Bootcamp talkshow episodes - do they really work?
Dan Tropea
Today it was part 2 of bootcamp for problem teens. It seems like every
talk show has this format every once in a while. Sally Rapheal tends to
do it more then anyone else it seems.
The thing that troubles me the most about these episodes is do these
kids just play up for the camera? Are the telling Maury or whoever is
the host what they want to hear along with the parents and boot camp
sargeant? It just seems odd that a few days can do such radical changes
on a child's behavior. Even with updates are these kids really changed
or just more clever in not wanting to get caught?
Has there been any studies showing whether or not any real success is
ever accomplished with these kids?
Also i noticed today that a few of the girls were pushed and poked by
the drill officers. If this was a public school they would never have
been allowed to do that. Are there waivers that the parents sign
allowing more leeway?
WWS
Dan Tropea wrote:
>
> I was watching Maury Povich today and sadly i missed yesterdays episode.
Oh, gawd, I just really could not get over that opening line.
>
> Also i noticed today that a few of the girls were pushed and poked by
> the drill officers.
That oughtta boost the ratings!
hehehe, you said "drill" officer.
--
_________________________________________________WWS_____________
It may be that your sole purpose in life is
simply to serve as a warning to others.
namil...@yahoo.com
tro...@webtv.net (Dan Tropea) wrote:
> I was watching Maury Povich today and sadly i missed yesterdays
episode.
> talk show has this format every once in a while. Sally Rapheal tends
to
> do it more then anyone else it seems.
Boot camp is also a staple of Jenny jones as well. This is the ONLY
time I try to watch a daytime talk show. The POV is that of the
concerned parent, not the kid causing trouble.
> The thing that troubles me the most about these episodes is do these
> kids just play up for the camera? Are the telling Maury or whoever is
> the host what they want to hear along with the parents and boot camp
> sargeant? It just seems odd that a few days can do such radical
changes
> on a child's behavior. Even with updates are these kids really changed
> or just more clever in not wanting to get caught?
> Has there been any studies showing whether or not any real success is
> ever accomplished with these kids?
It all depends on the kid they are trying to correct.
> Also i noticed today that a few of the girls were pushed and poked by
> the drill officers. If this was a public school they would never have
> been allowed to do that. Are there waivers that the parents sign
> allowing more leeway?
JJ has parents signing waivers ceded the child to the instructors. So
maybe a yes in that account.
If it were me producing the show, I would NOT have pre-taped segments
with the pint-sized boot campees. I would have the host read a
statement (sanitized for broadcast TV) made by the kids/teens on how
they see themselves. But that's me. I don't know if any producers
would tell me the time of day on this one.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Phil From Chicago
>Today it was part 2 of bootcamp for problem teens. It seems like every
>talk show has this format every once in a while. Sally Rapheal tends to
>do it more then anyone else it seems.
that's very true it seems that's all Maury's interested in now
>The thing that troubles me the most about these episodes is do these
>kids just play up for the camera?
there are real kids out there just like the ones on these shows and some are
even worse...I think it's fair to say that most of the guests on those episodes
are real brats
>Are the telling Maury or whoever is
>the host what they want to hear along with the parents and boot camp
>sargeant? It just seems odd that a few days can do such radical changes
>on a child's behavior.
most kids never had to endure boot camp or the lessons it teaches. Although I
see where you're going with the behavior side of things I think really helps
some kids and then again some kids don't change at all
>Even with updates are these kids really changed
>or just more clever in not wanting to get caught?
that's what update shows are all about
>Has there been any studies showing whether or not any real success is
>ever accomplished with these kids?
>
>
I don't think producers of these shows are interested in any studies.
>Also i noticed today that a few of the girls were pushed and poked by
>the drill officers. If this was a public school they would never have
>been allowed to do that. Are there waivers that the parents sign
>allowing more leeway?
as long as the kids weren't injured I don't think there's anything the parents
can legally do about it. Plus I'm sure a few papers had to be signed by
parents and lawyers before the kids could be sent off and in those papers you
can bet waivers were included
Prince Galaga
Bart: Thousands of people saw your pretzels injuring Whitey Ford you can't buy
publicity like that!
Homer: You can call them "Whitey Whackers"
-The Simpsons
Reverend Doc Holliday
>Has there been any studies showing whether or
>not any real success is ever accomplished with
>these kids?
