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CAICA
COALITION
AGAINST INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD
ABUSE
Compelling
film about teen rehabs gone bad – Part 1
Over the GW –an advocate’s point of view
May 28, 2007
By Isabelle Zehnder ©
www.caica.org
I am honored
to have been one of the first to see Director Nick Gaglia’s profound
film, Over the GW - a film about a world that existed a few years
ago just over the George Washington Bridge in New Jersey when Nick
was a teen. A world that, sadly, still exists today I. Zehnder
Over the GW
is a poignant film based on a real life experience in a cult-like
rehab center that preys on vulnerable children, teens, and their
parents – programs that are still widespread. It is a frightening
look at what went on behind closed doors then - and sadly -
what goes on behind closed doors today.
The actors of the
film did an excellent job at capturing the essence of what youth
endured at KIDS, Inc., New Jersey, a spin-off of Straight, Inc.
One of the first
things Kether Donohue (Sofia), the lead actress in the film
told me was, “These kids don’t have a voice – they cannot tell
anyone what is going on.” She’s right.
Kether was deep
in thought when she asked, “How can staff in these places justify
calling a girl a sex addict when all she did was cut school and
spend time with a guy, something that is just normal teen behavior?
How can staff interrogate a grown sibling about whether or not she’d
ever had a drink, and then label her a ‘druggy’ when she admitted
she drank a little socially? And how could they forbid her to see
her two younger siblings who were in the program?”
She said it
really troubled her to know that kids actually begin believing
things they repeat over and over again. A teen that had never had
sex prior to entering the program was forced to talk about his
sexual experiences. Frustrated when they would not believe him that
he’d never had sex, he blurted out, “OK, I did it with my dog.” He
was forced to repeat that so many times that he actually began to
believe it.
That’s what mind
control is all about. That’s what many of these programs are all
about. And they don’t stop with the kids – they use mind-control on
the parents. Divided are families where one parent is able to be
controlled and the other is not.
Something no
one knew and how the film impacted them
 I
interviewed some of the actors and actresses in the film and was
touched by how much compassion they had for Nick and how his
experiences truly touched their lives. They expressed a deep desire
to help raise awareness through this film.
During my
conversation with Nick, he made it very clear to me that the film
could not have been possible without the help of his crew. What Nick
didn’t tell me was that his crew did not know the film was about him
until the film was finished.
 Except
Kether, that is - she was privy to this information three months
into production. In a recent interview Kether said, “At first he
didn’t tell anyone the film was about him, not even me. Three months
into it we had formed a serious relationship and Nick felt he should
tell me. But, he didn’t want the others to know. He did not want
people feeling sorry for him because he’s not a person to wallow in
self-pity. He wanted it to be about the kids and not about him.” She
said he succeeded.
 George
Gallagher (Tony) said he was the first person after Kether to find
out that Kids, Inc. of New Jersey was a real place and that it was
based on Nick’s experiences. During his research for post-production
George asked Nick the name of the rehab he’d been in. George said,
“It was then that I started reading about Kids, Inc. and all of the
abuse, and the very specific things that were in the film. That’s
when I realized it wasn’t fiction and it wasn’t about research Nick
had done on these types of facilities. It was in fact Nick himself
who had been exposed to this type of treatment.” He said, “It wasn’t
until everything was done that Nick told everyone else that he’d
actually been there – that this was actually his story. Thinking
about what went on in that place – sexual abuse, sleep-deprivation,
ruptured appendix. It was hard knowing that my best friend went
through all of this. It’s hard for me to imagine he’s still walking
and talking. I don’t know if I could have returned to society after
being an inmate in one of these places. I might have contemplated
suicide.”
 In
an interview with Albert Insinnia (Law & Order: Special Victims
Unit Lt. Pizzelli), he said “I felt a great deal of compassion
for Nick. I kind of wished I had known. I felt a new respect that
having gone through that he followed through by putting this movie
together.” Albert said he was truly touched by this movie and that
he had no idea this industry existed.
