DECLARATION UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY PURSUANT TO 28 USCA 1746
I, Michelle declare and state as follows:
Name of Program:
Spring Creek Lodge Academy
Location of Program:
Thompson Falls, Montana
Period of Internment (MM/YY to MM/YY)
November 2002 to March 2005
Declarative Statement
I was one of the kids that in the program considered a “lifer” being as I was there for so long. The situations I was in and I saw the other kids being put in because of facility “rules” where horrendous! Severe mental and on most situations abusive as they (the staff) liked to call it “restraint”. For the “out of control” kids they had a special place for you: the hole, the hobbit, and as the staff realized those names where not pleasant sounding to the parents the name was quickly changed to “intervention”. Sounds not bad..right? Very wrong! This was an all white room concrete floors. We where expected to sit on the floor facing the wall for hours and days on end. Not to mention restraining happened the most here, remember I mentioned the concrete floors? Yeah those hurt. I was a student in the facility when a male staff member committed suicide, many others trying to take their life, some actually succeeding. Many students don’t get to talk to their parents for months at a time, based on levels and points. When the chance did come to finally talk my parents the conversation was monitored very closely by our “family reps”. Those are the people whom create the picture of how the students are doing. Being as they get paid on the duration the students are there the reps make it seem as if we needed more help or did something to deserve to be there longer. Many of us tried to tell our parents what was going on but anything true the staff didn’t want you telling about the program they would make sure you didn’t. Usually lying to parents about the students actual progress. The program motto is to make the parents convince there own children that they are there until they finish the program. I can only go on and on story after story but the point is clear. The places are in humane and traumatizing. I would NEVER wish what I went through on any child. It’s traumatizing and actually makes it’s so much harder to readjust to the real world once in a place like that. The one thing I can say in thankful for are the other strong survivors that made the harsh days look bright. We where in it together and together we are a team.
I give WWASPSurvivors permission to use this statement. I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.
Executed on(date: MM/DD/YY): October 9th 2014