My church has several ex-military members including a former marine
recon. master seargent. We conduct our own "bible boot camp" for
children under 16.
We take the kids to an isolated cabin in the mountains with no tv, no
phones, and no electricity. We teach them to FEAR GOD and HATE SATAN. We
also get them to realize that Satan is everywhere in this world and they
must be good Christians to fight him.
It lasts 2 weeks, is free to parents who have tithed for at least one
year, and I can tell you that it has saved many a child from Satan.
>Also i noticed today that a few of the girls were
>pushed and poked by the drill officers. If this
>was a public school they would never have
>been allowed to do that. Are there waivers that
>the parents sign allowing more leeway?
We have the parents sign a release, as a precaution, but we don't allow
ANY physical contact between the "instructors" and the students.
WE use "time out" as a punishment-- the kid sits in a locked dark room
by himself in silence, to meditate on his evil, until the instructor
believes he is ready to behave like a rightous Christian and rejoin the
group. It works magnificently.
---
with my blessings,
Reverend "Doc" Holliday
Come and join "Doc's Flock" and give praise to the Lord sundays at the
New Holliday Cathedral in Tampa.
Go Bucs!
Lori
>WE use "time out" as a punishment-- the kid sits in a locked dark room
>by himself in silence, to meditate on his evil, until the instructor
>believes he is ready to behave like a rightous Christian and rejoin the
>group. It works magnificently.
Okay, I'm taking this totally off topic here, but this reminded me of
something that once happened to me. As a kid, my parents took me to this
Christian camp thing when I was about 7 or so... anyhow, to punish us for
doing something wrong they made us sit absolutely still without moving.
And I mean *without moving* - we were instructed to be a still as statues.
I remember getting into trouble because my sister (who was hyperactive) was
fidgeting and I was trying to get her to stop. So we both got "punished".
And I wasn't allowed to move, so I couldn't do anything when she fidgeted
during the punishment either. I remember sitting there as still as I
could, so as not to incur the wrath of the people leading this thing, and
my legs fell asleep from sitting so long (I was cross-legged on the floor).
Needless to say, all this did was cause me to hate the place even more. My
parents were incredibly angry when they found out about this, and had words
with the directors. I'm not sure whatever came out of that, but we never
went back.
So, Doc, punishment tactics may work "magnificently" when you motivate the
children out of fear of the punishment itself, but they don't do much in
the long run to make them embrace whatever beliefs you are trying to teach
them.
Just my $.02.
--
Lori
Btw, this camp is still in existence today, but it's under the leadership
of a different church now so hopefully they are a little more... ahem...
"normal" now. Even so, I'm still not gonna send my kids there.
To...@fred.net
: My church has several ex-military members including a former marine
: recon. master seargent. We conduct our own "bible boot camp" for
: children under 16.
: We take the kids to an isolated cabin in the mountains with no tv, no
: phones, and no electricity. We teach them to FEAR GOD and HATE SATAN. We
: also get them to realize that Satan is everywhere in this world and they
: must be good Christians to fight him.
: It lasts 2 weeks, is free to parents who have tithed for at least one
: year, and I can tell you that it has saved many a child from Satan.
Phhhht.... I'll see your boot camp and raise you Sister Mary Margaret
Perpetua of the Sisters of Charity. Your puny evangelical brimstone and
fire is no match for a nun with a License to Rule(r). :P
: Go Bucs!
Ah yes, another Sign of the Apocalypse.
--
To...@Fred.Net http://www.fred.net/tomr
* Faith Manages...... But Willow is in Tech Support
* "Hello, girls.... I'm the Easter Bunny!" - Janet Reno, "South Park"
"I'm not wealthy enough to be innocent." - Marc Bowden
Mary Kay Bergman 1961-1999 - http://www.wackyvoices.com
russcolemn
> ...
>
> Has there been any studies showing whether or not any real success is
> ever accomplished with these kids?
>
> ...
In a interview on Larry King Sally said they had about a 50% success rate
KW
Enclosed here are several newspaper articles regarding a 10 time returning
guest on The Jenny Jones Show. His name is Raymond Moses and he is/was the
director of About Face Boot Camp, located in North Carolina. The Jenny
Jones Show has sent unruly teenage guests to About Face. At the bottom of
the document are the links to the articles
About Face was closed down two weeks ago due to allegations of abuse and the
fact that About Face was never licensed by the state of North Carolina.
