It is infuriating to read about more disturbing incidents in the troubled teen industry, this time a youth riot at Brooksville Youth Academy, which resulted in the hospitalization of four juveniles and one adult staff member and the arrest of 17 teens – two of whom were charged with attempted murder.
This devastating incident comes on the heels of Zy’kiria Bell’s death at TrueCore’s Lake Academy, which ultimately led Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) to shut it down and has sparked an investigation into other TrueCore facilities. Teachers at that facility anonymously reported that management staff were rarely on the property and the teachers themselves were attacked and did not feel safe. TrueCore was not forthcoming with the child’s family or the community.
Whether you call these for-profit programs youth prisons, residential treatment, or secure detention, private corporations operate them without strong local oversight or objective advisory/governance boards not impacted by without for-profit motives – the elephant in the room.
These shocking incidents highlight the immediate need for stronger protections and for systemic changes to protect vulnerable youth against ongoing pervasive abuse, neglect and violence that these youth prisons foster. Even more shocking are calls from some leaders to lengthen detention and youth prison stays in facilities of this kind. Do we honestly think this results in rehabilitation?
Even scarier – how many daily incidents do we not read about?