forced to dress in provocative clothing including fishnet stockings, high heels and miniskirts in order to provide lap-dances for fellow male students.  [27]  The experiential therapy was designed to help them to overcome their pasts and take ownership for the actions that had led them to being abused.

Mt. Bachelor Academy offered behavior modification therapy based on a method developed within the Synanon model, a self-help group that was largely considered to be a cult by the late 1970’s.  The teenage version of Synanon’s controversial “game” – an attack-based therapy – was developed at Mel Wasserman’s CEDU school in Southern California.  Practices developed in both Synanon and CEDU were at one time considered to be ground-breaking and effective in behavior modification however their harsh methods and unconventional tactics had become highly criticized in later years.  Both programs are no longer in operation however methods developed within the facilities continue to be utilized in behavior modification centers across the United States and abroad. [7]

Synanon Members Had Shaved Heads, Lived Communally

The Oregon Department of Human Services complaint against Aspen’s Mount Bachelor Academy, which eventually led to its closure, found that the school used methods that were “punitive, humiliating, degrading, and traumatizing.” Children housed at the facility – ranging in age from 13 to 17.5 – were found to have been forced to re-enact past physical and sexual abuse in front of peers, to refer to themselves with derogatory phrases, to allow staff and peers to name-call and ridicule in humiliating manners, and were deprived of sleep. [7]  The pending lawsuit against Mt. Bachelor Academy substantiates these claims, asserting that students who attended the school were regularly subjected to psychological abuse and shaming, endured severe isolation and deprivation of basic necessities including food, water, shelter, and medical care, were subjected to harsh labor punishments and were only offered brief, monitored contact with parents and guardians.  Before being allowed contact with their families, family members were warned not to believe any claims of abuse by the children, insinuating that all troubled children are inherently liars and all claims of mistreatment were simply “manipulation.” [8]

Youth Care of Utah, another Aspen Education facility, was placed on a brief probation following the death of 14-year old Brendan Blum in 2007.

Brendan died of an untreated bowel obstruction.  His bowel had twisted leading to a cut-off of blood to his small intestine.  The death was extremely painful and violent.

Despite persistent vomiting, diarrhea and loss of bowel control the counselors on duty at the time of Brendan’s illness – Deborah Cole and Jorge Ramirez – gave him over-the-counter medication and placed him in a separate room away from the other students.  The on-call nurse was never contacted.

The special-needs child who suffered from Asperger’s syndrome was found dead on his mattress the following morning.

The two staff members were fired and charged with felony child abuse, though neither was convicted.  While Aspen Education Group took no public responsibility for Brendan’s death, autopsy reports determined that if proper medical attention had been given he would have survived. [9]

Also in 2007, an unnamed 16-year old male died after hanging himself with a shoelace at Aspen Achievement Academy after asking to use the latrine.   The wilderness facility which treated children ages 13 to 17 suffering from moderate to severe emotional and behavioral problems [10] did not find the youth until after he was already unconscious.   Though briefly revived the child died during a helicopter transport to the hospital. [9]  The young man’s death was not the first controversy to affect the Academy.  In the late 1990’s several youth staged an elaborate and violent runaway prompting the Utah Bureau of Land Management to reconsider the use of State lands for the wilderness facility.  [11]

Aspen Achievement Academy has been merged with another wilderness facility in Lehi, Utah and is still in operation today. [10]

On August 28th, 2009 16-year old Sergey Blashchishen collapsed and died on his first day at Aspen Education’s SageWalk Wilderness Expeditions program.

The day prior, Sergey was awoken in the early morning hours and forcibly removed from his home, blindfolded and transported to the remote Oregon facility.  His parents, along with SageWalk, had contracted the use of a “transport” company – an enterprise designed to legally kidnap unwilling children from their homes and escort them to the facility of their parent’s choosing.

Sergey’s death was likely a slow and painful demise.

SageWalk records can only account for a mere 400 calories being consumed by the teenager before embarking on his wilderness hike.  He carried a backpack weighing anywhere from 40-50lbs.  There was little shade and Sergey was never made aware of the length of his hike or the terrain he would experience throughout it.

Staff recollected Sergey walking strangely, carrying his backpack in a different manner, and not resting properly.  Aspen’s staff members assert that they did not push the youth to continue however they did not intervene when other students encouraged him to push forward.

As the hike continued, Sergey fell multiple times and eventually vomited.  Though staff called the main office to report his illness, the hike continued as planned.  Eventually, Sergey collapsed to the ground in the blaring sun while the rest of the students and staff prepared lunch.  He denied offers of food and began flailing his arms and shouting in another language.

In less than half an hour he began to hyperventilate and eventually stopped breathing.

It took nearly an hour before a helicopter arrived at their remote location.  By that time, the youth was dead.

Five hours after he stopped breathing, the medical examiner noted that his body was warmer than his own, comparing the feeling of Sergey’s skin to someone who had just stepped out of a hot shower. [12]

Investigators called the school reckless in Sergey’s death, eventually requesting that homicide charges be filed.  As of the writing of this article, no criminal charges have been brought against those involved in the youth’s death.  16-year old Sergey Blashchishen died as the result of a combination of poor nutrition, heat stroke, and improper staff medical response.  Though SageWalk was ordered by the Oregon Department of Human services to send all students home two weeks following Sergey’s death no one from the program or Aspen Education group has faced trial. [12]

Claiming that its population is by nature “sick and troubled” CRC Health Group has also denied allegations that it is responsible for deaths in its Tennessee facility New Life Lodge. [13]  The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services froze admissions at New Life Lodge for children in state care in August 2011 along with several other managed care providers. [14]   Medical malpractice and wrongful death lawsuits have plagued the Southern facility.  Though closed in March 2012, the facility is set to reopen this April – though now only accepting adult patients.  It is estimated that the facility lost over $10 million in revenue when State-funded groups stopped referring patients to their care. [14]

Bain Capital and Bain & Co – the parent company of both CRC Health Group and Aspen Education Group – have contributed a combined total of $267,300 to Mitt Romney’s 2012 election run. [15]  Though Mitt Romney publicly left Bain Capital in 1999, his retirement package has allowed him to earn more following his leave than gained during his tenure.  In 2011, Romney reported between $1.5 million and $9.3 million in income gained from Bain’s investments.  An additional $10 million has been set aside from Bain income in 2011 for his wife, Ann.  Due to reporting laws, the amount could be considerably more as he is only required to report the minimum income obtained. [16]

Protesters seen out side the IECA conference hotel in Toronto (Photo credit: foot fingers)

Robert Lichfield, Utah Finance Co-Chair and the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs

The World Wide Association of Specialty Programs (WWASP) was born in the late 1990’s in the predominantly Mormon and loosely regulated State of Utah.

Robert Browning Lichfield got his start working at the Provo Canyon School in Provo, Utah in 1977 before formally founding WWASP in 1998.  Though he had no college degree or relevant training in education or child psychology Lichfield was entrusted to lead young boys at the controversial behavior modification center. [17]  His experience at the school – along with his strong Mormon faith – encouraged him to begin working with troubled teens and forming his own schools based on what he had learned while working for Provo Canyon.