I find the fact that Ms. Jones nor any of her staff on The Jenny Jones Show
has come forward to issue a statement regarding these stories very
disturbing. By now somebody on the Jenny Jones staff should have said
something instead of making it appear as if The JJ Show is looking the other
way or ignoring the issue. I think it's even worse because underage
children were the ones getting hurt.
Please read the articles below.
Kristen Weiser
kwe...@socal.rr.com
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THE ARTICLES
Unlicensed boot camp for children shut down after abuse charges arise
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
RALEIGH
The state closed an unlicensed residential ''boot camp'' for troubled
children yesterday after charges of abuse surfaced, including an allegation
that a child was assaulted and handcuffed for three days.
''We had significant concerns that children are endangered. . . . It was
clear that the strict discipline at the About Face Boot Camp was sometimes
abusive,'' said Paul Burge, the director of the Department of Social
Services in Burke County, which complained to the state about the camp near
Connelly Springs.
The DSS in Burke County presented evidence to state officials of child abuse
at the camp, which cares for 62 youths and was featured on Jenny Jones.
The N.C. Division of Social Services filed a complaint with Superior Court
in Burke County. A judge issued a temporary restraining order against owners
Raymond and Katrina Moses.
Burge and Sheriff John McDevitt sent staff to stay with the children until
they were removed yesterday.
The state's complaint charged that Raymond Moses assaulted a child and then
kept him in handcuffs for three days. It said that the state was
investigating other allegations of mistreatment. The complaint claimed that
the children lived in two-person tents and were locked inside the fenced
compound nightly.
The 2-year-old camp accepts troubled boys and girls between the ages of 5
and 16 and subjects them to a ''strict, military-style regimen,'' according
to the camp's Web site. Many are from out of state.
However, About Face was unlicensed by the state, even though all facilities
for children with behavioral problems must be licensed, said Chuck Harris of
the N.C. Division of Social Services.
No one at the boot camp answered telephone calls placed yesterday. The
camp's Web site said that all of its summer sessions were booked; parents
were charged $800 for the two-week sessions.
The About Face children were taken to the Burke County Emergency Management
Care Center on the campus of Broughton Psychiatric Hospital in Morganton
yesterday.
Officials said that the children will be examined by county health nurses
and sent home. ''We can keep the children safe for the next few days until
they can go home,'' said Seth Hunt, the Broughton hospital director.
Published: June 16, 2000
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Parents retrieve children from shut-down boot camp
. State officials say that its operator went too far in trying to instill
discipline
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MORGANTON
Parents began reclaiming yesterday 62 children enrolled in an unlicensed
private ''boot camp'' that was closed by the state amid charges of abuse.
One parent said he now is out of options for his 15-year-old son.
''There are 60 kids going back home that will create havoc with their
families,'' said Brian Hanson of the Chicago area, whose son had been at
About Face Boot Camp in Connelly Springs for more than two weeks.
''I appreciate the intentions of the Division of Social Services, but there
could have been a much, much better way for them to handle this situation,''
Hanson said yesterday in a telephone interview. ''It's a sad situation.''
Raymond Moses started the camp for troubled children two years ago after
listening to complaints from worried parents. The camp, which charged $800
for a two-week session, was featured on the Jenny Jones talk show and was
viewed as a last resort by many parents whose children had become discipline
problems.
''I have a wonderful kid, but he got way off the track,'' Hanson said. ''He
got real defiant, really out of control. He needed someone to give him a
swift kick in the pants and get back on the program.''
Hanson said that his son was failing in school, stealing and lying. He
thought long and hard before deciding to send his son to About Face. ''I've
shed a lot of tears over this whole thing. But I did this to save my kid's
life.''
State officials contend that Moses went too far in trying to instill
discipline in the children. They said he assaulted a child and handcuffed
him for three days.
Social workers learned of the abuse charges when a child ran away from the
camp, went home and told a parent about his experiences.
A Burke County judge issued a temporary restraining order Thursday against
Moses and his wife, Katrina, and the facility was closed. The state's
complaint said that Moses operated the camp without getting a state license
to run a home for children with behavioral problems.
The children at the camp were taken to an emergency shelter at the state's
Broughton mental hospital, and parents were picking them up and arranging
their transportation home yesterday.
Hanson, who planned to retrieve his son over the weekend, wrote a letter to
Attorney General Mike Easley warning that ''more harm than good may result
from the closure of the camp.''