He said playing
the main staff, Dr. Hiller, was difficult because he was not
accustomed to “getting in kids’ faces”. “It was a hard role to play,
but it was worthwhile. I felt I did something meaningful. And after
our conversation today, I feel prouder to be a part of this. You and
Nick have really opened my eyes and I feel really good exposing
something that’s hurting people.” He said he felt he had to express
years into minutes, a very challenging thing for any actor to do.
Albert said it’s not the end, he plans to help Nick and I work
towards a solution to this growing national problem. He said, “I’m
at a point in my life where I’d like to do something to give back. I
want to help stop this from happening to more kids.”
 Justin
Swain played James, a bully in the film. Justin, too, did not
know the film was about Nick. He said, “I was just an actor hired to
do a job. I found it a challenge to do some of the things Nick was
asking me to do. My immediate reactions were ‘I’m playing the
character, but what you’re having me do is weird. Like motivating
and restraining seemed brutal’. While I played the role I actually
began to feel a conviction, like I was actually helping the kids. I
could see the allure of the higher staff who wanted to become
God-like figures because I could feel it – I had to justify the
strange and cruel behavior coming out of my character.” When he
found out this was Nick’s story all he could say initially was, “I
can’t believe this really happened to you.” Justin told me that
before he accepted this role he had no idea these things really
happened to kids - certainly not in America.
 GR
Johnson (Mr. Morris) said Nick didn’t tell the crew the film
was about him. GR suspected it was. He said, “When I read the
script, and the reason I loved it so much, was that it seemed so
real to me. I knew nothing about this world and the very specific
things written in the script made me believe Nick somehow knew what
he was talking about. I thought, ‘Maybe it’s him, maybe it’s not,
maybe it was someone close to Nick who was in this situation.’ But I
never had the urge to go up and ask him, ‘What was it really like in
a program?’ I didn’t need to – it was all in the script.” GR said
that for him it makes the movie more powerful knowing it is about
Nick’s experiences as he remembers them.
 John
Presnell (composer) said, “I came on board toward the end so
there wasn’t much time. I watched the film and dreamt about the
imagery overnight. The film was disturbing and a creepy theme rolled
over in my head. I met the others and shared the music. They all
loved it right away.” John said he’d never written music to a film
before but had hoped that this opportunity would come his way. He
said, “Nick was able to create an atmosphere and I was able to
create the music to go with it.” John shared with me that he never
knew something like this existed and that he does not believe a
person can be changed through intimidation. “I felt it was very
disturbing when the counselor grabbed the girl by the hair and when
they were restraining a guy on the floor.” John believes these types
of programs should be abolished – it’s that simple.
John’s final
comment was, “The film was harrowing.”
Megan Ribera (Jennifer)
said Nick never disclosed to her that the film was about him. Megan
didn’t realize it was real and thought Nick had a very good
imagination to come up with such a script. She said, “When I found
out it was his story, after the film was completely done, it all
started to make sense. I wasn’t completely shocked by it, but I
wondered why he hadn’t told us sooner. It made everything click and
made me understand Nick better. I feel a level of respect for Nick
that he could take his experience and put it into a film – it is
amazing. I wish I could take my life experience and do something
like this.”
Why am I not
surprised?
Over the past
four years I have spoken to a great number of victims and their
families who have been abused in teen rehab programs or other
programs that sell themselves as “boarding schools” and “residential
treatment centers.” Yet I had never spoken to anyone who attended
KIDS, Inc. of New Jersey – not until last week when I interviewed
Nick Gaglia, the Director of the film.
So why, then, was
I not surprised at the things Nick told me? It was disturbing and
painful – it just wasn’t anything new to me - kids who are
psychologically and mentally abused and broken down by staff,
brutally restrained, made to lie on floors for months, parents and
kids who are brainwashed, to name but a few. Families that were torn
apart on the guise they would be brought back together again.