Robert Browning Lichfield, Founder of WWASP and Former Utah Finance Co-Chair for Mitt Romney

By the early 2000’s WWASP had become an extremely profitable enterprise with 25 programs operating under its umbrella operation.  At its peak WWASP was responsible for the operation of programs in the United States, Mexico, Jamaica, Samoa, the Czech Republic and Costa Rica.  The private, for-profit enterprise charged tens-of-thousands annually in tuition and accepted students with any range of emotional or behavior issues.  No court orders or evaluations were necessary for children to be held against their will in WWASP programs.

Current lawsuits against WWASP allege that children it its care were forced to eat their own vomit, endure extreme physical beatings, be bound and tied by their hands and feet, endure hours or days locked in dog cages under the blaring Mexican sun, sleep on concrete or plywood beds, assume painful “restraint” positions for extended periods of time, live in unsanitary conditions, be restricted from access to proper food, water or medical care, experience verbal and emotional abuse, endure pepper spray as punishment, experience sleep deprivation, undergo mind-altering seminars, experience near to total isolation from society and family and undergo unnecessary strip-searches and sexual abuse. [20] [21]

Primitive Housing in WWASP's Samoa Facility

WWASP publicly claims to be an affiliation of independently owned programs however closer scrutiny has found that all WWASP facilities – including affiliated operations responsible for billing and referrals – were owned by the same individuals, their family members, or close friends. Many were incorporated under the same street address. [18]

WWASP operated strict behavior modification facilities.

Children within its facilities progressed through six different levels with each advancement granting them new privileges and freedoms.  On the first level children were not allowed to speak, move, cross through a doorway or use the bathroom without staff permission.  Conversation between students on levels one and two was forbidden at all times.  New program attendees could only speak to those level three or above – most of whom had been in the facility for at least three to six months and were well indoctrinated in the program’s methodology.  Contact with parents and families was limited to mail communication for several months.  Mail was censored and parents were warned to disbelieve any claims of ill-treatment noting that the children were “manipulative” and prone to lying in the hopes of being removed from the facility.  Brief monitored phone calls were allowed only after the child had reached the appropriate level and face-to-face visits were prohibited until both parent and child had completed a series of multi-day experiential seminars.  [28]

Loosely based on EST and Lifespring, WWASP’s seminars were confrontational and unconventional.  Accountability – a primary focus of all seminars – was based on the motto that, “Based on Your Results, You Have Exactly What You Intended.”  In the seminars, “right” and “wrong” were considered to be the equivalent of swear words.  All actions were either “working” or “non-working.”  Any negative experiences – including rape, incest, physical abuse, or traumatic events – were considered to be the result of a series of non-working choices.  In order to successfully complete the seminars, students had to rid themselves of their prior “images” and take responsibility for their choices that had not only led to past traumas but also had led to their placement in the program.

Two Primary Seminar Slogans - Participant Handouts

While the seminars were optional for parents of program attendees, they were mandatory for students enrolled in any of WWASP’s facilities.  The seminars touted the belief that a “magical child” lived within the soul of all participants.  Unlocking the magical child would free the individual to be a healthy, whole and capable adult.  The idea of the magical child was explored through a variety of modules and activities designed to show that anything not part of the magical child was instead a part of the person’s image – a false cloak designed to protect them from harm and lock-in their total potential.

Seminar Overview

The rules in WWASP facilities were extensive and covered nearly every aspect of the child’s life from communication, movement, expression, hygiene and participation in daily activities.

Rule breaking resulted in a reduction of points or loss of level depending on the degree of the infraction.  Punishments included study hall or essays – where a student was required to write a 3.000 – 5,000 word essay by hand in under three hours – or observation placement.  Observation placement was described as a form of “suicide watch” or cooling-off room however many students (and staff) have reported children remaining in isolation for months or years at a time.

Consequences that could lead to immediate placement in isolation included looking out the window (a form of run-away plans), making eye contact with the opposite sex (sexual encouragement), knuckle cracking or picking at a mosquito bite (self-injury) or any litany of “blatant rule violations.”

Observation Placement or "Suicide Watch" in Jamaica

Children in the WWASP system spent anywhere from ten months to multiple years at WWASP programs.  The schools located in the United States were considered to be the “least-harsh” of the programs with the overseas locations promoted as more intense options for children who were unsuccessful domestically.  At all schools, therapy was performed in large-groups led by “case managers.”  Within the groups, students were responsible for providing each other “feedback” and calling our one another’s faults and issues.  Though one licensed therapist was employed by WWASP for all of its facilities, Dr. Chappuis, private sessions were not included within the standard tuition.

Male Group Therapy Session

Of the locations overseas, Tranquility Bay in Jamaica was considered by most to be the “punishment” school for most United States programs.  Noted for having one of the harshest reputations of all WWASP facilities the tightly guarded compound on the remote northern coast of Jamaica had both fierce critics and strong supporters.  Before closing the gated facility housed up to 300 children – both male and female – ranging in age from 12 to 19.  Despite having no hot water, plywood beds and no oversight from either Jamaican or US officials the program charged parents up to $40,000 annually. [22] [23]

Tranquility Bay has been the subject of various documentaries and scathing articles.

In response to allegations of abuse at the facility, Ken Kay – Robert Lichfield’s partner in running WWASP – stated that, “The accusations are from students. The parents may believe them, but the parents weren’t there.  The teens making the allegations generally have a long history of lying, exaggerating and dishonesty.” [21]

Untreated Sores on the Back of a Boy's Head at Tranquility Bay

Child Displaying Pepper Spray Burns from Punishment at Tranquility Bay

In an interview for the French Documentary on Tranquility bay “Les Enfants Perdus De Tranquility Bay” Randall Hinton was interviewed regarding the use of pepper spray on former Tranquility Bay student Kerry Layne.  Following the filming of the documentary, Kerry took his own life after suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.  He was held at Tranquility Bay for nearly a year.  He spent more time in isolation than in the general population and was the recipient of countless acts of abuse.

Randall Hinton, Former Tranquility Bay Staff Member

Hinton is quoted as stating, ” he was pepper-sprayed by myself and by Jay Kay. I think we were the only ones who could actually pepper-spray students. I think I can remember Kerry Layne being pepper-sprayed more than once in a day. I know he was pepper-sprayed more than two times in a day. I don’t think it would have been more than three times. …And from somebody on the outside looking in I would say it was abusive. For somebody that stayed with him 24/7 I would say I received as much abuse as he did as a staff. But that’s what we’re getting paid to do.”

Hinton continued describing the program, stating that “Restraints could be used – mechanical devices could be used – pepper-spray could be used to gain control of your child. It’s just a job that, that helps people. Instead of the pizza coming to you we’ll come and pick the pizza up and take it and let it get cooked for a while, in a sense.  Until it’s ready to come home and then you get a brand new hot pizza.” [22] [23]

Randall Hinton would be convicted of third-degree assault and false imprisonment of a minor in 2007.   Though no charges were brought against him during his employment at Tranquility Bay, Hinton continued to work within the WWASP system.  He was the director of WWASP’s Royal Gorge Academy in Colorado at the time of his arrest.  He was sentenced with 25-days in jail and one year of probation.  Royal Gorge Academy remained open for at least a year following his arraignment though under the leadership of a new director. [29]

Violence was a part of life at many WWASP facilities.

Shannon Levy experienced a brutal restraint at Tranquility Bay in 2001.