''For the sake of the many children who could be helped by such a program, I
respectfully request your support in expediting the reopening of About Face
Boot Camp,'' his letter said.
Cari Hepp, a spokeswoman for the attorney general's office, said that the
agency went to court at the request of the Department of Health and Human
Services, and that any further action was up to DHHS.
Lois Nilson, a DHHS spokeswoman, said that Moses could apply for a license
to operate a home for children with behavioral problems, but would have to
meet standards to get one.
Moses said he asked officials about licensing requirements before he opened
the camp. ''They couldn't give me an answer because they didn't know what
category to put me in,'' he said Thursday.
The camp initially operated in Catawba County, then moved to Burke County
because of a zoning issue.
Moses said that his program teaches kids self-esteem, self-control,
self-discipline, respect for others, anger management, ethics, morals,
religion and the importance of an education.
He acknowledged that he handcuffed a child at the camp.
Published: June 17, 2000
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Judge rules boot camp wrongly operated as foster home
MORGANTON, N.C. (AP) -- A private, military-style youth boot camp operated
for two years as an unlicensed foster home before the state intervened
earlier this month, a judge ruled.
About Face Youth Boot Camp cannot reopen as a foster home without a state
license for foster care, Judge Claude Sitton ordered Wednesday.
''I hope my ruling isn't misinterpreted,'' Sitton told the camp's owner and
director. ''I think it's a very good idea to have a private business run a
boot camp. I just don't think you went through the necessary hoops to get
there.''
Camp operator Raymond Moses, 32, said he plans to reopen soon by scaling
down the boot camp's program to fit less strict state rules on summer camps.
State law defines a summer camp as a camp that provides food or lodging for
groups in organized or recreational programs.
''I'm not going anywhere,'' said Moses, a former Marine. ''If I've got to
change the whole program that's what I'll do.''
About Face housed troubled children between ages 5 and 18 on 52 acres near
the town of Connelly Springs. It was closed June 15 at the request of the
state Department of Health and Human Services.
Burke County social workers said they had substantiated evidence of abuse at
the camp and said Moses was operating without a license. The 62 campers were
taken to a temporary shelter.
Moses opened About Face in Conover in 1998, then moved to Burke County last
year after a zoning dispute, he said. The boot camp had been featured on the
syndicated ''Jenny Jones'' television show.
Sitton ruled that About Face met the state's definition of a foster home
because children there lived apart from their parents or guardians for up to
weeks at a time and the camp was providing them with shelter, food,
recreation, education and other ''essentials of daily living,'' as state law
puts it.
The judge found the camp's use of handcuffs and leg irons to restrain
out-of-control or violent campers is ''unreasonable'' and goes ''above and
beyond proper care in the restraining of a child.''
Specifically, camper Cody Moore, 15, should not have stayed handcuffed for
most of two days or more after he tried to run away June 9, the judge said.
A report of the cuffing started the investigation that led to the closing.
''The health, safety and welfare of these children was jeopardized,'' Sitton
said.
About Face's practice of locking campers behind a 10-foot fence topped with
barbed wire at night ''was not to protect children from wild beasts in Burke
County but was to enclose and secure (campers) more or less as prisoners,''
Sitton ruled. Staffers claimed the fence was to protect campers from animals
or other intruders.
The judge also found that camp staff and volunteers, most from area law
enforcement agencies, were not adequately trained to deal with children. Too
few staffers supervised too many children, Sitton said.
AP-ES-06-29-00 0100EDT
Copyright (c) 1999 The Associated Press
Published: June 29, 2000
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Posted at 10:54 p.m. EDT Thursday, June 15, 2000
Burke `boot camp' for teens is closed after abuse allegations
Social workers cite evidence of abuse
By ERICA BESHEARS GREG LACOUR
Staff Writers
MORGANTON -- The state closed a highly publicized "boot camp" for kids
Thursday, after social workers said they substantiated an allegation that a
camper was handcuffed for three days and officials determined that the camp
was providing foster care without being licensed.
