I find myself returning to thoughts about Eagle Ranch Academy at least once a month, often more. It has been over five years. My older family member had been sent there a good few years before myself, and so my family saw it a fit idea for me to attend as well after I began to struggle with several aspects of my life. As a child whose mother (who had, mind you, been a single parent for most of my life before this point) had just passed away after I watched a very terrifying battle with cancer be fought, I struggled to cope normally. I was acting in concerning ways, and rather than treat me like a genuinely cared for and struggling child, the decision was made by my family to “transfer” me to Utah for “care and treatment”. Upon arrival, I had a genuine sense of hope within my heart that maybe the severe depression and anxiety I had felt in relation to these life changes would be in some way helped, and that my family had found a great place for me. The moment I was told to strip down naked upon arrival, cold, tired, and terrified, every ounce of hope was taken as well. After that point, the dehumanization only worsened at a daily rate – ESPECIALLY if one or more staff members decided that they didn’t like you for any reason. For months after this point, I found my treatment worsening and worsening. I realized at a point that if you show an OUNCE of a behavior that is unfavorable to them, or if they “FEEL” like you’re “thinking about it still” (which is wild- HUH, I guess I was unaware Utah made you a mind-reader…) they will intentionally punish you worse. At the time of my attendance, this didn’t just play out in dehumanizing “punishments” like losing your shoes or food “privileges”…. but would turn violent. The staff could be heard at night openly discussing the pleasure they got out of restraints. If you’ve never heard of a “GOOSE-NECK RESTRAINT” please look it up. Someone could simply stand up at the wrong time, maybe a second too early, and simply because they had the legal right to that punishment at the time, they would jump to it. To this day, my wrists still face issues from this treatment. I could go on for hours writing paragraph after paragraph about the physical and psychological issues that Eagle Ranch Academy has caused me, but to be completely honest, thinking about this nightmarish facility for more than an hour at a time leaves me too shaken up to continue for too much longer. I want to wrap up my first of these posts at least by saying a few things. I am 22 years old now, and every year I expect some part of this to clear from my mind, and it never does. If anything, as I age and continue to mature and attempt to live my life as happily as possible, it hurts me more and more to realize that I actually DIDN’T deserve the treatment I received. I have gotten therapy and help for years at this point just to try and reach a place of peace and acceptance with what I have gone through, but it is one battle that I’ve found almost impossible to entirely win at this point in my life at least. I hope to add more to this page in the future, but for now, I would urge a HALT on sending ANY child you may be considering sending to this location. They aren’t as advertised, and are not what they seem. You have been warned.
[EDITOR NOTE: no last-name initial available from submission – verify/complete before publishing]
