New York Times Underplays Boot Camp Abuse, Lack
of Success
August 17 2005
Maia Szalavitz
Story examines "promising
business opportunity"
The New York Times weighs in
on the business side of residential programs for troubled teenagers
(8/17/05) today, looking at how they have become highly attractive
to investors.
But the paper of record
takes a curious perspective on these programs—claiming, with no
evidence whatsoever, that today’s centers are not the “tough boot
camps” of the past and that they “combine therapy and education”
often in an outdoor setting.
In fact, the largest player
in the industry, the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs (WWASP),
provides no therapy at all in its basic programs and there are no
educational requirements at all for the staff who lead the “groups”
where teens discuss their emotional problems. The program relies on
the intense confrontation and strict punishment that are the
hallmarks of the “tough love” approach.
The Times played down abuse
allegations (and confirmed cases) which have long plagued the
industry, quoting unnamed “officials at several companies” who
blamed the incidents on “a handful of less reputable programs.” That
“handful,” however, is made up of some of the biggest organizations
in the industry.
WWASP, for example, which
currently holds some 2,500 teens in its American and foreign
programs, has been dogged by numerous claims of abuse. Its New York
facility is currently being investigated by New York state attorney
general Eliot Spitzer. The group has had no less than nine
affiliates shut down following abuse reports and/or government
investigations—Mexico alone has shuttered three of them.
The Times reports that the
CEDU chain of schools, again, a large industry player which uses
tough confrontation, is a takeover target and that it closed down
recently because of lawsuits filed by former students. But the
article didn’t note that those lawsuits were related to abuse. The
Times also mentions the Provo Canyon School, but didn’t report that
it was the loser in a Supreme Court case in which it was charged
with abuse and is the subject of an internet campaign to shut it
down for abuse.
Even weirder, the Times
mentions the ABC reality series “Brat Camp” as a possible source of
increased recruitment for the programs (even as it is calling them
“feel good” not “tough love”). But it fails to note that two of the
nine participants were arrested following their “treatment” before
the series even finished airing. That wouldn’t seem to be the
greatest advertisement.
What’s most curious,
however, is that while the story says that the, “the programs
acknowledge that their type of therapy does not work for all
teenagers,” and that parents often can’t tell whether the programs
worked or their child just grew up, it does not question whether
there is any scientific evidence regarding the efficacy of such
facilities.
Existing already data shows
that tough tactics do not reform troubled teens and that grouping
delinquent teens together is likely to make their problems worse,
not better—whether the programs are labeled “therapy” or “boot
camp.” An NIH consensus statement on the state of the science said
that “boot camps, and other “get tough” programs often exacerbate
problems,” rather than helping teens.
Researchers who have studied
teen treatment universally say that residential care should only be
used as an absolute last resort—and that usually, even the most
troubled teens can be safely (and more effectively) treated at home.
The article notes that teen
programs “fall through the regulatory cracks” and that they are
rarely covered by insurance. This makes them attractive to investors
because changes in coverage won’t wipe them out—as happened to
earlier rehabs when managed care hit.
That may be good for
business. However, the Times shouldn’t downplay the industry’s long
history of abuse, its complete lack of evidence for effectiveness,
and the potential for such investors to lose big when those things
finally come to light.
[Note: Maia Szalavitz is the
author of the forthcoming Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen
Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids,Riverhead, Feb 06].
For original article, click here:
http://www.stats.org/record.jsp?type=news&ID=510
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