Burke County sheriff's deputies removed 62 children, ages 9 to 18, from the
privately owned About Face Youth Boot Camp in southeastern Burke County,
about 70 miles northwest of Charlotte. The 19 girls and 43 boys were taken
to Broughton Hospital in Morganton to be sheltered temporarily. They will
remain at the state hospital until their parents can pick them up. The About
Face Youth Boot Camp drew children from as far away as California, thanks in
part to national exposure on the Jenny Jones talk show. The camp's founder,
former Marine Raymond Moses, appeared on episodes about out-of-control kids
more than 10 times since March 1999, according to the camp's Web page. He
promised a regimented, paramilitary system that would instill
self-discipline, self-confidence and self-esteem, the Web page said.
The kids slept outside in two-person tents surrounded by a chain-link fence.
The girls had bathrooms, but the boys did not, according to court documents.
Because it was not licensed, there was no government oversight.
Moses could not be reached for comment Thursday, but his wife and co-owner
of the camp, Katrina Moses, denied both the abuse and improper licensing
allegations. "We're wanting to do whatever we have to do, but they won't
tell us anything," she said. "Basically, we're trying to do whatever we have
to do to open back up."
A Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order Thursday to
close the camp. It will be in effect until a hearing next Friday, when the
state will seek a preliminary, and later a permanent, injunction to close
the camp.
One mother who sent her child to a weekend boot camp last year gave it a
ringing endorsement. "I've witnessed more tears than I could tell you,
between kids and staff, kids coming up to Sergeant Moses and hugging him and
begging not to leave," said Melissa Sigmon, 32, of Hickory.
The boot camp's problems started Saturday, when Burke County Department of
Social Services received a complaint alleging abuse at the camp, said Paul
Burge, Burke DSS director.
He would not say who placed the call or describe the nature of the
allegation.
However, court documents filed in support of the restraining order said DSS
substantiated abuse allegations against Raymond Moses "in regards to his
assaulting a child who is placed in the said camp, and handcuffing the said
child for a period of three days." Authorities did not give the handcuffed
camper's age.
Katrina Moses said a teen-ager was briefly handcuffed on June8, after two
15-year-old boys ran away from a coin-operated laundry away from the camp.
One was caught and handcuffed, she said. The other got away and was later
found by police.
"The only reason he was handcuffed was that he was resisting being caught,"
she said. "The next day, he was out of the handcuffs. We even took him to
Quincy's buffet for dinner."
Moses said parents knew that children could be handcuffed.
As social workers investigated the complaint, they became concerned about
safety conditions at the camp and whether it was properly licensed.
They called in the Burke County Sheriff's Office and N.C. Division of Social
Services, which determined that the camp was providing foster care without a
license. Katrina Moses said she didn't believe they were providing foster
care because the parents pay to send their kids to camp.
State law defines foster care as "the continuing provision of the essentials
of daily living on a 24-hour basis for dependent, neglected, abused,
abandoned, destitute, orphaned, undisciplined, or delinquent children or
other children who, due to similar problems of behavior or family
conditions, are living apart from their parents, relatives or guardians in a
family foster home or residential child-care facility."
The camp had been allowed to operate in Burke County for months because,
despite publicity, social workers didn't know it existed until Saturday,
Burge said.
Burge said the camp's paramilitary style wouldn't be a problem for him if it
were licensed properly and there were no allegations of abuse. "I don't have
a problem with anybody being shouted at," he said. "I am concerned about
safety issues."
The About Face Youth Boot Camp moved to its current Burke County site in
November, after a change in zoning laws forced it from its previous location
in Conover, Katrina Moses said.
Raymond Moses was hired by the state Department of Correction to run a boot
camp program for offenders ages 16 to 30. But he received many calls from
parents asking if they could put their children in the program before they
got into trouble, he said in a 1999 interview with The Observer.
They couldn't, but the calls gave him the idea for a private boot camp.
The children removed from the camp Thursday were there for a program that
lasted between two and 14 weeks, Burke County Sheriff John McDevitt said.
In the interview, Moses said he approached the state Division of Social
Services with his boot camp idea.
According to the Web site, this summer's sessions cost $400 per week, with a
two-week minimum. A weekend session costs $100. This winter's session would
cost $1,000 for two weeks.
Last year, Conover police investigated the camp but did not file charges,
Katrina Moses said. A child ran away and stole a pickup truck, then claimed
the camp was abusive, she said.
McDevitt said his office would turn over its findings to the district
attorney, but he cautioned that any abuse allegations would be investigated
thoroughly. "We've got 62 kids that most of them don't want to be there," he
said.
