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Action Committee (ISAC), a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit
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We believe that every child deserves to be treated with dignity
and respect.
Our mission is to expose abuse, civil rights violations, and
fraud perpetuated through privately-owned facilities for
juveniles.
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parents in making safe and effective decisions for the future of
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Archives
Welcome to our archive. This page contains survivor statements, court documents, news articles, photos, etc. regarding
facilities that have closed or are currently operating under a new name.
Information relating to a specific person may be listed under the name of the facility he or she was involved with.
Many of our documents are PDF files and require the Adobe Acrobat Reader. This link will take you to the Adobe download page: Get Adobe Acrobat Now!
Larger documents may take a few minutes to download.
These "quick links" will take you to the documents you are interested in:
* Indicates a facility known/thought to be affiliated with the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) and/or Teen Help.
Bethel Girls Academy
Bethel Girls Academy is located in Petal, Mississippi.
The facility has generated many complaints of abuse during the last several years.
The facility recently became part of the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS).
State authorities removed all the children from Bethel Girls Academy in May 2004 following allegations of abuse.
The facility was then filled to capacity when girls were transferred from Casa by the Sea in September 2004.
Casa by the Sea, a WWASPS facility in Mexico, was closed in September 2004 after officials reportedly found evidence of abuse.
Bethel Girls Academy again closed, following new allegations of abuse and an uprising by students in February 2005.
The Fountain family is still in the teen help industry.
Their latest venture, Respect Camp, is actually the twice-renamed Bethel Boys Academy.
For more information about Respect Camp and its history, please visit our document library.
For more information about WWASPS, please visit our WWASPS information page.
Brightway Adolescent Hospital
Brightway Adolescent Hospital "evaluated" many children before they were sent to facilities operating according to the
guidelines of the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) and affiliated with Teen Help.
The Utah facility closed after allegations of abuse and an investigation by the state which revealed that many patient treatment plans were identical.
Ken Kay, President of WWASPS, was the director of Brightway at the time.
His son, Jay Kay worked as a security guard at the facility.
He now runs Tranquility Bay, a WWASPS facility in Jamaica.
Please see our main WWASPS page for more information regarding WWASPS and Teen Help.
Casa by the Sea
Casa by the Sea is located in Ensenada, Mexico.
It was one of several facilities operating according to the
guidelines of the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) and affiliated with Teen Help.
Mexican authorities raided Casa by the Sea on September 10, 2004 after finding evidence of abuse and neglect.
Officials gave the program 48 hours to remove all children from the facility.
Dace Goulding, former director of Casa by the Sea, is now running Darrington Academy - another WWASPS facility in Georgia.
Goulding is also the president of a nearby Mormon church.
Please see our main WWASPS page for more information regarding WWASPS and Teen Help.
CEDU/Brown Schools
The CEDU schools are located in California.
They were founded by Mel Wasserman after he became involved with Synanon. Experts have classified Synanon as a cult.
The CEDU Schools were recently acquired by the Brown Schools.
DeSisto School
The DeSisto School had been operating in Massachusetts, but closed after an investigation into allegations
of child abuse.
The school transferred many students to a sister-school in Mexico.
News reports indicate that the school is trying to reopen in Vermont.
Dundee Ranch Academy
Dundee Ranch Academy operated in Costa Rica until May, 2003.
The facility was forced to close after officials found evidence of child abuse.
The facility was one of several operating according to the
guidelines of the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) and affiliated with Teen Help.
Owner Narvin Lichfield is the brother of Robert Lichfield, founder and principal financial backer of WWASPS.
The property is still owned by Narvin Lichfield and is now the location of Pillars of Hope.
The facility claims to accept only legal adults, but is advertised on several web sites that promote WWASPS facilities.
Posts have also been made to at least one of the parent bulletin boards requesting that "upper level" students transfer
to Pilllars of Hope.
Please see our main WWASPS page for more information regarding WWASPS and Teen Help.
Eagle Point Christian Academy/Bethel Boys Academy
Eagle Point Christian Academy is located in Lucedale, Mississippi.
The facility operated for many years as Bethel Boys Home then Bethel Boys Academy, but changed its name in an attempt to distance itself from allegations of child abuse and neglect.
Shortly before the name change, Eagle Point Christian Academy/Bethel Boys became part of the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS).
The facility is currently named in a civil suit alleging criminal acts amounting to torture.
Children desperate to leave the facility initiated a riot in April 2005.
Eagle Point/Bethel Boys was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.
The boys were transferred to different WWASPS facilities, including Darrington Academy in Georgia.
In late 2005, the facility reopened under ANOTHER name - Respect Camp.
Respect Camp advertised itself as a 60-120 day Christian boot camp and was operated by John Fountain.
In early 2006, the facility's name was changed AGAIN.
Now Bethel Boys/Eagle Point/Respect Camp is called Cambridge Academy.
Information obtained by ISAC in early 2006 indicates that new arrivals to Cambridge Academy have to "earn" a mattress and sleep on a bare wooden bunk until they do.
