Surviving Straight Inc ®

Books - Troubled Teen Industry

Review

"The Dead Inside" by Cyndy Etler (non-fiction)

For me, the worst, most terrifying part of being in Straight Inc. was, as Cyndy called it…the beast (group). Etler nails it in her description. The beast (group) was an instrument of verbal, emotional and psychological abuse. "Positive Peer Pressure" as Straight called it, was actually untrained teenagers attacking, bullying, insulting, belittling, humiliating, screaming, yelling, cursing at and tearing down the victim over and over until the kid was completely destroyed. Kids hurting kids. At any moment, you could be the next target, the one who was viciously ripped to shreds, to the point you would say or do anything to make it stop. And the only way to make it stop, was to "get honest" (real or false confessions), participate in the abuse, "apply your program" and become a compliant robot, a "happy Straightling."

The environment of terror and fear never let up. For me personally, I was terrified the entire time I was in Straight Inc., all 15.5 months and during my “aftercare." As a result, I have PTSD. I’m not the only one either. Many, many Straight survivors have PTSD because of Straight. Some survivors even committed suicide because of Straight/PTSD. Many survivors, including myself, believe the type of PTSD we have is actually C-PTSD, Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

I know many people who read this book never heard of Straight Inc. I keep hearing it’s hard to read. Please, read it anyway. Take this book seriously because kids are STILL being subjected to abusive “troubled teen programs." And, like Straight survivors, some survivors of other programs are also walking away with PTSD because of the “treatment” they received.

I also wrote a review for this book in 2012 when it was self published as "Straightling." I want to include it in this review (I hope thats ok). Here is what I wrote then:

As difficult as it may be for someone to believe Etler's harrowing tale of survival in Straight, Inc., every word Etler wrote about Straight Inc.'s daily abuses is completely true. "Straightling" takes you on the darkest journey through hell where every freedom imaginable is stolen from a child by Straight, Inc.: freedom to move about a room unrestrained, gone; freedom to speak to whomever you chose, gone; freedom to use a bathroom alone, gone; freedom to choose one's own friends, gone; freedom to dress as one wishes, gone; and worst of all, freedom to think for oneself gone; freedom to have one's own identity, gone. "Straightling" illustrates the horror and pain of being systematically tore down until there is nothing left except a shell recreated in Straight Inc.'s image. "Straightling" sounds a loud warning of the dangers caused by not listening to a child, warns of the destruction caused by allowing broken children to have power over other broken children, and warns that a trail of human wreckage can be caused by zealots with seemingly good intentions. "Straightling" is a must read for all parents and for all professionals who work with "troubled teens." Straight, Inc., under that name, is closed now, but other abusive private programs still exist to this day. Cyndy is a gifted writer and courageous woman. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Cyndy for writing such a powerful and moving memoir.

Review

"Conviction" by Robert Dugoni (fiction)

I highly recommend this book! I love good thrillers, the author is definitely a great story teller, and, the plot hit very close to home for me. Some other reviews mentioned they thought the plot was far-fetched, unrealistic, etc. I know from firsthand experience (in Straight Inc), that the issues raised in this book are shockingly and frighteningly real. Here is just a small sample of a few of the issues the author raised as the story unfolds, through-out this fictional story - REAL issues that have plagued the private troubled teen industry for decades.

1) No due process - in private teen facilities/boot camps/wilderness programs, drug rehabs etc., where institutional corruption, parental rights and money is enough to get a kid committed. There is never a hearing before a neutral fact finder/judge, no assistance of legal counsel. Once committed - there is no appeals process - kids are never given access to legal counsel at any stage - ever. Kids are also sometimes referred to a private program via the state judicial system - if referred that way there could be a hearing, which is how it happened in this book. "Fresh Start", the juvenile boot camp in "Conviction", took kids as outline above, or could have a judge sentence them to it. 2) Parents cut off from kids, kids cut off from parents - the only communication (if any) between them is very infrequent, monitored and/or censored. This is a very dangerous practice that allows abuse to continue without parent's knowledge; kids have no way to tell parents, child protective agencies or other authorities about abuse. 3) "Scared Straight tactics", "break them down then rebuild", also known as "attack therapy". These are dangerous tactics, verbal, emotional and mental abuse, which are known to be harmful, and include unduly harsh confrontational tactics, swearing, screaming, yelling, belittling, humiliating, threatening, and completely breaking the child. 4) False claims by program reps - many bad programs are masters at manipulating the truth, using "happy" client testimonials and "legitimate" program descriptions, etc. to make their program sound great....a visit to any troubled teen program website will show numerous similar claims, making it next to impossible for parents to distinguish the bad programs from ones that might be ok. 5) Food deprivation, sleep deprivation/exhaustion, extreme rigid discipline, extremely grueling forced exercise, and physical abuse, all a deliberate part of the breaking down process. It's so bad kids are dying in some programs. Thanks to the author for raising such an important issue in such a compelling story!

Review

"Institutionalized Persuasion" by Marcus Chatfield (non-fiction)

A must read for anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of how coercive thought reform is used in the troubled teen industry. The book explores in depth how coercive thought reform and forcible behavior modification are both used as "treatment" in a variety of adolescent programs. Chatfield explains how these practices are actually less obvious and complex forms of psychological and emotional abuse and how coercive thought reform creates an atmosphere where a variety of more obvious abusive practices (symptoms) also occur regularly. The book repeatedly calls for research of the long term effects of coercive thought reform/forcible behavior modification on adolescents. As a survivor of Straight Inc, a notorious coercive thought reform/forcible behavior modification program, I can personally attest to some of the long term effects, including C-PTSD. Also, having a website and being an activist against institutional child abuse has brought to my attention just how widespread and severe long term effects are - its frightening and MUST BE STUDIED BY MORE EXPERTS ASAP.

Books abusive program survivor accounts.

Non-fiction

"We Can't Be Friends" by Cyndy Etler (the follow up book to "The Dead Inside")

Florida Damage Report by Frank Haines

"Abandoned" by Susie Teneyck (Amazon reviews)

"Reform At Victory" by Michelle Ulriksen

"A Life Gone Awry: My Story Of The Elan School" by Wayne Kernochan

"The Game: A Return To The Elan School" By Wayne Kernochan

"New Bethany - Picture Perfect on the Outside, Let Us Take You Inside" by Roger Kiser

"Trapped In Paradise: A Memoir" by Cindy Art

"Dead, Insane Or In Jail: A CEDU Memior" by Zack Bonnie

"Dead, Insane or In Jail: Overwritten" (book 2) by Zack Bonnie

Whiteout by Lathrop Lybrook (PDF) who was in CEDU system - Rocky Mountain Academy, Ascent, & North Idaho Behavioral Health.

Surviving Bethel: A True Story Of Surviving Torture & Abuse by Allen Knoll

Jesus Land: A Memoir by Julia Scheeres

The Casa By The Sea Memoirs: A Year In A Mexican Behavioral Modification Facility For American Teens by Christopher Neil Young

Hollywood Park by Mikel Jollett

Augusta Gone by Martha Tod Dudman

Pieces Of Victory by Jeneen C. Miller

Chasing Pleasure With Pain by Haywood Robinson

Boy Erased - by Gerrard Conley (Love In Action, a Straight Inc copycat, gay conversion program)

Former Executive Staff Memoir

Ex'd Out: How I Fired The Shame Committee by John Smid (who in the early 90's radically changed Love In Action to copy Straight Inc methods)