She details that, “One staff held my arms behind my back when I was standing up so I couldn’t grab onto anything. Another staff ripped my feet out from underneath me so I fell with all my weight right onto my chin. I immediately started gushing blood everywhere, but that didn’t stop them. They still continued restraining me.” [23]

Though no medical treatment was provided by WWASP, Shannon’s parents were eventually called to collect her from the Jamaican facility.  She was unable to open her mouth wide enough to eat or insert a toothbrush.  Her injuries were long lasting.  She lost over 40lbs following the incident due to being unable to consume solid foods. [23]

Amberly Knight, the former director of WWASP’s Dundee Ranch in Costa Rica, wrote to the Costa Rican authorities in 2003 detailing human rights violations and cases of abuse at the facility.  She had resigned from her position the previous year.  Her efforts led to the immediate closure of the program. In her letter she stated that, “The purpose of Dundee Ranch is not to help teens in crisis or their families; it is to make millions of dollars for the owner,”  She also said students were improperly restrained; in one case, staff dislocated a teen’s shoulder. [23]

A Child Demonstrating the Restraint Positions Used at WWASP Facilities

For students who couldn’t perform at Tranquility Bay or at WWASP’s other tough overseas programs High Impact in Tecate, Mexico was the final option.

High Impact was a short-term program that was raided and shut down by the Mexican police in the early 2000’s.  Its reputation within the WWASP system was well-known as being nothing shy of torture.  Children were required to run laps around a fenced in field while dressed in thick sweatsuits.  Graduation was only obtained when the required number of laps was completed.  Students were not allowed to speak, make eye contact, or interact with anyone during their stay.  Punishments at High Impact were the most severe of any WWASP facility.

When High Impact was raided, children were found hog-tied in dog cages under the hot Mexican sun as a form of isolation punishment. As in most facilities, it was initially claimed to be a form of observation placement or “suicide watch” but former students allege it was used for even minor infractions.

Children Hog-Tied in Dog Cages at High Impact

Close Up of Child in Dog Cage at High Impact

As of 2012, WWASP is no longer operating programs under its own name though the company remains undissolved on paper due to pending litigation. [18]

Robert Lichfield served as Mitt Romney’s Utah campaign finance co-chair until 2007 when he was asked to step down following media attention over high-profile lawsuits against WWASP.  Lichfield was Utah’s largest political donor before his resignation, generating over $300,000 for Romney’s campaign in 2008 and helping to facilitate donations of $17,000 from family members and associates. [19]

The Huffington Post listed Robert Lichfield as one of the GOP’s Dirtiest Donors in 2008, noting that Romney asked his Utah money-maker to step aside from the campaign until the lawsuit was settled.  It is also noted that Romney brought in over $2.7 million in Utah donations, much of which was helped by Lichfield’s campaign efforts. [26]

Paul Babeu, Arizona Finance Co-Chair and the Desisto School

Romney with Babeu at a Speaking Event

In early February 2012, Paul Babeu stepped down as Mitt Romney’s Arizona Finance Co-Chair following allegations that he had threatened to have his gay ex-lover deported back to Mexico if details of his homosexuality were made public.   Babeu denies the threats but has since confirmed his homosexuality.

The Romney campaign supported his decision to resign so that he could focus on settling the allegations made against him.  [38]

While the allegations against Babeu are shocking and potentially damaging to the strictly Conservative Romney campaign, Babeu’s involvement in the controversial (and now defunct) DeSisto school in  Massachusetts seems to be yet another dismal link between Mitt Romney and the mistreatment of troubled youths.

The co-ed private boarding school was founded in 1978 and charged parents over $78,000 annually in tuition.   Babeu became headmaster in 1999.  According to Massachusetts Office of Child Care records, investigations into the school began in 2000 following nine separate claims of abuse.  Abuse reports indicated that students were regularly isolated, deprived of food, given unnecessary strip searches, forced to partake in group showers and monitored bathroom trips and were regularly restrained.  Further investigations revealed that sexual relations between staff and students had occurred regularly as improper background checks were not performed on employees.  Students were also regularly tied together as part of treatment and forced to strip down to their underwear and perform other humiliating acts in the name of therapy. [39]

Court Documents Detailing the State’s Investigation into the DeSisto School

Before stepping down, Babeu was a skilled fund-raiser for the Romney campaign.  He was a former Tea Party favorite in Arizona and his strict anti-immigration attitude helped to win many staunch conservatives to Romney’s side.  Babeu, who was also running for Congress while supporting Mitt’s Arizona campaign financing, raised over $200,000 for his own Congressional efforts.  The exact amount contributed to Romney is unknown.  [36] 

Mel Sembler, National Finance Co-Chair and Straight Inc 

Mel Sembler - Mitt Romney's National Finance Co-Chair

Though Mitt Romney asked Robert Lichfield and Paul Babeu to step down while their legal woes were sorted, he retained one of the biggest and most controversial names in adolescent treatment as part of his group of financiers:  Mel Sembler.

Mel Sembler – a well known name in GOP politics – remains as Mitt Romney’s US National Finance Co-Chair.  Prior to working with Mitt Romney, Sembler served as U.S. ambassador to Australia under President George Bush, served as finance chairman for the Republican National Committee from 1997 to 2000 and in November, 2001, was appointed ambassador to Italy by President George W. Bush.   [30]

Mel Sembler is known as the “Money Man” of Republican politics.  To many he is also considered the God-Father of today’s booming adolescent behavior modification industry.

Mitt Romney chatting with National Finance Co-Chair Mel Sembler (Center)

In 1973 Mel and his wife Betty came to the realization that one of their children had begun smoking marijuana.  Betty Sembler is quoted as stating, “We saw this as a fundamental breakdown of everything we believed in: family, education, law and order, responsibility to the community.  Drugs represented the very antithesis of these ideal – pure selfishness.” [31]

The first Federally funded drug rehabilitation program for minors – The Seed – got its start in Sembler’s home state.  In a scathing government report that led to the Seed’s closure, methods used within the facility were compared to those used in North Korean brainwashing camps. [32]  In 1976, seeing a need for additional assistance for struggling teens, Mel Sembler formed his own privately-funded, non-profit drug rehabilitation program called Straight. [31]

Straight used the same tactics developed within the Seed and was staffed by former Seed parents and participants.  As early as two years following its opening, claims of abuse began to surface from participants and past staffers. [34]

Miller Newton, Straight’s national clinical director, admitted to authorities in 1982 that he had kept teenagers awake for 72-hour periods, put them on peanut butter–only diets, and forced them to crawl through each other’s legs to be hit in a “spanking machine.” [34]

Children in Straight’s facilities endured 12-hour daily group therapy sessions.  During these sessions, they were forced to repeatedly confess their various crimes in front of a large group of peers.  To gain attention from the group’s facilitators the children – who were not allowed to stand – flapped their arms wildly in an act called “motivating.” [34]

Group Therapy Meeting at Straight

Richard Mullinax, a former Straight staff member, replied to an open request for apology posted by Surviving Straight Inc, an advocacy group of former attendees and abuse victims.