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The News & Observer
June 16, 2000
State closes children's boot camp
ByAmy Gardner; STAFF WRITER
Section: News
Edition: Final
Page: A1
Correction: A Page 1 story Friday misspelled Connelly Springs, the Burke
County town near a private boot camp shut down by state officials.
Article Text:
North Carolina shut down a private children's boot camp in Burke County on
Thursday, alleging that a child there had been assaulted and handcuffed for
three days and that the camp was operating without a license.
Officials from the state Division of Social Services and the Burke County
Sheriff's Department removed 62 children from the About Face Boot Camp in
Connolly Springs, slightly more than an hour northwest of Charlotte.
The children, who range in age from 9 to 17, were taken to an emergency
shelter at Broughton Hospital, a state mental hospital in Morganton. Several
were due to fly home from Charlotte on Thursday night, and travel
arrangements for the rest were still under way. Only nine are from North
Carolina.
About Face has been featured on Jenny Jones' daytime talk show and
advertises itself on the Internet as a "regimented paramilitary system"
designed to improve the behavior of problem youths.
The investigation began Saturday with a complaint of physical abuse from a
parent whose son had escaped from the camp. Local social services officials
arrived that day to find a child in handcuffs, said Burke County Sheriff
John McDevitt.
The boy allegedly had been handcuffed for three days, McDevitt said.
Officials continue to investigate whether one of the camp's owners, Raymond
Moses, assaulted the child, too. Other possible abuses are still under
investigation.
Social services officials say they determined that About Face is not a
recreational children's camp but a foster camp, a facility for children with
severe behavioral problems. This type of facility requires a license in
North Carolina.
"I was on the phone with the sheriff and the DSS director, who said to me,
'Mr. Harris, kids are in danger out there,' " said Chuck Harris, chief of
children's services for the state Division of Social Services. "That's all I
needed to hear."
The boot camp's owners, Moses and his wife, Katrina, could not be reached
for comment Thursday. But Mike Williams, the camp's superintendent and one
of its three paid employees, said in a telephone interview that no child has
ever been abused there.
Williams acknowledged using handcuffs occasionally on aggressive children,
and explained that physical restraint is often necessary. He said another
escaping child recently "was ... put down to the floor" after he was caught
and resisted.
Parents expect such discipline at a boot camp, Williams said. He said most
employees and volunteers have a military background, some have
law-enforcement training, and some have worked for IMPACT, the state's adult
boot camp for criminals on probation.
"DSS is against boot-camp programs," Williams said. "They don't like us
hollering at kids, getting in their faces, motivating them, changing their
lives."
The parent's complaint came two days after her son had escaped and made his
way home from About Face. Officials would not say where the boy is from.
Sheriff's deputies have been on round-the-clock duty at the camp since
Monday, McDevitt said. On Wednesday, officials went to court to obtain a
restraining order.
A court affidavit described fenced-in, outdoor sleeping quarters in which
children, assigned to two-man tents, were locked each night. Boys and girls
slept in separate fenced areas, and only the girls had access to a bathroom
overnight.
McDevitt said he didn't think camp employees were willfully or maliciously
abusing children, but he said the camp needs better facilities, more
employees and written procedures to handle such issues as emergencies and
dispensing medicine.
"I like the boot-camp concept," McDevitt said. "But ... I have problems with
a parent who's lost control of his 9-year-old. I mean, that's pitiful. Momma
and Daddy need to go to a parent boot camp."
The camp charges $500 a week and requires a minimum two-week stay, according
to a voice-mail message on its phone. Moses has made several appearances on
the Jenny Jones talk show, giving him national exposure.
"Kids come and go every week," McDevitt said. "Their parents are very
desperate to send them some place that's in another state and they haven't
seen. They're buying a round-trip ticket, and he takes a trip once a week to
the Charlotte airport, rounds some up and drops some off."
The camp moved to Burke County just last month from adjacent Catawba County,
where it had been operating since 1998, said Paul Burge, director of social
services for Burke County.
Social services officials couldn't explain how the camp operated without
their knowledge.
"If they're not on your radar screen, if you don't know it's going on, it's
hard," said Mark Van Sciver, a spokesman for the Department of Health and
Human Services. "You can't be in every part of the state at any one time. I
don't think they had any knowledge that the camp was operating."
