Latest news with #ProvoCanyonSchool
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Don't believe Paris Hilton's bull about the ‘troubled teen' industry
Paris Hilton was back in the spotlight — not for a new reality show, but as the face of a movement to abolish youth residential treatment. Her claims of abuse at a Utah facility in the 1990s helped launch the viral #BreakingCodeSilence campaign, which has since inspired a dozen state laws, a federal law, and an upcoming Netflix dramatization of the 'troubled teen industry.' The message pushed by Hilton and other self-identified 'survivors' is clear: All residential programs are abusive by design. But behind the documentaries, exposés, and TikTok testimonials lies a far more complex truth. 5 Paris Hilton has gone public about her teenage mental health struggles and has become an unlikely activist against teenage residential treatment facilities. Here she testifies before Congress in 2024 to share her story. Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images Residential treatment isn't where parents send kids for typical teenage rebellion — it's often a last resort for kids in crisis. These programs vary widely — from locked psychiatric facilities to wilderness therapy — in structure, clinical intensity, and quality. Some serve suicidal, psychotic, or violent youth under 24/7 supervision. Others help emotionally dysregulated or developmentally delayed teens stabilize and learn life skills. Hilton isn't calling for oversight or reform. She's repeatedly declared that it's her personal mission to shut down the 'troubled teen industry.' When asked what parents should do instead, she's suggested grounding their kids or taking away their phones. That's not a serious solution for families in psychiatric crisis. It's the mental-health equivalent of 'defund the police' — a call to dismantle a vital system with no viable alternative. 5 The Provo Canyon School, where both the author and celebrity Paris Hilton were treated for adolescent mental health issues. The consequences are already visible. Since 2021, Oregon, Michigan, and Utah have passed laws restricting physical restraint in treatment settings. Hilton testified for the Oregon and Utah bills, helping to push them over the finish line. The result? Programs have turned away hundreds of high-acuity youth they can no longer serve. Emergency rooms, juvenile detention, and homeless shelters are left to absorb the fallout, straining resources for others in need. Facilities report a significant increase in staff assaults, riots, and calls to police. Activist rhetoric has discouraged parents from seeking residential care, and youth in treatment are increasingly resistant to engaging with the therapeutic process. Oregon and Michigan are now considering reversing some of the reforms. 5 Hilton protests in front of Provo Canyon School, where she spent time as a 'troubled teen.' AP Child abuse allegations against staff have soared — the vast majority unsubstantiated — leaving workers afraid to intervene for fear of triggering an investigation. Staff turnover is rising not only due to escalating violence but also because many have been doxxed, threatened, or seen their facilities targeted by bomb threats. Hilton's followers flood review sites with horror stories, often from people who never attended the programs. Some facilities have shut down due to the reputational damage. What's happening now reflects broader national trends — and echoes the long arc of deinstitutionalization. Under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's 'transformation plan,' New York eliminated one-third of youth beds in state psychiatric hospitals and more than half of residential mental health beds. Promised community-based care never fully materialized. Since 2010, the US has lost 61% of youth residential programs. Now, suicidal and complex children wait days, weeks, or months in ERs for treatment beds that no longer exist. These ERs were never meant to manage psychiatric crises, but are now the fallback as residential capacity collapses. Research shows that 26-33% of youth mental health ER visits and mobile crisis calls involve repeat users — the very individuals who would benefit most from long-term care to break the cycle. 5 Under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's 'transformation plan,' New York eliminated one-third of youth beds in state psychiatric hospitals and more than half of residential mental health beds, according to reports. Robert Miller Hilton's campaign hasn't addressed the crisis—it's only deepened it. She's urged lawmakers to act on a decades-old story that doesn't reflect current realities. The movement she leads is dominated by wealthy white women with little awareness of the kids actually served, most from foster care and juvenile justice. Media outlets have played a role, rejecting hundreds of op-eds in favor of sensational abuse stories, while ignoring those offering a different view. At 15, after a sexual assault and suicide attempt, I was sent to Provo Canyon School — the same facility Hilton attended and now campaigns to shut down. It was tough and structured, but not abusive. 5 Most programs are licensed, regulated, and often outperform short-term crisis care. – It gave me time to stabilize and learn coping skills so that I could return home safely. Stories like mine — of kids who benefited — rarely make headlines, even though they represent a silent majority. I recently authored a report for the Manhattan Institute examining anti-treatment claims, including that abuse is 'systemic.' The evidence doesn't support it. Most programs are licensed, regulated, and often outperform short-term crisis care. Federal data show they are no more dangerous than general hospitals. The answer to imperfect care can't be no care at all. Which is why policymakers must stop fawning over celebrities — and start listening to data. Christina Buttons is an investigative reporter at the Manhattan Institute.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Paris Hilton urges WV senators to pass bill to protect minors in residential treatment facilities
Celebrity hotel heiress Paris Hilton poses for photographs outside the U.S. Capitol on the day the House of Representatives is set to vote on The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act on December 17, 2024 in Washington, DC. Citing her own traumatizing experience at Provo Canyon School in Utah when she was a teenager, Hilton has lobbied for three years for the legislations that would place greater federal safeguards on institutional youth treatment programs. (Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images) A Senate bill that aims to prevent abuse of minors in West Virginia's residential treatment programs has backing from Paris Hilton, who sent a letter to state lawmakers urging them to pass the legislation. Heiress, model and actress Hilton, who says she was abused in residential treatment facilities as a teen, said the legislation establishes 'essential protections' for children. 