We have also learned that the blankets on the bunks still bear the Bethel Boys name and logo.
Please see our main WWASPS page for more information regarding WWASPS and Teen Help.
Genesis by the Sea - Mexico
Genesis by the Sea was an all-girls facility located in Rosarita, Mexico.
The facility was owned by Michael Palmer who also owns/operates Victory Christian Academy.
Palmer moved Victory to Jay, Florida after a California judge ordered the facility to close and banned Michael Palmer and his wife Patty from EVER working at an unlicensed facility in the state of California.
A former student has accused Michael Palmer, aka Brother Palmer, of sexual battery.
Michael Palmer's son, a deputy with the local Sherrif's Department, reportedly "escorted" children to Genesis by the Sea.
Mexican authorities raided Genesis by the Sea on September 10, 2004 after finding evidence of abuse and neglect.
Officials gave the program 48 hours to remove all children from the facility.
For more information about Victory Christian Academy and Michael Palmer, including additional court documents, please visit our
Victory Christian Academy page.
Mountain Park & Palm Lane Academies
Straight, Inc.
Straight, Inc. is widely considered to be the most abusive program in US history.
The nation-wide chain of facilities operated during the late 70's to the early 90's and has been classified as a cult.
Several of the facilities still operate today, but under different names.
Through their wealth and political connections, the founders of the program, Melvin and Betty Sembler, still have considerable influence over the nation's drug policies.
For more information about Straight and the Semblers, please visit melsembler.com and thestraights.com
- Bankruptcy Trustee Files Complaint Against Former Director of Straight, Inc.
- Complaint Filed Against Newton by Bankruptcy Trustee
- Florida Officials Take Closer Look at Miller Newton's Bankruptcy
- Miller Newton, Former Director of Straight, Inc. Trying to Establish a Church - 2005
- Mel Sembler, Founder of Straight, Inc. Says He's Retiring as Ambassador to Italy - 2005
- ISAC's Essay: Used by FACTNet to Determine that Straight was an American Cult
- ISAC's Straight Inc. Insurance Fraud Prelim Report
- Sample Insurance Fraud Document
- ISAC's Straight Inc. Tax Fraud Prelim Report
- ISAC's Straight Inc. Crimes Report
- What The Professionals Say/Crimes Report Appendix A
- Crimes Report Appendix A1, DFAF Corporate Documents
- Crimes Report Appendix A2
- The Clinicians of Straight
- Online Survey of Straight Survivors
- Accreditation of Straight, Inc. and some spin-off programs
- F.A.D.D. Refuses Straight
- ISAC's RSC/RSC Report
- Some Civil Cases Against Straight
- Florida Officials Aiding Straight
- Known Suicides (Straight Inc.)
- Interview With A Former Straight, Inc. Board Member
- Interview With A Second Original Board Member
- Interview With A Straight, Inc. Parent
- Interview With Former Executive Staff
- Interview With Former Straight Staff Member
- DHS Knew of Newton's Abuse in 1978 Page 1
- Newtons's Abuse Page 2
- Miller Newton News Articles
- David Crock Report, Former Straight, Inc. Executive - now working for Florida Dept. of Children and Families
- Ivor Groves, Former Director of Florida's Dept. of Health and Rehabilitative Services
Swan Valley Youth Academy
Survivors
If you would like to submit a statement describing your experience in any of the facilities listed above, please use this declaration form.
If you have other documents and are willing to release them to
ISAC, please contact us immediately.
ISAC Document Policy
ISAC does not reveal information concerning ongoing investigations UNLESS we feel
we can release the documents without hindering the investigation.
Some Reports or documents can not be released publicly. This is because they are part
of an ongoing criminal investigation by government or law enforcement agencies,
they reveal information pertaining to a juvenile or because they contain information
that we believe would violate a person's right to privacy.
We wish to be fair to all parties involved, and there is no intent whatsoever to
present inaccurate information. ISAC issues its conclusions and professional opinions
in the form of reports based solely on evidence collected during investigations. ISAC does not issue a judgment
on ANY individual or organization. That matter should be and is left to civil
and criminal proceedings.
If any group or individual feels that
the information presented on this site is inaccurate, please contact us.
If the information is proven to be inaccurate, it will be either changed or
removed upon receipt of verifiable proof. Verifiable proof is
defined as a disinterested source independent of your group such as a newspaper,
encyclopedia, public record, court transcript or similar source.
Statements posted on this website are not edited prior to publication.
The original authors of such statements are solely responsible for the content.
Any group or individual who wishes to supply a rebuttal to any information
presented on this site may do so at any time. The rebuttal must be sent via registered letter.
The following paragraph MUST be included in your rebuttal:
It is understood that all rebuttals
sent to ISAC Corp will be considered a matter of public interest and record.
The individual or organization submitting the rebuttal understands that
their rebuttal is subject to publication by ISAC Corporation
on its internet site, in original reports, and any other publication issued by ISAC.
