Residential treatment program abuse and neglect
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Residential Treatment Abuse Questions
Therapeutic residential treatment programs for teens have become a billion-dollar industry. Though they go by many different names - teens wilderness programs, therapeutic boarding schools, emotional growth boarding schools, behavioral therapy boarding schools, residential treatment centers for troubled teens, juvenile boot camp programs, teen drug addiction treatment centers, behavior modification programs – all share in one common goal – to make money. Yet, it is irresponsible and negligent for such facilities to place profits over the safety of our children. At Carlson Injury Law, we have handled multi-million dollar cases helping parents and their children get the justice they deserve.
Please call today for a free and confidential case consultation. Be assured that any conversation about your situation with our firm is confidential. When we respond to an inquiry, we do so with the sensitivity, respect and the discretion necessary to provide meaningful feedback. If you prefer to speak with us directly regarding your incident, please call us or send a confidential email.
What do I need to know about hiring a lawyer?
Yes. Utah has very specific laws regarding what is required in terms of bringing a claim against these facilities. Unfortunately, many out-of-state lawyers have lost cases for their clients because they are unaware of Utah’s intricate procedural requirements in making a claim against a therapeutic boarding school or similar facility. Moreover, in the event a lawsuit has to be filed, the lawyer must be licensed with the state of Utah in order to bring a lawsuit. At Carlson Injury Law we have worked with many out-of-state lawyers who have asked us for assistance in bringing a claim in Utah. If you have already hired an attorney, but are looking for a lawyer in Utah, we would gladly speak with your attorney to see what we can do to help you get the justice and compensation you deserve.
Signs of abuse
Detecting signs of abuse can be difficult since these programs have strict restrictions on children communicating with anyone outside of the program. Nevertheless, the following policies should raise serious red flags that abuse may be occurring:
- The facility does not allow you to visit the program
- Calls between you and your child are “monitored” by staff members
- They tell you to expect that your child will lie to you while in the program, and encourage you not to believe reports of abuse because these will be “attempts at manipulation.”
- The facility monitors family visits with no opportunities to have private discussion with your child
- Failures to contact you immediately in the case of illness, injury, emergency or treatment changes
- The facility uses harsh and excessive discipline practices that include: seclusion, restraint, corporal punishment, punitive “behavioral modification,” fear tactics, humiliation, peer-on-peer discipline / peer pressure, forced labor, heightened physiological stress* or sedation by medication
- Changes in your child’s behavior - such as, aggression, anger, hostility or hyperactivity
- Changes in your child’s forms of communication (such as attempting to call instead of email and requests for in-person visits)
- Unusual health complaints from your child (headaches, stomach aches, etc.)
- A decline in your child’s academic performance
- Attempts by your child to run away from the facility
- Threats of self-harm and attempts at suicide
- Unexplained fractures, bruises, and cuts
Injuries that don’t match the given explanation.