I went to one of these fucking places. And it was before they started making them to appeal to religious/political extremes. These things have existed for a long time, and they have their brainwashing techniques down pat.
My parents sent me to one of these places in the early 2000’s because I was suffering from severe anxiety and panic attacks. What went on there was basically a concentration camp. You may wonder why the hell would your parents send you there? That is because they rely on a referral system. People who know your parents will refer them to the school, and by doing so they get a free month/3k. That gives them all the incentive to paint the place in a perspective that is complete and utter bullshit.
Edit 2*Due to many questions on the parents’ feelings of guilt/responsibility in the matter I am adding this.
I mention brainwashing on number 10, but I failed to mention that the parents are brainwashed as well. The way this works is that there is a level system. The first 3 levels don’t require your parents to be brainwashed, but to move up to level 4 to level 7, you need your parents to participate in these special brainwashing seminars. This means that even if your parents were misguided to send you there in the first place. The moment you show you are doing well, the schools latch onto the weakness of your parent’s hopes, and brain wash them as well. This makes them great zombies to refer other parents into these schools. It also encourages parents to have the child complete the “program” which is an additional 1-2 years, which means roughly 30-70k more tuition for the schools. Ouch.
I am going to make a list now.
1) They get paid 300-500 dollars to kidnap you. Your parents elect to have this option or to send you there willingly. They don’t tell you about them, they appear at night. Tell you to get dressed. And you drive off into the sunset. You have no fucking idea what is going on until you get there.
2) The pictures/activities are bullshit. They have those recreational areas, but they are never used because it poses a greater run risk. People do run away. Most that do never succeed. Those that fail are punished by being sent to Jamaica.
3) Jamaica is the threat and boogeyman for anyone that is acting up or may act up. They have complete control over communications with your parents. They can fuck your shit up anytime they want, even for malicious purposes. The threat is that they can do whatever they want to you in Jamaica. This generally consists of beating your ass senseless, then starving you in the hot sun. Yeah, that does happen.
4) Communication is completely restricted and censored with your parents. You are allowed to write letters but they read through everything that comes in and out. They will selectively remove any letters that have your parents saying they will let you out without completing the program. This means the entire time you are there you cannot tell your parents they are beating your ass, putting you in an isolation room, nor any fears that you are being abandoned. I kept all of my letters as records. I showed them to my parents after I got out. A lot of them were missing, especially the ones about leaving the place.
5) “Why don’t you riot?” Riots do happen, but this occurs only in complete abandoning of going home. The places are locked down with magnetic bolted doors and no one is breaking them. On that note, I did have the privileged of seeing a 250 lb kid smash one of these doors, but that guy was an inhuman beast that ran faster than most of the athletic kids there. Oh, and the place I went to did riot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_at_Ivy_Ridge
6) Supplies. No one mentioned supplies and basic needs. Everything you are supplied with is generic brand crap, but they force your parents to pay a massive premium (more expensive than premium brands)for it. They will also set stupid restrictions on the products so that people don’t “abuse” them or rather so they have a better bottom line.
7) Parents are allowed to send a care package at the place I went to, and other places I’ve heard of. They stole from your care package. I had stuff from mine stolen. They do this explicitly to demoralize you. If they know what you are looking forward to, they will take it and keep it themselves. How do I know? In the program, you go up the levels and have more freedom. The level basically mean you work as staff for the school while your parents pay them. These leveled up kids see what is going on and convey it to the lower levels. There is fucking nothing you can do about it too. They censor all communication. What are you going to do? Complain to your parents? That just means it worked. “Gotcha, bitch.”
8) Punishment. They hire crazy overweight staff (200-300lbs)that generally have a military background. They sit on you, put you in locks, and generally swing your head into the walls and door frames. You get sent into a detention room/hall. You sit there and do nothing. There have been people who sit in these rooms/halls for months/years. Remember, it cost 3k a month. Not only that, but there is sensory deprivation room for severe offenders. You get to sit there in the dark in a kneeling pose and head against the wall.
9) I’ve seen kids get sent to these place and break down. A lot of these kids were sent there under stupid pretenses. But nothing in regular life prepares you to be completely stripped of your security of returning home (censored communication) and your ability to stop abuse. You can’t do anything. You completely lack control.
10) The brainwashing program. I didn’t even get to the brain washing program. They have this program where they hire specialists, make you sleep deprived, make you write tons of crap about how fucked up you are and what you want to become. Then they force you do these socially awkward interactions to stress you out. Then do guided meditation. You are allowed to talk freely. You eat some junk food. This stuff is gold after being in there for so long. Then they brain wash your ass to complete the program. You hit the ground with a towel to let out all your anger. They teach you retarded junk psychology. Man, fuck that shit.
