NCJ Number
220176
Date Published
October 2007
Length
38 pages
Annotation
This testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor reports on the findings of a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) study that examined allegations regarding the abuse and death of youth enrolled in residential treatment programs for troubled youth, including those programs that refer to themselves as wilderness therapy, boot camps, and academies.
Abstract
The study found thousands of allegations of abuse in these programs between 1990 and 2007, some of which involved death. These allegations have been recorded by State agencies and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Allegations are also detailed in pending civil and criminal cases with hundreds of plaintiffs. During 2005 alone, 33 States reported 1,619 staff members were involved in abuse incidents in residential programs for youth. GAO's detailed examination of 10 closed civil or criminal cases from 1990 through 2004 involved the deaths of youth while they were enrolled in a private residential program. There was significant evidence of ineffective management implicated in most of the 10 cases. This resulted in the hiring of untrained staff, a lack of adequate nourishment for residents, and reckless or negligent operating practices. Study data were obtained from police reports, autopsy reports, and State agency oversight reviews and investigations. GAO did not attempt to evaluate the benefits of residential treatment programs or verify the factors regarding the thousands of allegations it reviewed. Illustrative photos and 1 table