In his apology, he states that during his time of employment with Straight from 1985-1989 he personally participated in and witnessed acts of abuse.  His letter quotes his apology for participating in and not-stopping the occurrence of, “Brainwashing, physical abuse, usage of illegal or unethical restrains, unethical forms of extreme humiliation, food deprivation, sleep deprivation, verbal abuse, psychological abuse, coerced confessions, unjustifiable and lengthy isolation in intake and/or time our rooms, denial of necessary medical care, kidnapping, and false imprisonment.” [34]

Like the allegations against Aspen Education Group, WWASP and the DeSisto School, lawsuits against Straight included claims of kidnapping, physical violence, false imprisonment, isolation, brutal restraints, and sexual humiliation. [32]  While Sembler has not been linked with any abuse personally, the organization he co-founded, Straight Inc., paid out millions of dollars to victims during the 1980’s and 1990’s.

By 1993, all of Straight’s facilities had closed.  In every state where Straight facilities were located, abuse was substantiated by regulators or lawsuits.  Some of the allegations involved children being gagged with Kotex, boys being called “fags” and girls “whores,” and instances where children were held down to the point of urinating or defecating on themselves. [32]

Mel Sembler would oversee Straight during its 17-years of existence.  He claims that Straight Inc graduated over 12,000 youths and has never separated his name from the program despite the persistent allegations of abuse.  Mel remains an avid anti-drug activist, sharing a spot on the board of directors for the Drug Free America Foundation along with his wife Betty. [33]

Mel Sembler is set to bring in millions for Mitt Romney’s White House bid.   Following Santorum’s decision to drop out of the race, Sembler stated, “The primary is over. The finance team is focusing on the general election and will begin raising victory money.”  [37]

Between 2011 and 2012, Mel Sembler personally donated $61,400 to the Republican National Committee.  Sembler, his wife Betty, son Brent, daughter-in-law Debbie and son George all donated the maximum individual contribution of $2500 each to Romney’ primary campaign.  [36]  Through his fundraising efforts, Sembler has assisted Romney in generating over $76 million for his presidential bid and the number is expected to continue to increase.

Freedom and Hope?  Not for Children.

Mitt Romney and his political camp must be aware of the allegations surrounding his previous enterprises and various campaign financiers but they aren’t speaking.  No one from Romney’s camp has made a peep regarding his deep connections to the troubled teen industry.

His wife, Ann, however has pledged that – if she becomes first lady – helping troubled teens will be her primary focus.

“At risk youth has been a concern of mine and love of mine for a lot of years,” she said while speaking before a group in Iowa.  [40]

Romney has also eluded to her cause at several additional campaign events.

If the work of Romney’s friends and former employer are any indication of what that would look like, it might be time to let our troubled teens remain “troubled” before they end up being sent back to us, brainwashed, emotionally scarred and haunted by the deep wounds of child abuse.

C. Kapela  April 13th, 2012

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• [1] Mitt Romney’ Biography Mitt Romney For President, 2012 Campaign
• [2]  CRC On The Sell Side by Ted Jackson, October 2005 Treatment Magazine
• [3]  Therapeutic Schools A Boom Unabated by Ted Jackson, July 2007 Treatment Magazine
• [4] Aspen Education Group Homepage Help for Troubled Teens – Residential and Wilderness Programs (Company Homepage)
• [5] Aspen Education Group (Open Letter) A Subsidiary of CRC Health Group and Bain Capital Family Light – A Service of Thomas J. Croke and Associates, Inc.
• [6] Lawsuit Against Mt. Bachelor Academy Exands Now Totals 17 Plaintiffs; Damages Sought top $25 Million by Barney Lerten and Shannon Mendiola, August 24, 2011 KTZV.com
• [7] Ever Unconventional, Long Controversial The school’s history is a twisted one, involving atypical therapy methods and company mergers, good intentions and success stories, but also cases of what some, including the state, call abuse. The story behind the academy’s closure by Keith Chu, November 15, 2009 The Bulletin
• [8] KTVZ Story Concerning Mount Bachelor Academy Lawsuit From KTZV News Sources, Published July 6, 2011 on KellyClarkAttorney.com
• [9] Four recent Utah Deaths in Treatment Programs by Kirsten Stewart, Published October 2007 (available only as archive) The Sale Lake Tribune
• [10] Aspen Achievement Academy Wikipedia
• [11] Tough Love Proves Too Tough by Christopher Smith, June 10th 1996  High Country News
• [12] Investigator Calls Wilderness School Reckless in Teen’s Death by Erin Golden, October 20th 2009, The Bulletin
• [13] New Life Lodge Owner’s Troubles Aren’t Confined to TN Despite deaths, lawsuits, investigations, New Life owner says cases are isolated by Nate Rau, December 18th 2011, The Tennessean
• [14] New Life Lodge in Burns to Reopen in April Nate Rau, March 28th 2012, The Tennessean
• [15] Top Contributors to Mitt Romney 2012 taken from OpenSecrets.org Center for Responsive Politics
• [16] Buyout Profits Keep Flowing to Romney by Nicholas Confessore, Christopher Drew, and Julie Creswell, December 18th 2011, The New York Times
• [17] Key To His School’s Success?  It’s God, Founder Says. by John-Thor Dahlbur, July 13th 2003, Los Angeles Times
• [18] World Wide Association of Specialty Programs Wikipedia
• [19] Romney Cans Golden Goose Over Abuse October 2008, Radaronline.com
• [20] Troubled Teen Programs – 25 Plaintiffs Join in Lawsuit Against WWASPS, Cross Creek Manor, Robert Lichfield, and Associates – More Expected to Join In October 2006, Webwire.com
• [21] Turley Law Firm vs. WWASP – Official Filing, 2011 Updated Complaint, 2011 www.wturley.com
• [22] Parents Divided over Jamaican Disciplinary Academy by Tim Weiner, June 17 2003, The New York Times
• [23] Rough Love Kids from South Florida and beyond are sent to Jamaica to straighten up. Or else. by Joanne Green, June 22 2006, Miami New Times
• [24] Abuse at Tranquility Bay by Isabelle Zehnder, jaykayletter.blogspot.com
• [25] Les Enfants Perdus de Tranquility Bay (2005) IMDB listing.  Directed by Mathieu Verboud, Jean Robert Vialle
• [26] Republican Rogues’ Gallery: The GOP’s Dirtiest ’08 Donors September 2007, Huffington Post
• [27] An Oregon School for Troubled Teens is Under Scrutiny by Maia Szalavitz, April 17th, 2009  Time Magazine
• [28] Spring Creek’s Short Leash by John S. Adams, June 16 2005 The Missoula Independent
• [29] Randall Hinton Sentenced to Jail for Bloody Assault on Child by Tracy Harmon, November 20th 2007
• [30] Mel Sembler’s Penis Pump, Privacy Claim Headed to Trial  November 17 2006  The North Country Gazette
• [31] Money Man While Washington debates “soft-money” and foreign contributors, St. Petersburg’s Mel Sembler, chief national GOP fund-raiser, charges ahead filing party coffers on a run for the White House by David Villano, May 1997  Florida Trend
• [32] Romney Fires One Teen-Abuse Linked Financier, Keeps Big One by Maia Szalavitz, September 6th 2007 The Huffington Post
• [33] Mel Sembler, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Biography The Sembler Company
• [34] The Trouble with Troubled Teen Programs by Maia Szalavitz, January 2007 Reason Magazine
• [35] Mr. Mullinax’s Public Acknowledgment and Apology to Straight, Inc. Survivors  Richard Mullinax, January 1st 2009, Surviving Straight Inc
• [36] Donor/Recipient Searches through  OpenSecrets.org Center for Responsive Politics
• [37] Trump Fundraiser for Romney Sold Out by Catalina Carnia, April 2012 USA Today
• [38] Paul Babeu, Arizona Sheriff, Steps Down as Arizona Co-Chair of Mitt Romney’s Presidential Campaign  by Elise Foley, February 18th 2012 The Huffington Post
• [39] Legal troubled dogged school led by Babeu Officials Probed Abuse Claims While Sheriff was Headmaster by Robert Anglen, Robert J. Hansen, Sean Holstege, March 1st 2012 The Arizona Republic
• [40] Ann Romney Says She’ll Work with Troubled Teens as First Lady by Russell Goldman, October 5 2011  ABC News

The Politics of the Troubled Teen Industry

“Money is the Mother’s Milk of Politics.” – Jesse M. Unruh, 1966

Without massive campaign contributions from major industries and special interest groups, politics as we know it today would be a completely different battlefield.  Today’s politicians are not only expected to produce results for their constituents, but also to protect the interests and financial gains of the various groups who helped pave the way for their election.