There is plenty of more shit, but I am tired now.
Edit.
11) Fighting back. Some of the teens do resist. But this never ends wells. The staff all have walkie talkies and are usually a shout distance away from one another. In the event there is violent resistance, you will get bum rushed by three-five 200-300 lb men that will wrestle you down and sit on each of your limbs. You learn fast either from experience or observation that you don’t use violence. The best course of action I’ve seen to the bumrush was going completely limp, it makes it hard to move you around or do anything to you. It also frustrates the hell out of them.
12) Suicide. People attempt suicide, and this just makes you get put on suicide watch. They remove your belt, and anything around that could be used as a weapon to cut yourself. Everyone uses plastic sporks already so there is no possibilities of someone taking a metal utensil and using it as a weapon.
13) Juvie kids. These places were originally designed for people from juvie. The messed up thing is that after a while, the referrer system had a snowball effect into the general population. This means that the schools are known to reform hard case of kids in the beginning, but later as the general populations gets taken it, it makes it hard to make a case to others that you aren’t an asshole teen. Some of the kids there were messed up, but with the diffusion with the general population, you got a lot of kids that just … no one deserves to be there.
14) Buddy system. People are assigned a buddy system. And the buddy is partly responsible for your actions. The buddy is usually someone with a higher ranking and privileges. This means they have much to lose, where as a new entry has nothing to lose. They will also separate friends from ever being a buddy. They also rotate buddies on a regular weekly-biweekly basis.
15) Sleep arrangements and being guarded. You sleep in 2-4 people rooms with your buddy. There is staff that are hired just to be awake at night to monitor you. If you exit your room without permission you are considered a flight risk and get bum rushed. If you need to use the bathroom, you must request it by putting your hand outside the door + waking up your buddy + waiting any existing queue. Some people just piss in a water bottle or out the protected windows.
16) Staff and fellow students outside of school. The staff use aliases. This is to prevent retribution outside of the school. It is hard to communicate with fellow students because all you know is their name and some general information. By the time you get out, you don’t know where they have gone, or if they are even still alive. I’ve contacted a few of them, but can’t find most of them.
17) Staff pay. The staff were paid minimum wage and with overtime. Most of the staff were not highly educated and were ex military. This meant they were stressed, ill prepared, and just motivated to get the quickest results possible. The kidnapping job paid very well and was lucrative to them.
Personal note. I got lucky in that I avoided pissing off the staff as much as possible, but some still harassed me just for fun. I also was on good terms with a couple of them, which allowed me to avoid the full blown shit storm of being psychologically tortured and losing my “rank/level” because some of them just wanted to fuck with me so I would crack.
Total mind fuck and my high school diploma revoked to boot! Still smoking the kind -pd(respect/wisdom family 2003
I was in respect in 2004-05 and also there during the riot
I was seeing if anybody knows how to obtain old files from when I was at ivy ridge. I was in the brave family. My dorm parent was Mr. Josh. A Spanish guy at Mr . Burnham. A fat ounce of shit. George Tulip and the whole gang. I heard if a woman who is storing recovered files and was seeing if any key k ew how to contact her.
Still living with the hell this caused me. Still cry when I think about it, still jumpy and aggressive for days after I think about it.
I still remember the names, the faces, their voices, their laughter, the feeling of them pulling my hand behind me and putting a knee into my back.
I just wanna move on, and I do from time to time. But sometimes I’m still that terrified 14 yr old kid
Feb 1 2007- March 18 2007
I was there before the riot. Oct 2002 to nov 03. Worst experience of my life and the worst part my mom sided with the school in the lawsuit years later saying it wasn’t educational purposes she sent me for. Still boils my blood. I’ll never trust her or my father again. She did mislead him to sign the paperwork but still i will never fully forgive and will never ever forget. Those seminars where they make you stand in front of ppl choosing who dies and who lives still gives me shivers. That place was torture and I was one of the ones that pretended to be a robot just to not get voted up bc I “wasn’t being real enough”. It was the worst experience of my life.
I was at Ivy Ridge for 7 months in 2001 after being transferred there from Bexr juvenile justice Academy where both me and my olde brother spent 18 months, my older brother aged out, and I was transferred when I was 14 years old. I’m 40 years old now and I still have nightmares of these places, the physical torture and molestation that I went through will Haunt me for the rest of my life.
