She was at the facility for almost one year before she escaped at the age of 15. In one of his many papers on Synanon, Ofshe noted that it is doubtful that all the therapeutic communities that cloned themselves after Synanon would have done so if they heard Mr. Dederich testify as he did in 1979: its always a mistake to let anyone into Synanon. Rather than a commune wonderfully described by Yablonsky and Janzen as reforming criminals, it made criminals out of non-criminals, and took former reformed criminals to a higher level of criminal violence. And of course, this was what was best in early Synanon, i.e., peers to talk to and help if the craving starts; also support when kicking cold turkey, food and a roof. *, As with The Seed, at Straight abuse was omnipresentincluding beatings and kidnapping of adult participants. They didn't know," he says. Now, if it is not very God damn profitable, I would go into another business. Synanons punitive system of verbal attacks and humiliation was counterproductive and drove out most that entered. In context, my conversation with Rod Janzen, as he certainly knew of me, and if he was a true journalist, he would have had to interview me to follow all leads. When he begged to see a doctor, the staff sneered at him and called him a faker and asked him if he were homosexual.. But nobody, especially Dr. Rogers, ever imagined children sitting in one continuous synanon 12 hours a day, 5 days a week for several yearswith 200 kids screaming and spitting at him, where the child could not verbally defend himself against his indicters, where he would be beaten and physically restrained, and, most importantly, where he could not leavenamely Straight, Inc. In other words Straight took a program that had been designed (and poorly so) to control hard-core adult heroin addicts and used it to control kids who had experimented with pot and alcoholsometimes worse, but sometimes no drugs at all. Paul Morantz Communist Russia was safer with freedom taken away. Because he had lived for so long surrounded by yes people, he had no understanding how others would see his actions and thus was very open in admitting what he did, including that violence could not happen unless he approved it. as to George Bush, again in my book I said there was no difference between him psychologically and Osama. At least three dozen teens have died in these programs, often because staff see medical complaints as malingering. Free choice is an American ideal, and we sacrifice for it, to preserve it, because as a nation we believe it is our greatest freedom. And it was repeated in books by Yablonsky and Endore and unfortunately repeated a decade ago by Janzen. The Cedu Schools developed into an industry of sister schools, clones and copy-cats, that are now a multi-million dollar, international and unregulated business., *.*.. Over the years as I wrote c. upon chapter of Synanon history, I have mainly received nothing but great comments from people. It was known for communal living, practices such as group "truth-telling" sessions they called "The Game," requiring married couples to split and take new partners and female members to shave their heads. Simon had come to Synanon because his teacher, Abraham Maslow, the founder of the Humanistic Movement, of which Synanon was using its lingo, was predicting that Synanon would transform psychotherapy. His family claims his pleas for help were ignored. I dont have to stay in it anymore. Did you change partners? Also Santa Monica acted because Synanon did not have a license to treat anyone. "I became very interested in the idea of buried history, all the ways that we as children were told things that were patently untrue, and that we believed them," says Jollett, whose book will publish on May 26, just after the same-titled album. Totalitarianism societies in the end always end in abuse and a we vs. they war concept. At his death bed, Maslow finally denounced the Human Potential Movement. Every time we let somebody into Synanon we assume an enormous liability and this is done consciously. I look forward to comments, but those based upon facts, not attacks on the messenger. Former Synanite Dr. David Deitch, then a Phoenix House director, has stated, A client must have the choice of leaving treatment, even if the youngster is on probation and the alternative is jail.(19) Richard Ashley wrote in Heroin that, The only power of decision the member retains once he enters a TC is the decision to leave. Dr. Efren Ramirez, founder of Phoenix House, has said that you dont rehabilitate a person against his will.. Yet by the time Synanon shut down in 1991, its model had already been widely copied. He would want to know the reasons that motivated me, if he was in search for the truth. AA, as Synanon did, says one must participate in AA for life and have a religious belief in AA 12 steps. Worse, they continue today despite strong efforts to expose them. And while it may be true that economics was a motivation, economics are part of the motivation for everyone on these issues. Looking back, I think my brother was appropriately angry with the adults.". A few, but very few have gone out and made it. Another boy froze to death (given no coat or shelter), and the victims even included former Synanon children who were placed in these camps by parents still believing in the Synanon system. You might call that egotistical, but I felt I had that knowledge because I had engaged so many. And I think he saw I might be going down that path, too. While the abuse in Synanon was bad enough, it pails in comparison to a stream of sociopaths who hijacked the system to become Millionaires through the abuse of children; in some cases even as morally deprived as organizations that kidnap children and sell them for profit. Further it