Why? Because as
the Founder and President of the Coalition Against Institutionalized
Child Abuse (CAICA), and as a Child and Family Advocate, I receive
calls on a near-daily basis from people whose stories mirror Nick’s.
Straight, Inc.
- KIDS, Inc. – WWASPS
One might ask,
since the program Nick attended is closed why would I be interested
in his story and in this film? And why would Nick, a victim who
endured years of severe abuse, spend countless hours, days, weeks,
and years recounting the abuse, writing the script, and producing
this film?
Because Nick and
I know something – we know that years ago there existed a world for
children and teens - a world most people know nothing about and if
they do they are reluctant to admit it has touched their lives. We
also know that while these programs are closed others have taken
their place. Children and teens today continue to be abused,
neglected, and continue to die behind closed doors of what parents
believe are “boarding schools” and “behavior modification programs”
for their kids.
 It
is a world that defies the very core of the Geneva Convention
and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a world that
allows torture, cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment. A world
subjected to exile, where its victims lose their ability to
communicate with the outside world, and where they are kept from
their home and family. A world where they are often denied proper
medical attention and access to a proper education.
A world where
there is not liberty and justice, for all!
Tens of thousands
of children and teens each year are being sent away to Residential
Treatment Centers, Therapeutic Boarding Schools, Wilderness
Programs, Boot Camps, and other programs. While some parents send
their children and teens to these programs because they are at their
wits’ end and feel they can no longer cope, it is important to note
others are simply looking for a “boarding school” experience for
their child. Some parents simply don’t have time in today’s busy
world to deal with their children and teens and they are looking to
others for help.
In their haste
parents have turned to the Internet for help. What they don’t know
is there are literally hundreds of websites leading parents to the
same umbrella group of programs that are affiliated with the World
Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS). Google
Teen, Help for Teen, Troubled Teen, Teen Drugs, and you will be
directed to hundreds of websites that lead back to WWASPS programs.
For example,
Teen Revitalization
does not mention they are affiliated with WWASPS yet it is obvious
the programs they promote are WWASPS-affiliated or have been WWASPS-affiliated
in the past. Programs that want no affiliation with WWASPS yet still
have the same directors overseeing their operations.
The
Costa Rica program
listed on their website is said to be WWASPS-affiliated and replaced
the facility that was shut down by the Costa Rican government.
The
Jamaican program listed on
their website appears to be the WWASPS-affiliated Tranquility Bay
program. There have been
multiple reports of
abuse.
The
Utah program for
children ages 7-14 appears to be the WWASPS-affiliated Majestic
Ranch program. You can read about four former employees who came
forward and testified that children were being
severely abused at
this program in the
Majestic Ranch Report: A Living
Nightmare for Kids.
These are just a
few examples of how websites can easily mislead desperate parents
looking for help for their children and teens.
Google WWASPS and
you will see there is no end to the amount of bad publicity they
have received.
They are slick!
Today’s marketing agents and program directors have a way of
convincing parents that their child or teen is headed down a dark
and dreary path – when sometimes all the parent said the child had
done was smoke cigarettes or had slipping grades.
Some kids are
addicted to drugs and need help, and for those kids there are some
good and safe programs. What I am trying to point out is that
abusive programs try to convince parents that whatever behavior
their child is exhibiting will ultimately lead them to becoming
addicted to drugs, and ultimately will lead them to death. And often
they succeed. These are the same tactics that were used years ago in
Straight, Inc., KIDS, Inc., and others.
WWASPS continues
to house thousands of American children in their programs both
inside and outside the US.
They sell many of
their programs as
Boarding Schools with a therapeutic
Component for teens or
co-educational boarding schools.
According to parents, they will say whatever they believe the parent
wants to hear. If a parent is looking for a program for their
drug-addicted child, they have a program for that. If a parent is
looking for a program for their 4.0 student headed for college, they
have a program for that. If a parent is looking for help with their
child who suffers from ADHD, they have a program for that too. The
problem is they are sending kids with such differing needs to the
same facility.
