By Kariana: 2007-2011 I was sent to the Lighthouse as a child under the belief that it was a place of safety, structure, and Christian guidance. I was told it would help me, protect me, and lead me closer to God. What I experienced instead was an environment of control, fear, and abuse that caused [...]

By Anonymous: 2009-2010 I was locked in my room 99% of the time as a 13-year-old girl. I was only allowed out to clean. I got swine flu and was given no medication and was isolated with little food and water and nobody checked on me. I fell and hit my head to where I [...]

By Katie: 1999 One night in early 1999, I was feeling like I was having another sinus infection. I had already slept a bit that day and it was early at night for me, but I did remember having a headache and mentioning it to my mom. I remember my mother giving me a red [...]

By Lathrop: 1998-1999 https://www.youtube.com/embed/gGD6Rq-RoAQ?si=VSQTJLJ_Vh3GPXBk

By Meg: 2001-2004 I was 15 years old in February of 2001 when I was abducted in the middle of the night by two people who told me that I had to “come with them”. They were very clear about my lack of choice in the matter by stating “we can do this the easy [...]

By Sasha: 2007 My name is Sasha Oates and I am a survivor of multiple abusive programs. When I was 14, I was struggling with self harm, depression, and an eating disorder. In April of 2007, I was taken from a psychiatric hospital by two transporters, put on a plane, and arrived in Salt Lake [...]

By Anonymous: 2014-2015 I’m a survivor of Heritage RTC, aka the Heritage Community, in Provo, Utah. I was sent to Heritage by my school district due to being suspended for getting into fights with other classmates, however I strongly suspect that my autism diagnosis was a major factor in the district’s decision to place me [...]

By Julianne: 2004-2006 When I was 14 years old I was sent, against my will, to a residential treatment center in Utah. It was a Mormon-run, working cattle ranch. I had no history of drugs, violence, alcohol abuse, sex addiction, shopping addiction, any kind of addiction at all. I was sent to this program because [...]

By Bailey: 2018-2021 I was 13 when I emerged from the woods after a long and grueling 3 months at wilderness. I was 13 when they took me to Maple Lake Academy; I was a child. I still had hope at that point. When my parents wrote a letter to me during my stay at [...]

By Heather: 2010-2013 When I was 17 years old, I was dropped off at Teen challenge of San Antonio by my mother. I was an angry teen whose father abandoned her and had endured quite a bit of abuse growing up. None-the-less, an angry teen. We were forced to work in awful weather conditions for [...]