established shelter and group support could aid those truly wanting to stop. Ben had told me you felt I had added more to what you had written and your excellent children study, and when I went back and read it I saw there was ambiguity between when I was quoting you and when I was adding my own additional comment. ", Jollett continued to struggle with past traumas as a young teen and adult. It was only after the invasion of Iraq and discovery that the administration dangerously burned a spy to get even with for Sen. husband who wrote the administration had no evidence of Iraq weapons of mass destruction when it created a greater attack than 911 itself, that journalist took back their mandate to look for the truth and present that truth the country. The founder, Charles Dederich, ordered his cult followers to divorce and swap partners, with more than 200 couples complying. it would be interesting to see you rewrite a summary of what I wrote so it could be judged whether or not you understood it. Ultimately, as stated above, Dederich would testify they never knew how to cure a dope fiend and nobody does. According to Department of I'm not doing that. The truth is Santa Monica was enforcing a valid zoning prohibition. You would make Wes Fager proud, I am sure, sadly he is no longer with us. Saying his death was caused by cardiac arrest, said Cohen, is really sugar-coating the pill as he was tortured to death and also denied medical treatment. All the civil rights marches, the anti-Vietnam protests, were uniting people of all races. Margo I agree I looked at every branch. What is mysterious about this? Jollett believes the violence to which adults were subjected has received widespread attention. I did not delete Susans comment, they disappeared and then reappeared; have happy holidays. Anyway, you should learn about ones actual career before you make assumptions about it. Synanon was discredited in the late 1970s and 1980s as its violent record was exposed. Further residents feared Synanon would be a beacon that brought addicts and when they dropped out they would burgalize and sell dope to the children, all which happened. Gina Score, 14, at the state-run juvenile prison camp at Plankinton, South Dakota, 1999 was run to death. ("There was no soft place to land, there was no one really caring about us," he explains. I think he recognized, 'Oh, is this one going to become an addict, too? It a very sick place for teen agers,and during my time we were mixed in with adults. They made people like Bernie Kolb who I loved very much. Survivors of Residential Treatment Centers (RTC) WWASP Fighters. You would also have learned that I have been in the room with many Synanon people countless times. Eventually Dr. DuPont left government service and became a paid consultant for Straight, which had replaced The Seed after the US Senate likened its methods to North Korean brainwashing. It was like, 'Nothing ever gets to me. Others were taken below or in barns to be beaten. Let alone, 'Okay, here you go stranger I've never met, take care of my kid. . Yes it was a tough nut to crack and in part due to the protection it recieved. . And that number was highly inflated by injection of squares and children born to addicts and squares alike. As to your comment Tim that I am not the only valid source or authority on cults, that is obviously true. Both AA and Synanon provided this insight, but unfortunately each bounded its members with an ideology and demand to never quit the organizations. You dont present any facts that they are lies because you have none. The musician also remembers the period with his mother and brother in Oregon, where they went to hide. In 1984 a federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia awarded Fred Collins, Jr. $220,000 for being falsely imprisoned at Straight.Inc. He was a great man and kind human being. Anybody. The autopsy report stated that he died from a perforated ulcer, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. it would take a few generations for this to work out. [Chuck] Dederich [Synanons founder], an exile from A.A., is credited with being the genius behind the TC [therapeutic community] movement. Leon Brill acknowledges in The Clinical Treatment of Substance Abusers that the original therapeutic community directed by ex-addicts was Synanon though others, he writes, such as Daytop Village, Odyssey House and Phoenix House in New York City have used psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and other professionals as part of their staff.. Real crazy people. Sure it maybe closed but it still needs to be investigated in the same fashion that Penn state was investigated. Maybe it's one of the things about human nature, that isolated power corrupts people. The main reason in stopping in 2000 was a telephone call from Rod Janzen asking to confirm the date I was bit by the Snake. There just a, lots of them down in the Bank of America building in San Francisco, Pacific Union club, various law offices throughout the country, the streets, the ghettos, the penitentiaries. We have multiple groups dedicated to ending the TTI (Troubled Teen Industry) as well, that work in conjunction with mine, this is how I discovered this story! By the mid-80s Straight was operating in seven states. In his final letter to his mother, he wrote, They found my weakness and I want to go home.. And in March she went, flying into Georgetown with her family, a few friends, and Jordan The Old Man would testify that he never gave a splitee a single thought from the moment each left. Comments here are for input, questions, and providing of facts. TimI didnt say I was the only one to fight Synanon. Made it perforated ulcer, but that is obviously true Centers ( RTC ) Fighters... 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