The troubled teen industry as we know it today would never exist without political influence and protection.   If you were to ask the average citizen if painful electric shock therapy, isolation in dog cages, or reinactments of traumatic sexual abuse in front of other peers were therapeutic or effective methods of treating troubled children or teenage addiction, they would likely say no.  Re-word your questions and ask those same individuals if they support involuntary drug treatment for youth or the War on Drugs and you may get a different answer.

Politicians and corporations have long embraced the power of spin and public perception.  What can be called abuse can just as easily be called “intensive therapy” or “tough love.”   The art of playing off fear is nothing new and has been exploited in politics and advertising since the beginnings of each.  What we fear most we seek to be relieved from.  The one who offers us the quickest alleviation of our fears is the one we trust to receive our money, votes, and agreement that whatever methods they employ are necessary to keep us safe.

Setting the Stage:  The War on Drugs

The War on Drugs began with the formation of the Drug Enforcement Agency in the 1970’s when President Nixon declared drug-use to be “public enemy number one.”  Though America had been fighting against drug use before the official start of the “war,” Nixon’s policies greatly strengthened the government’s power to take action.  Originally focused on heroin use, the war on drugs would eventually expand to include additional substances and offer harsher sentences for offenders.

In the 1980’s, Nancy Reagan‘s “Just Say No” campaign began to reshape America’s attitudes towards drug use and teens, helping to pave the way for additional legislation and laws.  According to a War on Drugs timeline by PBS.org, her efforts focused on white, middle class children and were funded by corporate and private donations.  As new campaigns and initiatives were launched nationwide to raise awareness of teenage substance abuse, America became gripped with fear.

In 1982, Phyllis York, David York and Ted Wachtel published a book entitled “Tough Love.”  Selling millions of copies worldwide, the book helped to form a new perception of teenage behavior and its causes, stating that, “The common denominator is rotten behavior.  Despite a wide range of geological, social and economic backgrounds, our young people behave with stereotypical predictability.  Like clones stamped out in some satanic laboratory, they share an underlying selfishness and similar ways of demonstrating it.  If youthful destructive behavior were a manifestation of individual family problems or pathology, then the dillema would be manageable….But exactly the opposite is true. Looking for family problems and pathology which “cause” this behavior distracts from the real issue: the responsibility of each young person for his or her own actions.”

The setting was ripe for a new industry.  Parents could now relieve themselves of responsibility for their children’s actions.  Teenagers had become identical beings, rotten creatures who were in no way a product of their environments.  Businessmen and politicians saw a new opportunity.  Everyone was desperate to get on board, to spread the message and offer a quick fix for society’s newest enemy: its children.

The Founders

Charles Dederich – Founder of Synanon

Synanon was the first doctor-free drug treatment facility to exist in America.  Founded in 1958, the program began its first facility in California.  Over the next several decades, Synanon grew into what is now considered to have been both a cult and a quasi-religion.   Synanon’s methods involved the Synanon Game, a highly confrontational method of treatment.  In “the game,” addicts were forced to endure hours of harsh criticism and attack therapy in order to gain self-awareness.  Eventually, graduation from Synanon was no longer an option.  Members and their children lived communally within the program, attracting the attention of celebrities and non-users seeking an alternative way of life.  Within the program, Dederich created a series of seminars that would eventually develop into EST training.  These seminars were designed to produce personal break-downs followed by mass euphoria.  Inside the Synanon community, Dederich led as both a patriarchal figure and a sort of semi-god.  His followers obeyed his every command.  Shaved heads, strange styles of dress, forced abortions and vasectomies, open marriages, and lack of contact with children became the norm for those living within Synanon.  Though Synanon stopped all operations in the 1990’s, the methods  developed within the program and the influence Dederich held over his followers still has repercussions on the industry today.

Mel Wasserman and Bert Brown  – Founders of CEDU and the Brown Schools

CEDU was formed by Mel Wasserman, a former Synanon attendee, in 1967.  Hugely influenced by Mel’s personal experiences in the program, CEDU utilized a watered-down version of the Synanon method.  CEDU schools implemented similar seminars as the ones held at Synanon, titled “Propheets,”  inspired by Mel Wasserman’s interest in the works of Khalil Ghibran.  Eventually, CEDU would be purchased by The Brown Schools, another chain of troubled teen institutions originally founded in 1940 by Bert Brown and his wife.  Eventually, both the Brown Schools and CEDU would be purchased by McCown, DeLeeuw & Co., a Menlo Park,  Calif., holding company  In 2005, all CEDU operations ceased after a multi-million dollar lawsuit from parents alleging abuses against their children.  Accusations against CEDU and the Brown Schools included physical abuse, rape, failure to properly restrain students from running away, emotional abuse and brainwashing.  Some of the former employees and leaders of these schools went on to form Camelot Schools and other CEDU/Brown-based facilities.

Art Baker – Founder of Seed

In the 1970’s, the SEED became the first children-only program to utilize some of the harshest methods developed at Synanon.  The program was founded by Art Baker and was wildly popular with American parents upon opening.  In 1974, the US Government published a study that compared SEED’s methods to that of North Korea’s detention camps.   SEED ceased operations shortly after due to negative publicity, however the need for a quick “fix” for troubled teens still existed and parent’s sought new methods of treatment.

Mel Sember and Betty Sembler – Founders of Straight, Inc.  

In the late 1970’s, Mel Sembler and Betty Sembler formed Straight Inc, filling the gap that SEED had left behind.  Straight Inc marketed largely to white, middle-class American families and admitted both users and non-users into it’s programs.  Straight Inc quickly became the largest scale treatment center of its kind, lauding praise from celebrity figures such as Nancy Reagan and Princess Diana.  According to an article published in May 2002 by Radley Balko for Fox News, Straight was directly influenced by the SEED model.  Despite the negative attention and eventual loss of funding for SEED, Florida Congressman Bill Young convinced the Sembler’s to invest in and form Straight.  The programs would operate under the Straight name until 1993, when they would eventually close after a series of lawsuits and allegations of abuse.  Criminal accusations ranged from false imprisonment, sexual abuse, food and sleep deprivation, forced abortions, physical and mental abuse, and brainwashing tactics.  In 1996, Straight reopened under the name “Drug Free America Foundation,” another organization founded by Betty and Mel Sembler.  Though the DFAF does not operate residential programs, it does offer advice to parent’s seeking residential treatment for teens and opposes all legislation towards decriminalization.  Straight Inc is widely considered to be the most influential program of its kind, helping to pave the way for future “troubled teen” facilities to utilize its methods.