My sister was there from December 2004-June 2005. Does anyone know if people are putting together a civil lawsuit. She’s already contacted the NYS DA about some of the horrors she experienced/witness.
My email is terickson81949@gmail.com
There is a Netflix show called the program about the horrible shit that went on at ivy ridge. I got “transported”/kidnapped at age 14 and spent 21.5 months in that hell hole i was in the honesty family and would like to tell some more about the grewsum parts of things that went down In that hell. Call me if you can 443 466 8952
I was in ivy ridge during the riot in pride family, that place messed me up for a long time and i thought i forgt but that netflix show was surreal i cant believe the stuff i remember
I was there during that riot
I was there during thr right too. Pride family haha
I was one of four kids who ran and got caught by state police three days later. Beat the night staff and got away with it too. Best part, three weeks in jail was like a five star hotel compared to the torture center.
Me too. Was there from jan 2006 to November 2006. I remember everything. Crazy how after the fact everything comes to light.
I sent my son to this school thinking it would help him and I never knew what was really happening there. Years later he told me he was raped there by multiple staff members and so many other horrible things. I hope every one that worked there dies a slow and miserable death. Total torture for what they did to all of you. I’m so sorry
To all the survivors if you need anything I’m here for you. I’m so sorry you had to go through all this crap . No child should have had to go through this abuse
And have to be kidnapped in the middle of the night I would be freaking freaked out. By people I don’t know taking me to a place that I don’t even know where I’m at I would be freaked the f*** out
I was in loyalty in 2004-2005 it was a nightmare I wonder were everyone ended up. I was lucky enough to leave b4 the riot
I was there during the riot. Pride family haha
I’ve been reading up on this and watched the documentary I love every single one of you for Being an strong person & surviving, whoever went too that horrible place as a kid or ever and have too live with all the nightmares , trauma my heart goes out too every single one of you oh and my girl who made the documentary solutes too you! Your not scared anymore they will not own any of you anymore 🫶🏾 Fck them i hope they get wit the program !
To all the survivors here’s my email kdecker692@gmail.com if you need anything.
didn’t leave a way to be contacted in the comment I just left.. here’s my email for any info or survivors to reach out to me with. godsnolimitsoldier27@gmail.com
I was in valiant in 2002. Was there for 3 month 21 years ago and i will never forget smh I see no lies ( I was 11)
I was in there they totally screwed my mind up. So sad reading this … I use to say when I grow up I wanted to be one of the counselors in their to help the kids from being so abused. They never let me shave always keep ur head down. They wouldn’t let you look in mirror and made fun of you and said you were ugly. Along with ceremonies thank god they got exposed
I was there. Faked an appendicitis so they could take me to the hospital, and my plan was to run. Turns out the doctor took my appendix out anyways and when I woke up from surgery my family was there. Told them what was happening and they pulled out of there. Still have the scars, both mentally and physically.
Was there in 2005 “Success family” I was 13 years old, they put me on suicide watch for tearing up around Christmas for missing my family. They threw me in intervention for 2 weeks straight after they found out my mail to my mom slipped through the cracks where I told her everything going on at the hellhole…she demanded to speak with me on the phone, and they refused to allow it…long story short she flew up to Syracuse within a week, and picked me up in a limo. As I walked out I told Finlinson that I’d pray he gets prison raped once I go to the law with the many stories of blatant child abuse I endured, and witnessed.
And I hope that these disgusting ADULTS who worked there are held accountable for what they did. Idgaf who says they were doing their jobs, they tortured you all and never thought of the consequences. Most will never face justice, but they all should. I can’t understand why Noone ever said this isn’t okay and reported it or felt the evil in what they were doing. I’m not surprised in the least but feel completely sick inside. There are good people and bad, but ivy ridge and their affiliates are evil and many others do the same.
You are all beautiful, wonderful, strong people, and I hope that you all know that.
