'Snatched from their beds by strangers': Inside the multi-billion dollar 'troubled teen' industry

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'They sent her home in a box' There are more than a hundred troubled teen facilities in Utah alone, a sparsely populated state of 3.3 million people. Sky's US correspondent Martha Kelner reports from Utah on the 'troubled teen' industry in the US

Taylor was native American, a member of the Stillaguamish tribe in Washington state.

"She had a new baby niece who she saw pictures of while she was at Diamond Ranch but never got to meet. Her heart was so big and she cared about everybody."Taylor's dad said she cancelled their final scheduled phone call because she was too unwell but says he had no idea about the extent of her illness.On 20 December, he was preparing for Christmas and had posted Taylor's presents the previous day so they would arrive at Diamond Ranch on that Tuesday.

An investigation by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services found that Diamond Ranch Academy was aware Taylor was ill and did not take her to the hospital or to receive further medical care or evaluation. An investigation by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services found that Diamond Ranch Academy was aware Taylor was ill and did not take her to the hospital or to receive further medical care or evaluation.

At Diamond Ranch Academy, Matt Thomas claims that letters were checked by staff members before sending."If they tried to mail a letter off to their parents, it would get sent back with corrections on it."You can't say this. You can't say that." Even their letters were getting redacted, so that certain information wasn't leaving the school.

When asked if she was shocked about the circumstances surrounding Taylor's death, a tear rolls down Shayrena's cheek. "My feet were taken from underneath me and I was dropped to the floor and they started doing the pressure points," she says. While at troubled teen schools, communication between children and their families is often severely restricted and carefully monitored.

Diamond Ranch Academy is no stranger to tragedy and scandal. A 14-year-old boy died of complications from a genetic disorder while attending it in 2009. Shayrena produces two pictures which show her during her time at Diamond Ranch. The first is in colour, she is wearing a hooded jumper with a lake and mountains in the background.

"One of the staff was like 'wipe that look off your face', and I wasn't sure what she was talking about. They were still thinking I had an attitude so they took me to the gym." For nearly a year when she was 16 she was at Provo Canyon School, a psychiatric youth residential school in the town of Springville in the foothills of the Wasatch mountains. Her life there - Hilton told a hearing of politicians in Utah -"was as if hell itself was on Earth".

"We are approached every single day with survivors of this industry who are coming out of these particular programmes and stating that they, too, have been abused," Rebecca says. A spotlight was placed on the troubled teen industry when Paris Hilton revealed she, too, had attended four different residential facilities between the ages of 16 and 18, on one occasion being"kidnapped" from her family's mansion in California and taken to Utah.

Together with Rebecca Mellinger, an impact manager at her company, 11:11 media, Hilton is determined to reform the industry and shut down the worst offending schools. We are there for about 10 minutes before Riley Dias, an admissions director, emerges from the main building on the complex, with headphones in.

"Diamond Ranch Academy is contesting the allegations in the appropriate venues, and will present evidence in court, as opposed to the media. I approach him, explaining that we are working on a story for Sky News about Taylor Goodridge. He says he cannot comment because of HIPAA laws, which protect information from being disclosed without the patient's consent.

"A cursory review of rules governing organisations like DRA reveals that students are allowed an unsupervised, unrecorded, unmonitored confidential conversation with parents at least weekly." "Kids that are picked up in the middle of the night by two large men. There have been kids that have been handcuffed in the past," he says.

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marthakelner The United States has an entire generation of trouble youth.

marthakelner

marthakelner Wonder they are taught or brainwashed with in these backward USA places

marthakelner Is it a camp where a troubled teen goes?

marthakelner Maybe they should have one for the parents first.

marthakelner I pray and release mass deliverance; over the battered/oppressed/ conflicted/ afflicted/ confused/ inglorious…..JESUS, touch and intervene quickly/ divine miracles in JESUS NAME. Amen

marthakelner Didn't we have all this about 20 years or so ago?

Great idea. Perfect for the U.K.

Don't disrupt the Cash cow.💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰

Hi boo boo you father Harish Jayaraj and mother bank account ATM hacking Raj money so you family name thief is going on update for all over world for eyes you come get out your thief in going on the all over world your families father your mother 👀🧭☀️🚀👀🇮🇳👀

Child abuse pure and simple - there's a good film about it although it portrays a 'voluntary' system rather than literal kidnapping: The Miseducation of Cameron Post

Canada had an issue with this in the 90s

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