Dr. Miller Newton, Dr. George Ross, Helen Gowanny and Terri Nissley – Founders of Second Generation Straight Facilities

Dr. Miller Newton, a former national director of Straight Inc’s St. Petersberg, Florida facility, formed Kids of North Bergen County in 1984 following investigations into abuses at his Straight facility.   In 1990, investigations into abuse at Kids of North Bergen County inspired Dr. Newton to rename the program Kids of North Jersey and relocate again to Hudson County.  The program followed the same principles developed by Synanon, SEED, CEDU, and Straight Inc.  He also founded the Kids Center of America, which operated similar franchises across the country.  Again, a series of lawsuits would lead to the eventual closure of Kids facilities.  Accusations included physical abuse, denial of medical treatment, false imprisonment, fraudulent insurance charges, and hazards to health and safety.  Allegedly in 2001, Dr. Miller Newton changed his name and relocated to Florida following a massive $4.5 million dollar civil suit from a former patient.

Dr. George Ross, another former clinician from Straight Inc, went on to form LIFE Inc in 1980, a Straight-based program in Florida.  Following the founding of LIFE, he would move on to form Kids Helping Kids of Hebron, Kentucky,  along with Possiblities Inc, another Straight spin-off.  Again lawsuits would follow, though all charges would be dropped.  Charges included unlawful imprisonment, threatening to kidnap the 2-year old child from a would-be patient, and various physical and mental abuses.  Though unsuccessful in regards to the verdict, the charges are largely attributed to the eventual closing of Possibilities Inc.  Dr. George Ross now offers private counseling services and motivational speaking appointments.  By the early 1990’s, Dr. Ross’ programs had all closed their doors.

Helen Gowanny, former Straight director, and Terri Nissley, former parent of a Straight student, opened The Pathway Family Center in 1993.  They operated locations in Detroit and Indianapolis and were modeled after the Straight program.  Both facilities would eventually close and continue to face allegations of abuse, invasive thought reform, brainwashing, and psychological torture.

Additional schools were formed by former Straight employees, often in former Straight facilities, including the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Center (AARC), and  Growing Together, along with many other less-known facilities.  Some of these programs are still operating today and more continue to open across the US and abroad, following the same methods utilized by Straight.  The following article and corresponding flow chart  offers a look at the impact Straight has had on other facilities.

Robert Lichfield – Founder of the Word Wide Association of Specialty Schools (WWASP) 

Robert Lichfield, a businessman with no clinical training in psychology, formed the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs in 1998.  The Utah-based organization promoted itself as an umbrella company that linked independently run programs operating under WWASP guidelines to families in need.  Further investigations have revealed however that all programs were operated and run by family members and business associates of Robert Lichfield.  WWASP operated programs both in the US and abroad.   Multiple lawsuits have led to the closure of all official WWASP facilities, though rumors persist that several schools have reopened under new company names.  Accusations include locking children in dog cages, severe physical beatings, food and sleep deprivation, pepper spraying of minors, isolation, lack of communication to parents, unreported sexual abuse, unsanitary living conditions, and brainwashing/emotional abuse.  Treatment modules within WWASP run facilities were directly influenced by those created within CEDU, Straight, Kids Inc, and the SEED.

Elliot Sainer and Bain Capital – Founders of Aspen Education

In 1997, Aspen Education Group was founded in part by Elliot Sainer.  A subsidiary of CRC Health Group, Aspen Education is owned by Bain Capital Group, founded in 1984 by Mitt Romney.  Aspen Education Group provides therapeutic programs for youth including wilderness therapy, residential treatment facilities, therapeutic boarding schools, and weight loss facilities.  Aspen Education is one of the most profitable teen treatment chains, boasting annual revenue of $150 million plus.  According to an article by Keith Chu of The Bulletin, many of Aspen Education Group’s programs – including now defunct Mount Bachelor Academy – were based directly on the CEDU methods of treatment.  Lauding support by celebrity figures such as Dr. Phil and several other TV programs including “Brat Camp,” “I Know What You Ate Last Summer,” and “Intervention,” Aspen Education has become one of the most revered and successful programs of it’s kind.  Recent lawsuits and scrutiny, however, have led to the closure of multiple facilities and a total restructure announced in March of 2011.  Mount Bachelor Academy, once one of Aspen Education’s top programs, closed in 2009 after lawsuits alleging sexual reenactments of past sexual abuse in front of peers, sleep deprivation, forced lap dances as part of therapy, and emotional and physical abuse.  Sagewalk, one of Aspen’s top wilderness therapy facilities, was called “reckless” by State authorities following the death of 16-year-old Sergey Blashchishen.   At least four other teenagers have died under Aspen’s care.  Criticisms of Aspen’s weight loss facilities have also indicated child abuse, noting that children within it’s care were subjected to diet plans of under 10 grams of fat daily.

Alan B. Miller – Founder of Universal Health Services

In 1978, Alan B. Miller founded Universal Health Services, a for-profit hospital holding company.  In 1983, Universal Health Services entered the behavior health sector of the market where it remains a power player to this day.  A full list of their current behavioral health facilities – including those for minors – can be found on the Universal Health Services Website.  Since their emergence in the behavior health market, Universal Health Services has quietly purchased many of the closed facilities of former troubled teen industry founders and reopened them under new or slightly-different names.  The Psychiatric Crime Database reports a litany of abuse, death, and negligence beginning in 1991 and continuing to this day at UHS facilities.  UHS relies heavily on State and Federal assignments to their programs, though they also accept and operate private payment centers as well.  In recent years, more agencies have shied away from placement with UHS due to growing concerns over abuse and neglect within their care.

The Politicians and Financiers

Betty Sembler and Mel Sembler – Contributors to the Republican National Committee, Newt Gingrich, Rudolph Guiliani, Jeb Bush, George Bush (Sr. and Jr.), Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby, Joseph Lieberman and Mitt Romney.

Betty Sembler is a current board member of D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education).  She has also participated in the White House Conference for a Drug Free America, as a member of Florida’s Drug Policy Task Force, and is the founder of S.O.S (Save our Society from Drugs).  In 2008, she received a lifetime achievement award from the DEA Museum Foundation for her work fighting drug addiction.  Additional recognition of her efforts has been given by The Jewish National Foundation, The Houston Drug Free Business Association, the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame, and the NNAOC, a foundation of narcotic officers nationwide.

Mel Sembler went on to form the Sembler Company.  He also served as U.S. Embassador to Italy from 2001 to 2005 and as Ambassador to Australia and Nauru from 1989 to 1993.  He served a leadership role in generating funds for George H.W. Bush beginning in 1979, and  was Finance Co-Chairman of The American Bicentennial Presidential Inaugural, raising the dollars needed for the nation’s 41st inauguration of the President of the United States. Sembler served as Finance Chairman for the Republican National Committee from 1997 to 2000.  He also served as Florida’s National Committeeman to the Republican National Committee after his election in 1994 until 2000.  In addition, Sembler  has serves on the board of the Drug Free America Foundation, the Florida Governor’s Mansion Foundation, , and is a member of the Florida Council of 100, a business advisory group to the Governor of Florida.  Politicians who have directly profited from campaign contributions from Mel Sembler and Betty Sembler include Newt Gingrich, George W. Bush, Rudolph Guiliani, Jeb Bush, and Mitt Romney.