North Carolina runs two boot camps through its IMPACT program, but both are
for criminals ages 16 to 30. The Office of Juvenile Justice sometimes refers
youth offenders to military-style programs at the state's training centers,
which house children with behavioral problems. Subject: About Face Boot Camp
Subject: Burke County Subject: Connelly Springs Subject: Raymond Moses
Correct: ### A Page 1 story Friday misspelled Connelly Springs, the Burke
County town near a private boot camp shut down by state officials.
T Mosier/Staff
Copyright 2000 by The News & Observer Pub. Co.
Record Number: fw996k89
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The News & Observer
June 20, 2000
Camp's scary story
Section: Editorial/Opinion
Edition: Final
Page: A10
Article Type:Editorial
Article Text:
No matter how big they grow, people under 18 are still children. They may be
tall enough to look you in the eye, drive a car and argue the fine points of
poetry, but plenty of them are clutching a teddy bear while they sleep. They
trust adults to protect them.
Children who were found last week at About Face Boot Camp in Connelly
Springs northwest of Charlotte tell a chilling story of adults violating
that trust, of adults who have mistreated kids and even handcuffed some of
them for days at a time. Thankfully, the state of North Carolina takes a dim
view of such practices and had the statutory firepower to shut the doors on
About Face, which had been operating for two years without a license.
At the very least, the camp should stay closed until it has met requirements
for a state license. Disciplinary action against the camp's owners, if
warranted, would discourage others from pushing the boot camp approach too
far.
State social services workers, investigating the complaint of a child who
ran away from About Face, went to the camp and found another child in
handcuffs, a violation of rules against physical restraints on kids. Camp
superintendent Mike Williams says no child has ever been abused at About
Face, but in an interview with The N&O, he acknowledged using handcuffs with
aggressive children and insisted that physical restraint is often necessary.
"DSS is against boot-camp programs," he said. "They don't like us hollering
at kids, getting in their faces, motivating them, changing their lives."
Clearly, the state is right to halt the use of restraints.
Though About Face personnel may have military or law enforcement training,
there is no assurance any of them know what they're doing with 62 kids aged
9 to 17, since the camp never bothered to meet licensing requirements.
The Web site for About Face boasts of camp owner Raymond Moses' appearances
on Jenny Jones' syndicated talk show, but television producers' standards
for guests are considerably looser than the state's licensing requirements
for camp operators. For one, the state does the background checks to ensure
operators have no criminal history. Parents ought to have at least that much
assurance from those who care for their children.
Granted, the national landscape lacks easy solutions for parents desperate
to keep kids out of the juvenile justice system. There, youngsters too often
receive training in adult crime. But in their zeal to turn kids around,
adults need to be wary of placing them in the wrong hands. Once gone, a
child's trust is never again quite so innocent.
Copyright 2000 by The News & Observer Pub. Co.
Record Number: fwgj9089
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THE LINKS:
http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/local/northcarolina/boot17.htm
http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/local/northcarolina/boot30.htm
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000616/us/boot_camp_0304_2.html
http://www.charlotte.com/observer/local/catawba/docs/review0618.htm
http://www.charlotte.com/aol/news/briefs/docs/boot.htm
http://www.nospank.org/newsrm.htm
http://archives.newsbank.com/bin/gate.exe?f=nav_doc&state=q31ahl.1.1
"Dan Tropea" <tro...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:8765-395...@storefull-233.iap.bryant.webtv.net...
I was watching Maury Povich today and sadly i missed yesterdays episode.
Today it was part 2 of bootcamp for problem teens. It seems like every
talk show has this format every once in a while. Sally Rapheal tends to
do it more then anyone else it seems.
The thing that troubles me the most about these episodes is do these
kids just play up for the camera? Are the telling Maury or whoever is
the host what they want to hear along with the parents and boot camp
sargeant? It just seems odd that a few days can do such radical changes
on a child's behavior. Even with updates are these kids really changed
or just more clever in not wanting to get caught?
Has there been any studies showing whether or not any real success is
ever accomplished with these kids?
Also i noticed today that a few of the girls were pushed and poked by
Hazy Azure
a child even if he or she is fourteen, IS NOT GOOD!
Bootcamp my ass, it's a medieval way of dealing with
the problem and I honestly think a weekend will not help
kids with normal adolescent problems.
Captain Infinity
In article <n1185.1034$D4.4...@wagner.videotron.net>
Hazy Azure wrote:
>Bootcamp my ass
You so kinky!
**
Captain Infinity