'West Virginia has the chance to lead by example and set a higher standard of care and safety for vulnerable youth,' Hilton wrote in a letter to members of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Resources. Senate Bill 817 would require state licensure for private adolescent residential programs and some outdoor or boot camp experiences that aim to help children with behavioral or mental health issues. The Senate Health Committee advanced the legislation Thursday. The measure also mandates background checks for staff and bans the use of physical discipline. Children couldn't be deprived of basic rights, including education, and must have regular, unsupervised video communication with their parents. 'We have had horrible things happen to our children in West Virginia,' said Sen. Laura Chapman, R-Ohio, who sponsored the measure. 'This bill requires licensure of these programs so that there is some oversight and accountability.' Miracle Meadows, a now-defunct West Virginia boarding school, was accused in 2014 of sexually and physically abusing students over the course of decades. Settlements in civil action lawsuits over the allegations now total $100 million, according to attorneys representing victims. 'I became aware of the idea for this bill because of my involvement as a fellow in the nationwide Future Caucus. Hilton is a champion of this legislation because of her own experiences of abuse when she was a child,' Chapman said. Hilton testified before Congress last year that she had been violently restrained, stripped of clothing and put into solitary confinement. She says the industry needs to be more regulated. Following her advocacy, Congress passed its own legislation in December requiring more oversight of youth residential treatment facilities. West Virginia has a number of in-state residential providers that serve children in foster care or those who are placed there by their families. 'Many of the families who turn to these kinds of programs don't fully understand the unlicensed and unregulated nature of these programs, who sadly then discover this when there's been some type of issue with child abuse,' said Caroline Cole, strategic advocacy lead of Hilton's advocacy organization, 11:11 Impact. Cole spoke to lawmakers via virtual testimony. Sarah Riley is the executive director of High Rocks Educational Corporation, which operates an outdoor educational camp for youth in Pocahontas County. She supports the legislation's intention to prevent child abuse but brought up concerns about how it would be implemented, like its requirement that parents have unsupervised video communication with their child. 'You know that we have challenges with technology and connectivity … in pockets all across the state. We don't have the technology infrastructure in parts of West Virginia to support a high-quality, reliable video call.' Riley also pushed for more clarity about which programs the bill would apply to since there are numerous outdoor learning programs across the state. It should apply to programs that have a therapeutic element to them, she said. Certain West Virginia youth programs are exempt from the requirements, including Mountaineer Challenge Academy, which is regulated in a separate section of state code. The bill doesn't include recreational programs like Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or 4-H clubs, and it also exempts faith-related camps and activities. 'I think the intention of this bill I support 100%,' Riley said. West Virginia's Office of Inspector General would be charged with establishing legislative rules to regulate the facilities, according to the bill. Residential treatment programs would be subject to losing their operating license for failure to follow the bill's requirements. The measure now heads to the Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Yahoo
Springville teen treatment center cited after staff harms teen — and it's not the first time
PROVO, Utah (ABC4) — A youth behavioral treatment center in Utah County was cited with non-compliance after a video allegedly showed a staff member striking a teenager while they were physically restrained. The placed conditions on Provo Canyon School's Springville Campus earlier this month, claiming the center harmed or mistreated a client. 'The Department is issuing these conditions on the license because of the Licensee's conduct adverse to the standards required to provide services and promote public trust, including aiding, abetting, or permitting the commission of abuse, harm, or mistreatment,' the DHHS document reads. Education Department threatens to pull federal funding over DEI programs — But Utah's likely in the clear Provo Canyon School describes itself as 'an intensive, psychiatric residential treatment center' that works with clients aged 12 to 17 with mental or behavioral challenges. The treatment center says it offers therapy interventions and training as well as academic instruction. On Dec. 1, 2024, DHHS said video footage showed a staff member striking a client while they were restrained. The department inspected the center two days after the video was taken and found that the center was not compliant with licensing regulations, as they had allegedly failed 'to keep a client free from harm or acts of violence.' On Feb. 5, DHHS sent a notice to the treatment center that conditions were being placed on its license due to noncompliance with regulations. The notice said this was not the first time the center had been cited with non-compliance for failing to keep a teenager 'free from harm,' referring to six other incidents since 2023 in which a client was harmed or mistreated. reached out to Provo Canyon School for comment but has yet to receive a response. Due to the December incident, DHHS is requiring that the campus in Springville comply with additional conditions in order to keep its license. First, the center must allow, and pay the cost of, additional monitoring inspections. The center is required to pay nearly $400 per inspection. The center is also required to give an in-person training on mistreatment and violence where staff will read, review, and sign a code of conduct. Finally, the center must inform clients and their guardians of the DHHS conditions and post a notice of them on campus and its website until May of this year. Provo Canyon School is known, in part, for its connection to celebrity Paris Hilton who, in recent years, has been vocal about her time spent at the treatment center in the late 1990s when she was 17 years old. According to the Associated Press, Hilton has since fought to close the center, calling her experience 'traumatizing' and detailing abuse allegations in a documentary called 'This is Paris.' While the treatment center has not provided comment on the most recent DHHS conditions, it previously published a statement for the media clarifying that the school was sold in 2000 and now operates under new ownership. The statement continued to say that the center does not 'condone or promote any form of abuse' and any allegations of such are immediately reported to authorities. 'We work with extremely complex individuals who often present a danger to themselves and others. Provo Canyon School is committed to the safety of our students and staff,' the statement read. The DHHS notice can be read below: UHS-of-Provo-Canyon-dba-Springville-Campus-02_05_2025Download Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