Parents and
former students have reported there are no therapists on site at
some of their programs. If a child needs to see a therapist the
parent has to pay an additional fee not only for therapy but for
transporting the child to the therapist’s office. Parents have
reported that while they may take a van-full of kids to the same
office, each parent must pay a hefty transport fee.
There are no
teachers standing up teaching kids. Instead, I have received reports
from parents and kids indicating kids are given a textbook, told to
read a chapter, and take a test. Their contracts state they do not
guarantee the child will receive even one school credit – some kids
have remained in their programs for up to five years or more. Some
have paid as much as $60,000 to $80,000 per year and their child did
not even receive a diploma, and some received
bogus diplomas.
Parents and
former students have also reported the programs use a tough-love,
behavior modification approach
with a
brainwashing element,
practicing many of the same tactics as Straight, Inc. and KIDS, Inc.
In fact,
WWASPS President, Ken Kay,
had a short falling out with WWASPS in 2000 and said:
"These people are basically a bunch
of untrained people who work for this organization. So they don't
have credentials of any kind. We could be leading these kids to
long-term problems that we don't have a clue about because we're not
going about it in the proper way. How in the hell can you call
yourself a behavior modification program -- and that's one of the
ways it's marketed – when nobody has the expertise to determine: Is
this good, is this bad?"
Similar to what
occurred at Straight, Inc., and KIDS, Inc., what can typically begin
as a 30-90 day program turns into a traumatic two-year, or more,
stay in programs where children and teens experienced abuse,
brainwashing, and false imprisonment. Parents and kids were, and
are, made to believe the program is the only thing that will keep
the teen alive and sober and if they leave the program surely they
will die.
We have a
problem
Today, there is
no entity looking out for the best interest of these kids who are
locked behind closed doors, whose parents are often lulled into
believing their child is receiving help when in reality many of
their children have been abuse and/or neglected. Many
children have died.
There are no
accurate statistics, no way to track how many children walk through
their doors, and no way to track how many walk out. There is no one
tracking how long these children remain in programs or how long they
go without any contact with the outside world, including
conversations or visits from their own parents. There is no one to
hear their cries for help. There is no way to know if the industry
is helping or harming these kids.
The only attempt
being made to regulate this industry is by the very people who are
running it – owners and directors of programs and people who have a
monetary interest in its survival.
It is my belief
that a system needs to be in place where an outside entity –
one that has no monetary interest in these programs – is given the
ability to monitor their activities. Every facility should be
subjected to unannounced visits.
 Children
and teens should have the ability to report abuse and neglect and
the freedom of being interviewed in a safe and non-threatening
environment and without fear of retaliation. They should be provided
a proper education and they should be afforded prompt medical
attention when needed and should be treated with respect, love, and
dignity.
Parents should
have the freedom to make unannounced visits to see their child and
they should have the freedom to withdraw their child at will.
Staff should not
antagonize and instigate problems with children and teens. They
should use least restrictive, de-escalative techniques whenever
possible and should refrain from abusing and neglecting children and
teens in their care. Staff should be trained and qualified to care
for children and teens with special needs. They should report any
abuse, neglect, and deaths they witness.
What is the
solution?
While there is no
quick fix Nick’s film is a great start. It is a medium by which to
bring awareness to this growing National problem.
After spending
the last four years researching and reporting on this industry, I
have learned that many parents have
lost their confidence
to parent their teens. The family unit has, in many cases, been
broken and often blended families aren’t blending so well.
I often receive
phone calls from frantic parents about to send their child to a
program. I have learned that oftentimes if they slow down, take a
breath, and reassess the situation, we can work through the issues
that lead the parent to feel they had lost control over their
children and teens.
Many parents have
reported their children did not get the help they expected when they
sent them to a program. And worse, some report their child was
abused or neglected. These parents have told me if they knew then
what they know now they would never have sent their child away. I
have been instrumental in helping these families as the child
reintegrates into society.