In the current 2012 election cycle, the Sembler’s have contributed a total of $24,000 as posted on the Huffington Post, to a variety of Republican candidates.  Mel Sember has also served as the chairmen of the Scooter Libby Defense Trust.  In April 2000, Mel Sembler raised an astonishing $21.3 million dollars at  single campaign dinner.  In 2005, he became the first person to have a U.S. Embassy named after him in Rome, allowed through legislation passed by former Congressman Bill Young, the same individual who encouraged him to start Straight Inc.  Despite the license revocation by the U.S Senate in 1993 for Straight, citing that the government should not be funding “cruel and inhumane behavior modification,” Sembler went on to form the Drug Free America Foundation along with his wife.  Former Governor Jeb Bush of Florida, the brother of President George W. Bush, Former Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Karen Tandy, and Congressman Dan Lungren of California are on the advisory board. Additional details on the Sembler’s contributions to various Republican campaigns can be found here.  Mel Sembler has also directly served as national campaign finance director for Mitt Romney.

George E. McCown, CEO of MDC Partners (former owners of Brown Schools and CEDU) – Contributor to Mitt Romney, Scott Brown, John McCain and The National Republican Committee

McCown De Leeuw and Co’s CEO George McCown, former owner of the Brown Schools and CEDU directly contributed to Mitt Romney’s and Scott Brown’s current political campaigns, as noted by OpenSecrets.org.  CampaignMoney.com lists past donations to the McCain/Palin Presidential run and  The National Republican Committee.

Dr. George E. Ross, former owner of  LIFE, Inc., KIDS HELPINGKIDS, Inc. and POSSIBILITIES UNLIMITED,Inc – Contributor to Fred Dalton Thompson

While little information can be found on Dr. George E Ross’ current political donations, Newsmeat.org does show him contributing to the Fred Dalton Thompson Political Action Committee.  Thompson served as the campaign co-chairman for John McCain and was a long-term lobbyist in Washington.  He also assisted in the defense of Scotter Libby.  George Ross co-starred on Thompson’s “Focus on the Family” radio show, as noted in Dr. Ross’ brief online biography.

Outside of his donations, George E. Ross has participated in the White House Conference for a Drug Free America and offers private counseling in Kentucky.  His research and writings are currently centered around “Building Comprehensive Mental Health Strategies”

Robert Lichfield – Contributor to Mitt Romney, George W. Bush,  Robert Bennett, Orrin Hatch,  Richard Burr, John Swallow, Utah Republican Committee, Arizona Republican Committee, National Republican Committee, and the 2001 President’s Dinner.

Robert Lichfield, the founder of WWASP, served as Mitt Romney’s campaign finance adviser until 2007, resigning after a major lawsuit against his chain of schools gained public notoriety.  He is noted for having collected over $300,000 for Mitt Romney at one campaign event in St. George, Utah.   Further investigation reveals that Lichfield and assorted family members donated over $1 Million in campaign contributions to various GOP candidates between 2001 and 2002.  Additional details on Robert Lichfield’s campaign donations can be found through searches on NewsMeat.  Narvin Lichfield, Robert Lichfield’s brother and former owner/operator of several WWASP facilities donated to Mitt Romney’s campaign in 2007.  Ken Kay – one of the heads of WWASP – donated to John Swallow, and J. Ralph Atkin, former program director and member of WWASP’s advisory board who served as Coordinator of Business and Economic Development for the State of Utah.

Aspen Education Group and Elliot Sainer (AEG’s Founder) – Contributor to Mitt Romney, Adam Schiff, National Association of Psychiatric Health Services Political Action Committee, and the California Hospital Association Political Action Committee.  Additional ties to Jim DeMint, John McCain, George W. Bush, and Rick Santorum

After being acquired by Bain Capital, Aspen Education Group became a direct source of revenue for Republican candidate Mitt Romney.  Elliot Sainer, the founder of Aspen Education Group personally donated to several California politicians as well as Psychiatric and Hospital Political Action Committees.  Aspen Education Group itself has also donated directly to the IECA Foundation, a group providing grants and assistance both to struggling families and educational consultants who refer student’s to various facilities.  The National Association of Psychiatric Health Service PAC lists several known teen treatment facilities as direct contributors to their cause in 2012 and has directly provided funding to political candidates sympathetic to their causes.  Mitt Romney, the former owner of Bain Capital, has made personal contributions to Jim DeMint, John McCain, George W. Bush, and Rick Santorum in past election cycles.

Alan. B Miller and Universal Health Services  – Contributor to Rick Santorum, The Republican Committee of Pennsylvania, and the Universal Health Services Political Action Committee

Rick Santorum worked with Universal Health Services from 2007 to 2011, according to Jason Cherkis’ 2012 article in The Huffington Post.   Not only has Santorum profited directly from his employment with UHS, but the Universal Health Services Political Action Committee donated $5,000 in 2012 towards his current campaign, as noted by OpenSecrets.org.  Alan B. Miller, the CEO of Universal Health Services has made contributions to the Republican Committee of Pennsylvania and other candidates through UHS’ Political Action Committee.

The Consequences

There is currently no Federal legislation that has been passed to regulate the troubled teen industry.  New bills have been introduced into the House and Senate that seek to add additional oversight to the industry.  The major players in the industry have used lobbying and campaign contributions in the past, as noted in this 2004 article, to stop the passing of both State and Federal reforms on private residential treatment facilities.  Without additional reforms and the loss of political clout for the founders of these abusive institutions, the troubled teen industry will remain a threat to America’s children and vulnerable parents.

Though tedious work, tracking the campaign financiers of today’s politicians may help us to change the face of this horrific industry in the future.  It is time for our voices to be heard.  No child deserves to be abused in the name of treatment, nor should anyone profit from the blood and tears of helpless children.  Before you head to the ballot box, remember who is paying for these politicians flashy ads and lengthy campaign trips – and imagine what they will be expected to give in return.

Synanon: The Beginning of the Troubled Teen Industry

How Did Today’s Troubled Teen Industry Come to Be?

Synanon – The Beginnings of an Industry

Before reading the history of Synanon, I encourage you to visit The Synanon Museum. The online “Museum” offers a unique view into life at Synanon.

In 1958, Charles E. “Chuck” Dederich, Sr, a well-respected member of the Alcoholics Anonymous community, decided to fill a need for those who were previously denied entry into the A.A. system. At that time, A.A. only accepted those addicted solely to alcohol. Noting the need for effective treatment for drug users, Dederich formed Synanon. What began as a two-year residential program primarily focused on heroin addiction would later become something much larger, eventually forming into the “Church of Synanon.”

As his two-year program flourished, Dederich began to form a theory that treatment for drug addiction was never complete. Rather, it was a life-long process that required constant participation in Synanon’s programs. He first developed a series of supplemental materials for use outside of the program, an industry that at one point generated approximately $10 million annually. As time went on, Dederich began to feel that this wasn’t enough. Life-long residential care became Dederich’s primary focus.

Synanon then purchased the Club Casa del Mar, a former 1920’s beachside hotel in Santa Monica, California and formed a “lifelong recovery center” for Synanon members. There members of Synanon lived with their families communally raising children and forming a cult-like society for lifelong recovery. Not only did the community admit drug addicts, they also admitted those who did not use or who had never used, following what would later become known as the “Dry Addict Philosophy.”

