Recently, as member of a multi-organization coalition, WWASP Survivors along with The Freedom Village Experience and The National Youth Rights Association, co-wrote an open letter to our law makers to close “troubled teen” programs for youth.
Due to health and safety issues presenting in close-quartered youth detention centers we believe it is imperative that these “schools” close down just as public schools, private schools and universities have done. Conditions within these programs are problematic enough, when you factor in the risk for a highly infectious disease to rapidly spread through an overcrowded population… Results can be disastrous.
Unfortunately, disaster has already struck in several facilities around the country, including an outbreak that was only revealed to the public because of the horrific death of a teenager who was restrained to death by 7 staff members. Due to a lack of any outside communication systems, it is highly likely that outbreaks in TTI programs are not being reported. With this in mind, we are asking for transparency, access to reporting systems, COVID-19 tests, welfare checks and a swift closure of many programs that by nature, cannot conform to basic prevention methods.
We would like to take a step further and ask our lawmakers to defund the Troubled Teen Industry; stop sending kids out of state or out of the country for “treatment” that is not medically warranted. We beg you to pass laws to protect our children from abuse and provide basic rights for institutionalized youth. We implore you to fulfill the duty of office as our elected officials and to represent the voice of the people, to be a voice of the voiceless!
For legislative inquires please email admin @wwaspsurvivors.com
NYRA Publishes Open Letter Demanding to Close Abusive Behavior Modification Programs during COVID-19