I want to apologize to all the people who went to this evil place. I’m so sorry I had to deal with this f***** up place horrible place. When I watched the Netflix documentary it made me feel f****** sick to my stomach. What kind of evil messed up place this is like awful for the staff to do this crap. And how the rules were was so so f****** pathetic dumb not right at all to have these messed up rules saying you can’t look out the window or you can’t talk with people what kind of rules is this this is like f***** up. In a lot of parts in the Netflix documentary I cried because it was so disturbing what everyone had to go through that went here and it made me feel very sad for everyone. I felt everybody’s pain and emotions. This place is an evil f****** place no doubt about it. Please I hope every single place like this is shut down for good no child deserves to be at this place it causes a lot of mental health issues mental abuse child abuse. How awful and evil this place is man like I can’t believe I feel bad for the parents who send their kids here who believed in this b******* and fell for it. I hope this man who created this program rots in hell because he deserves it. He deserves to go to jail for thinking it’s okay to put children through all this crap no it’s not okay.im 26 years old and I feel like a lot of these children who went here their childhood was taken away from them and knowing that is very depressing and sad knowing that their childhood was taken away from them they were abused there. No one should ever have to go through that abuse nobody said have been going through that. Even the staff should have known that they should have said hey this is enough of this crap instead they kept on letting this crap happen the staff who work there kept on letting this abuse happen. In my opinion if I was a staff there and I’ve noticed this is not right I would have took it upon myself and said hey we need to stop this this is not cool this is enough of this behavior children would be children we need to respect them and not abuse them. If I was a staff working there things would have been a hell a lot easier for the kids I wouldn’t abuse them I sure the hell wouldn’t lay a finger on them seeing how rough they were with these children God they should be in hell like no joke. I wish I was old enough to be a staff back then at this place because I would have treated those children like they were my own I would respect them not abuse them.
Where Mike finesse? Like to cut his throat!
He was a tough guy. Big man tossing around kids… I ain’t a kid no more but got plenty of toys for him an all the little bitches that liked to fuck with little boys!
Was anyone here sent to Ivy ridge academy ? Inwas there 2004-2005 . Place was horrible beat the hell out of me and some guys I made friends with got sent to those small all white rooms with a piece of paper and pencil and had to write over and over why i was there blah blah . I havnt spoken about this place in long time
Pretty much since I got out until a certain smell reminded of it and I started looking into it and found this page .
I went from Dec 2002 to Dec 2003
I am so so so sorry for the experience you all suffered at ivy ridge. I didn’t have the best childhood and was sent to juvenile and boys town and my fathers home and many others. My trauma is deep but this literally broke my heart. I cry for you. I feel your pain. I want to help anyway I can. This shit goes on today everywhere.
My email is hchristy478@gmail.com. again, I’ll help anyway I can.
I will never in my life forget the experience I had here it was horrible, absurd, traumatized for the rest of our life
My heart goes out to all of the victims of ivy ridge.
I watched the documentary last night.
I was in tears. I can’t believe they were doing this to young beautiful children. It makes me so angry. I wish I could hug every single one of you, I wish someone was there to protect you.
None of you EVER deserved this treatment.
I pray in Jesus name that these perpetrators are punished for their actions lord.
I love you all, keep pushing and spread love, I am so sorry this happened to you guys.
If there are any other schools like this, please inform me. I plan to take a stand against all this horrendous crap that no one knew about until this came out on Netflix. May YaH help all of you that went thru any part of this; my heart goes out to all of you. I hope that angels surround you all of your lives and you heal from the wounds esp the unseen ones. I love y’all and KNOW GOD WiLL have HiS WAY WiTH THoSE that hurt you.
These people that ran that program had demonic forces ruling them and remember they reflected the way they viewed themselves at all of you.
NONE of what happened to any of you, prior and within, WAS YOUR FAULT. Y’all are beautiful children / now adults of God and you deserve pure love and guidance.
I hope to be someone to help any of you; if y’all feel like opening up. I know I’m a stranger to you but I hope to be an angel in disguise. Take care and please reach out if you ever need a listening ear.
Help me take down any of the left over places that may be open.. never should a child (or person in general) be abused or treated unkindly.
I was here from Oct 04- Oct 06, for the riot all that. I was in four families in my time here, Freedom, Unity (during the riot), Courage and then Success. I actually ended up graduating at 18 not because I ever really followed the rules or worked the program the staff just couldn’t take me anymore so they pushed me through, it’s always been the one silver lining for me, they didn’t break me I broke them 🤣
Hello. I am a true crime podcaster. I want to help continue to shed light on these ‘schools’. My job is to advocate for the victims and survivors of any of my true crime episodes. If anyone would like to help me by giving me any information about what went on or tell me your story, please feel free to email me at beautyandcrime22@gmail.com.
In no means do I want to open any wounds, so if you do not want to talk to me I will not push or anything. If you do want to share I can make anything anonymous or cite you by name. I want to help by getting the knowledge out there to help get these ‘schools’ shut down and see if any justice can be done.
They wouldn’t have wanted me there. I know, it sounds like I’m talking s*** And you can’t really say that without being there. I never went through anything like this, but I’m telling you right now. Watching the documentaries. I know for a fact if I was there. I would have been one of the ones that were beat to death because I would have rebelled 110%. F*** ivy ridge and f*** the staff there. They can suck a Dick and go to hell.