Treatment was based on what was called “The Synanon Game.” This “game” formed the beginnings of what would later be called “attack therapy,” a method of treatment that still exists in behavior modification centers today.

Dederich is quoted as stating, “The Synanon Game began with an idea I had of getting people together in a room to pursue a conversation with a “line of no line.” I began to yell and curse and accuse and ridicule: I talked to everyone in the room as if he had a tail. Boy I felt great, and everyone else loved it too. The next week they all came back. That was the birth of the Synanon Game, which basically hasn’t changed at all since 1958. Before the days of Synanon nobody had ever told addicts to stop using drugs. People tried to love them out of it, reason them out of it, and motivate them out of it. We said to them: “Hey, KNOCK THAT OFF! If you shoot dope here we’ll throw your ass out. Synanon came into existence because our society is composed of mama’s boys and daddy’s little girls who have been innundated by attempts to produce nothing but agreeable sensations in them. Character disorders, quite simply, are people who had too strong a dose of “mother love” and were never properly housebroken by fathers. The childish idea that money can accomplish something without people is rampant in our society. At the top, its always the manipulation of people — the people business — that makes for success or failure. I am proposing a counter-philosophy, a rather old-fashioned, commonsense approach to things: ‘Good boys and good girls get good things — bad boys and bad girls get bad things.’ This idea is the very basis of Synanon. We are a father principle phenomenon which rewards good behavior and punishes bad behavior.”

By the 1970’s, Synanon had grown into a multi-million dollar empire.

A 1977 article in People Magazine details that, “The number of people who have undergone the Synanon experience recently passed 15,000. About a third of the 1,300 currently in residence are so-called “squares” who are there not because they have drug problems but because they like the communal, highly structured way of life….Adult members’ time is divided into two periods: seven six-hour days of “motion,” or work such as maintenance and construction, and seven days of “growth,” when they are free to rest, read and pursue hobbies. Children at Synanon attend school for three weeks, then work as apprentice carpenters or scullery maids for three weeks. “Everybody teaches,” Dederich says, “secretaries, prostitutes, ex-drug addicts.” Discipline is harsh. “When kids get out of line they are knocked on their asses. That treatment turns them into woolly lambs in about a week.” The system seems to work. Synanon children have been given national achievement tests and score well above average.”

Outside of round-the-clock drug treatment & discipline, life at Synanon required many other strange things of it’s members. Should a woman become pregnant, she was forced to live in “the Hatchery” beginning in the seventh month of pregnancy until the child was six month’s old. In the same 1977 People Magazine article, Dederich is quoted as stating, “It removes the father from some unpleasant aspects, like getting up for the 2 o’clock feeding. We don’t know if it’s a good idea or not, but we’re trying it. Nothing is sacred just because it’s been done for a million years.”

According to a Time Magazine article , “In 1970 Dederich decided that because he was giving up smoking, everybody else would too. In 1975 the women at Synanon began shaving their heads. Any that refused were ostracized. When Dederich’s wife Betty went on a diet in 1976, all the other members had to cut down on the vittles. That same year Dederich concluded that Synanon had too many kids. So all the men were pressured into having vasectomies. This year [1977, sic] Betty Dederich died. Dederich found another woman and soon decided that everyone would benefit by taking a new mate. Couples who had been married for as long as 30 years are now in the process of divorcing and remarrying.” Eventually women were “encouraged” to have abortions against their will as Dederich felt childbirth was no more important than squeezing out a football.

In order to help protect their tax-exempt status, Dederich began to seek the placement of troubled youth into his facilities. Teens were sent to Synanon by state and Federal organizations, but were housed in separate facilities. They were referred to as “The Punk Squad.” According to a 2008 article by Paul Morantz, “As these juveniles did not want to be there, Synanon methods failed. Violence was then permitted upon them, breaking for first time Synanon’s “non violent rule.” Children were struck across the face, knocked down, otherwise punished and then “gamed.” Soon the OK on violence would spread to “splitees,” suspected thieves and perceived spies and enemies.”

As Synanon’s methods became more widely criticized, the “Church of Synanon” was formed to help establish itself as a religious institution, thus devoid of tax regulations. In addition, Dederich helped to organize the “Imperial Marines,” a group of members dedicated to protecting the institution and fighting those who criticized or threatened its existence. As Synanon began to fail, the Imperial Marines began to beat and even kill splitees, news anchors who reported on Synanon’s abuses, and family members of “patients” who were trying to escape. An underground railroad had formed outside of the main compound which helped to return kids to their families as they ran away from the program. Participants were met with severe violence.

In 1991, Synanon finally came to its end, though it still operates abroad in Germany.

How Did Synanon Shape the Troubled Teen Industry?

In 1967, Mel Wasserman – influenced by his participation in Synanon – formed CEDU Education. CEDU was the first of many programs influenced by former Synanon members. It was also the first parent-choice, private-pay adolescent behavior modification center.

Like Synanon, participants in the program were not treated by psychologists or trained staff. Therapy was much like the Synanon game, however it was referred to as “Raps.” While Raps were a slightly watered down version of the original game, they still used attack therapy as a model and relied on verbal assault to help modify children’s behavior.

According to a Wikipedia article, “The average time a student spent at a CEDU school was 2½ years. The school year was year-round. The original CEDU program did not believe in use of psychological medicine. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1pm to 5pm (sometimes 6pm) students were required to attend group therapy sessions called Raps. In this CEDU period, Raps were highly confrontational, at any given moment in a Rap there were could be between 1 to 15 students screaming at other students or, with their head pointed towards the floor, screaming at their own ’emotional issues’ and/or crying uncontrollably. Approximately 95% of the faculty had no accreditation or training specific to intensive Gestalt based ‘group therapy’ which was very popular during this time period.”

CEDU also began to implement large group awareness therapy, something that would persist throughout future troubled teen programs. Wasserman created a seven-part series of 20-24 hour seminars titled “Propheets.” Each Propheet focused on a different topic, all inspired by Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet.” In addition to the Propheets, students were acquired to attend two workshops. The “I & ME Workshop” and “The Summit Workshop.” The workshops were based on the Lifespring program, which now has developed into Landmark Education. These seminars were highly confrontational and utilized a variety of games, tactics, and large-group therapy to change children’s thought patterns.

A full breakdown of the Propheets and seminars is found on this Wikipedia article.

CEDU operated from 1967-1998, when it was purchased by Brown Schools. Brown Schools went bankrupt in 2005, marking the end for CEDU. Three of the programs, however, were purchased and reopened by Universal Health Services and are still currently operating today.

Today’s Troubled Teen Industry

Behavior Modification Centers, Bootcamps, Wilderness Therapy Programs, Residential Treatment Facilities, and Christian Treatment Facilities have flourished in recent years.

The majority of these programs utilize the same methods employed by Synanon and CEDU, including attack therapy, large group awareness training, levels and point systems, strict authoritarian leadership, and harsh punishments. In 2008, there were an estimated 650 private, nongovernmental residential treatment programs in the US alone.

Some of the most notable offspring from the Synanon movement are The Elan School, Straight Inc, The Seed, Kids Inc, The Pathway Center, and the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs (WWASP).