Provo Canyon School

History

On September 26, 1978, The Daily Herald (Utah) reported three adolescent boys had attempted to escape from Provo Canyon School. During their escape, they stole a car which led to a high-speed chase. Also during 1978, a lawsuit was filed by American Civil Liberties Union and Juvenile Justice Advocacy project arguing the students there were being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment and denied their constitutional rights. Their allegations included being subjected to mail control and polygraph tests.

In April 1979, D. Eugene Thorne became the executive director of Provo Canyon school.

In 1986, Provo Canyon School was bought by a company called Charter Behavioral Health Systems. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2000, after which PCS was sold to Universal Health Services.

On October. 9, 2020 a silent protest was organized and held outside PCS It was attended former alumni including Paris Hilton.

On February 19, 2023, a report was filed with police that 6 grams of methamphetamine, as well as drug paraphernalia, had been found at the school. Police closed the case due to lack of evidence.

On March 27, 2023, police were called following a fight that injured three people, including a staff member, 58-year-old Dennis Torrens. Police stated Torrens had been "sucker punched" by a male student, requiring surgery to address the injuries. Torrens later died, and police opened an investigation to determine if the assault was connected to his death.

On April 4, 2023, a sexual assault that occurred at the school was reported to police, following a referral from The Division of Child and Family Services.

On April 12, 2023, police were called to the school after a riot broke out in the living quarters. When speaking to authorities, a member of staff claimed that female students were attempting to break through the windows using chairs, and that eight girls had been put in restraints. One staff member was injured during the riot, and eight students were held in police custody overnight before being released back into the school's care the following day.

Education

PCS claims to offer year-round academics to all of its residents, as well as a variety of other educational programs to its students including career counseling, competitive sports, and special education. PCS is fully accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission.

Abuse

Since its inception, the school has been subject to a large number of individual and class-action lawsuits, particularly throughout the 1980s and 1990s. These lawsuits ranged from verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, medical negligence, to violating students' First Amendment rights and invasion of privacy, to false imprisonment and battery, to intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy, and loss of parental consortium.

In September 2020, media personality and socialite Paris Hilton premiered her YouTube Originals documentary This Is Paris, in which she attributes her chronic insomnia to PTSD developed as a result of being sent to four different "troubled teen" industry programs: CEDU School in Running Springs, California, Ascent Wilderness Program in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, Cascade School in Whitmore, California, and Provo Canyon School. After escaping from the first three, she spent 11 months at PCS in the late 1990s. Hilton reported that she and other students were physically and psychologically abused. Hilton alleged that she and other students were administered unknown medication without informed consent, subjected to physical restraint, and forcibly transported to the facility by a teen escort company, a practice commonly used within the troubled teen industry. She further stated that upon arrival she was subjected to a strip search and placed in a seclusion room for nearly twenty-four hours. Hilton later described Provo Canyon School as “the worst of the worst” among the youth residential programs she attended.

In October 2020, tattoo artist and television personality Kat Von D alleged her parents sent her to the school for a three-week program, but was ultimately held there for six months. She claimed to witness students being force-fed medications, sedated, and isolated. Von D said that she left with "major PTSD and other traumas due to the unregulated, unethical and abusive protocols of this 'school'" and wrote that she could not "call them schools because they're not schools they're fucking lockdown facilities". Von D said that she was "spared of the sexual abuse and the physical abuse" but "definitely saw" it happen.

On October 9, 2020, Hilton and a group of friends who attended PCS with her led a silent protest with hundreds of other protesters through the streets and neighborhoods of Provo, Utah to bring awareness about the facility.

Notable staff

Robert Lichfield - Founder of World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools.

D. Eugene Thorne - As head of Brigham Young University's psychology department, conducted electro-shock and vomiting aversion therapy experiments on gay and lesbian students. He was also a psychologist and attorney for the Challenger Foundation.

Robert Crist - One of the founders of Provo Canyon School. Crist later went on to open Logan River Academy in Logan, Utah in 2000 after PCS was acquired by Universal Health Services.

References

References

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2. Miller, Jessica. (20 September 2020). "Provo Canyon School's history of abuse accusations spans decades, far beyond Paris Hilton". The Salt Lake Tribune.
3. (December 24, 2023). "Provo Canyon School-provo Campus Profile (2021–22) | Provo, UT".
4. "Explore Provo Canyon School – Provo Campus".
5. "Explore Provo Canyon School – Orem Campus".
6. (26 September 1978). "3 Juveniles Apprehended After High Speed Chase". [[Daily Herald (Utah)]].
7. (1981-10-06). "Provo Canyon School 10/6/1981". The Los Angeles Times.
8. (1979-04-05). "Dr Eugene Thorne joins Provo Canyon School as ED and co-owner". The Daily Herald.
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19. Ushe, Naledi. (October 6, 2020). "Kat Von D says she went to same 'tortuous' boarding school as Paris Hilton, suffered 'major PTSD'".
20. Corinthios, Aurelie. (October 9, 2020). "Paris Hilton Planning Peaceful Protest of Utah School with Survivors of Alleged Abuse".
21. (2003-07-13). "Key to His School's Success? Its God, Founder Says". The Los Angeles Times.
22. (July 7, 2001). "Nothing to Hide? What it means to be gay at BYU". Salt Lake City Weekly.
23. (1990-02-12). "DEFENDANT IN CHALLENGER CASE LOSES A FEDERAL SUIT".
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25. (2022-04-05). "How Utah became the nation's top place to send troubled teens".
26. Miller Schreifels, Jessica. "Provo Canyon School's history of abuse accusations spans decades, far beyond Paris Hilton". The Salt Lake Tribune.