Just finished binge watching the documentary on Netflix, and read a ton of the comments above. My heart goes out to all of the survivors. If there’s anyway I can help, please let me know! I’m in Fort Worth, Texas.
😢 Absolutely heart broken after watching this documentary. These animals deserve everything karma can hit them with. I’m so, so sorry you were all let down so badly by these sadistic people. So pleased and proud that even after all of your abuse that your fighting to help those still trapped..good people are still here, and Kathrine and Co I send healing love to you all. Genuinely hope you find the peace in your souls that you deserve. Much love
i am so sorry that this hapend to you guys i have gone to tons of abusive programs i did not go to ivy ridge but i went many others some shut down some are still up and running i am still tramatized i dont think i will ever be able to get over it so i know a little bit of what you guys went throu i was sent to my first program when i was 9 i just got out of my 3 one I am 14 if anyone has any thing that helped them to move on let me know pls.
conrad.graf@ecschools.me
Your stories break my heart. You all deserve to be able to walk thru life without all this pain. You all may so. Too weird for me. That cant work. Please consider those who seek find. I am able to pull hirts and trauma off people. I put it as can pull out trauma from you soul. So you can be the person you were meant to be. I swear on all that’s holy. I don’t have a business. I will not ask for money or anything. I just want to help. Email me I am happy to talk to about it.
i was there..i was
Hello my name is Scott Castor I’m 52 years old I’ve been seeing a lot of so-called child rehabilitation programs being found out for what they are. Which is a place of abuse fiscal and mental. In the 1980s I was placed in oblong Illinois at the time it was called oblong Christian boys home now it’s called oblong children’s home it was ran by Ross and Nancy Luzzader with their son Mark Mike and John luzzader . I will make this short and brace. My father placed me in this nightmare of a place on the outside it seemed beautiful and sanctuary but on the inside it was a time where people really didn’t understand was what dyslexia was so I was called stupid ignorant lazy. There’d be times were Ross would sit me down at the table he called it pushing information but all it was was bad dream little and mental abuse. There is even a time where he grabbed my face so hard my face was bruised and swollen after many years just a few months ago I finally got all my records and I can’t believe he wrote down some of things he did to me. So I finally have proof my mother and father has passed away several years now as I said I’m 52 now my birthday is the 21st of May. What I’m asking the group and the community is after all these years I’m still having trouble I suffer from PTSD social anxiety panic attacks depression and I do believe it’s stems from this my dad was also physically mentally emotionally and sexually abusive whenever I told Ross and Nancy I was caught a liar and had to sit down at the table while Ross quote unquote pushed the truth out which was me lie and say I made up the story so I could get up out of the table and stop being disrespected by Ross. I was also mentally and verbally abused by my mom also once again was called a liar. What I’m asking the group in the congregation I know Paris Hilton sued her abusers of the program she was in I know that other programs have been shut down and have been compensated for the damage that was done to them. I am seeking not only compensation but just as for myself I do have now the documents and the proof. And I’m seeking to find a lawyer to represent me because I want to sue The oblong Christian home in oblong Illinois. I reside in Texas Henderson Texas rusk county and the program that I was in is in oblong Illinois if you or someone you know knows a lawyer that will represent me please I’m begging you I’m crying out for help my telephone number is 903-392-4995 my name is Scott Castor I will give them the lawyers anything that they need I’m also on social security so my income is very very little but I need help
Hello!
I just watched the documentary on Netflix (also a great way to raise awareness for the whole world).
My name is Kat (27) and I am from Estonia. I am currently studying Youth Work, so the Documentary raised my interests the minute I saw it was about youth.
When I tell you.. I was pissed the whole series… Literally felt like fighting someone. I cried a lot and I felt so much anger over the fact that it’s all still happening!? Excuse me?? It doesn’t fit in my head how people can get away with this stuff… absolutely mental.
Not one kid in the world deserves this. It’s so f***ed up… in so many ways, there’s no words. My heart goes out to everyone that ever had an experience.
I, myself, was raised in a hostile environment (I was adopted) and I was bullied through childhood, but my God! I know what it feels like to be afraid but only You know what you went through, and no one else can say they know how you feel. Heal – in any way You find comfortable.
As a future Youth Worker, if I could, I would do anything to help. In any way. To get these “schools” off the board.
My email is katarina.maria.manna@gmail.com
In case anyone needs/wants to contact me.