Most devastating
are the calls I receive from sobbing mothers whose children have
died at the hands of those who were supposed to be there to help
them. What do you tell a mother who tells you her son was brutally
beaten and restrained before he died? What do you tell an aunt when
you both find out her little seven-year old niece lost control of
her bodily functions while she was restrained for an hour by a
250-pound staff? What do you tell a mother who tells you her son was
very ill with obvious signs and the signs were ignored – and now her
son is dead? I create
memorial websites and
sometimes
sponsor others. I try
to comfort them and try to help get their stories out there for the
world to know. But I cannot explain the pain I feel in the fact that
there is nothing in the world I can do to bring their children back.
All I can do is try to raise awareness so other children will not
die the way their babies died.
There came a
point when I could no longer sit idly by researching and reporting
without being able to provide options and alternatives to families.
So, I gave up my legal career that took 12 hours out of my day and
decided to continue my advocacy work for CAICA while coaching
parents and teens. Whenever possible I work to keep families
together and when it’s not, I work to help them find safe options.
How the film
has impacted me
When Kether
called to ask if I would support Nick’s film I said I would have to
review it before endorsing it. Ten minutes into my interview with
Nick the day before I watched the film there was no question – he
would have my full support. His words cut to the core of me. His
story was all too familiar and all too painful.
After watching
the trailer of the film I knew I would not be able to watch the film
alone. My husband sat in awe as he watched what went on behind
closed doors, his eyes opened wider to the problems facing children,
teens, and their parents. As we watched a brother and sister sitting
not far from each other yet unable to speak to one another it
brought back memories of the stories I heard from a boy who was
taken from us.
He was taken to a
facility in
Western Samoa and the
next two years of his life were hell. As bad as it was I could not
understand why his parents would not listen and sent their two
youngest daughters to equally abusive programs – one daughter was in
a program in
Mexico that was shut
down for abuse. Rather than bring her home they sent her to
another program under
the same umbrella of programs.
I remember
stories of his sisters, girls I had known since they were little,
that I had watched dance around their yard showing me their
“ballerina” moves, girls who had never been in a trouble. How these
sisters were sent to the same facility (one was there a year and a
half before the other arrived) yet they could not look at one
another or speak to one another. While it was hard to believe this
could happen, I did believe them.
Watching the film
validated what I had envisioned happened to them.
These three
children are my inspiration – they, and all of the other children
and families who have been touched by the dark side of this industry
are why CAICA exists.
Nick created a
profound film that I find to be in line with issues that continue to
surround children and teens today. While the program Nick attended
has since been shut down, the problem is far from being resolved.
What was so
powerful when I watched the film was that I have seen this story
played over and over in my own mind. Not because I attended a
program like the one Nick attended, but because I have spent the
past four years trying to shed light to what I have learned children
and teens continue to go through in similar settings.
What I saw in the
film reminded me of the countless stories I hear on a nearly daily
basis of children and teens, their parents, friends, and relatives,
who have been touched by this pervasive problem that continues in
our country.
I hope to work
with Nick on his next film to shed light on what continues to happen
to families in this country, and to give victims a sense that people
really do care about what they have been through. In order to effect
change our country is going to need to wake up to the fact that tens
of thousands of children and teens today continue to be housed in
institutions, facilities, and programs. Many are sent there by their
unsuspecting parents who continue to be brainwashed in this
cult-like environment while others are court-appointed by judges as
an alternative to entering the Juvenile Justice System.
Compelling film about teen
rehabs gone bad – Part 1
Over the GW –an advocate’s point of view (click
here)
Compelling film about teen
rehabs gone bad – Part 2
Don’t get stung by WWASPS – it’s easier than you think
Over the GW –an advocate’s point of view (click
here)
Compelling film about teen
rehabs gone bad – Part 3
Parents desperate for help
Over the GW –an advocate’s point of view (click
here)
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