LOS ANGELES - Marylandian -- A newly published report in the University of Baltimore Law Review reveals widespread abuse and negligence in the troubled teen industry, where thousands of adolescents suffer mistreatment in unregulated wilderness camps, boot camps, and behavioral health facilities each year. With an estimated 150,000–200,000 teens placed in these programs annually, families entrust their children to facilities promising rehabilitation. However, many teens return home traumatized, and some do not return at all.[1] For more than 30 years, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR) has investigated mistreatment in the troubled teen industry and private psychiatric hospitals. CCHR urges greater transparency, oversight, and protection of youth placed in these programs.

"We have spent decades exposing the harsh reality of these programs, where children are subjected to neglect, abuse, and, in the worst cases, death," said Jan Eastgate, President of CCHR International. "This is not treatment—it is inhumane. We urge families whose children have suffered harm to contact us and seek justice."

Review Highlights Cases of Fatal Neglect

The Law Review cites multiple cases of severe abuse, including the tragic death of a 15-year-old boy who perished at a wilderness therapy camp. Despite his known medical vulnerabilities, he was forced to endure extreme physical hardship and received no medical care as his health deteriorated. He was ultimately found dead in his sleeping bag after days of suffering. His final words in a letter home: "P.S. I want my mommy."

Despite documented deaths in at least 28 states, a federal study confirming systemic abuse, and repeated warnings from advocacy organizations, the troubled teen industry remains largely unregulated. The Law Review urges parents to pursue civil rights action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, invoking the Eighth Amendment's protection against cruel and unusual punishment.[2]

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Eighth Amendment Protections means State actors who exhibit "deliberate indifference" to a child's suffering may be held accountable.

Growing Calls for Reform

Reports from Safer America Consumer Safety Information indicate that many wilderness therapy programs portray themselves as therapeutic and life-changing. However, the 2024 death of a 12-year-old boy from New York at the now-closed Trails Carolina in North Carolina has reignited public outcry against the multi-billion-dollar camp industry.[3]

Studies have found no evidence that wilderness therapy camps effectively rehabilitate troubled youth. Journalist Maia Szalavitz, in her investigative book Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids, stated that the methods used in these programs would violate the Geneva Convention if applied to prisoners of war.[4]

In May 2023, Montana introduced protections increasing oversight of private adolescent residential programs, requiring frequent onsite inspections by the Department of Public Health and Human Services.[5] However, further action is needed.

In January 2025, Kody Kinsley, North Carolina's outgoing Secretary of Health and Human Services, called for a ban on wilderness therapy camps. "I don't think wilderness therapy camps have a place in our continuum of care in North Carolina. The law needs to be changed to permanently remove these licenses, so they don't exist," Kinsley stated.[6] The state has yet to act on this recommendation, underscoring the need for a national ban.

Call to Action: Protect Children's Rights

If your child has suffered abuse in a wilderness camp, behavioral program, or residential treatment facility, legal avenues are available to hold those responsible accountable. Constitutional law provides a critical pathway for justice, ensuring that no more children endure suffering under the guise of rehabilitation and "tough love."

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Sources:

[1] Elle Johnson, "Torture in the Troubled Teen Industry: Death by Deliberate Indifference," University of Baltimore Law Review, 11 Mar. 2025, ubaltlawreview.com/2025/03/11/torture-in-the-troubled-teen-industry-death-by-deliberate-indifference/

[2] Elle Johnson, "Torture in the Troubled Teen Industry: Death by Deliberate Indifference," University of Baltimore Law Review, 11 Mar. 2025, ubaltlawreview.com/2025/03/11/torture-in-the-troubled-teen-industry-death-by-deliberate-indifference/

[3] "12 Teens Who Died at Wilderness Camps," Safer America Consumer Safety Information, 7 June 2024, safer-america.com/12-teens-who-died-at-wilderness-camps/; "Top regulator calls for ban on wilderness camps in North Carolina 2 children died in 1 decade at North Carolina camp," WBTV 3 News, 14 Jan 2025, www.wbtv.com/2025/01/14/top-regulator-calls-ban-wilderness-camps-north-carolina/

[4] Sam Myers, "Survivors of wilderness therapy camps describe trauma, efforts to end abuses: Programs for 'troubled teens' have history of deceptive marketing, risky practices," Arkansas Advocate, 7 Aug. 2023, arkansasadvocate.com/2023/08/07/dark-forest-a-look-inside-controversial-wilderness-therapy-camps/

[5] Sam Myers, "Survivors of wilderness therapy camps describe trauma, efforts to end abuses: Programs for 'troubled teens' have history of deceptive marketing, risky practices," Arkansas Advocate, 7 Aug. 2023, arkansasadvocate.com/2023/08/07/dark-forest-a-look-inside-controversial-wilderness-therapy-camps/; fastdemocracy.com/bill-search/mt/2023/bills/MTB00011863/

[6] www.cchrint.org/2025/01/31/nc-health-official-urges-ban-on-wilderness-therapy-camps/ citing "Top regulator calls for ban on wilderness camps in North Carolina 2 children died in 1 decade at North Carolina camp," WBTV 3 News, 14 Jan 2025, www.wbtv.com/2025/01/14/top-regulator-calls-ban-wilderness-camps-north-carolina/