Troubled-adolescent mental health facility The Brown Schools of Virginia (the facility has been cited with 99 human rights violations in their not-quite-two-year history, ranging from staffer/patient sex to untrained temps injuring patients. The latest news is that a staffer attacked and threatened to kill a patient, and another one (who had never left the facility) tested positive for amphetamines, marijuana and prescription drugs. It turns out that the latter kid had also figured out how to open any locked door in the facility, which the staff was aware that he could do, but no steps were taken to prevent him from roaming freely thruogh the building. Claudia Pinto has the story in today’s Progress.
News and meta-news about Charlottesville, VA, since 2001.
Sideblog
Police announced this afternoon that their investigation into what was initially believed to be a fatal fire on Rugby Avenue is now a homicide investigation. #
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied George Huguely’s appeal. His second-degree murder conviction will stand, WRIC reports. #
In a carefully worded story, and not citing specific sources, WTVR reports that forensic evidence belonging to Jesse Matthew Jr., the main suspect in the disappearance of Hannah Graham, matches forensic evidence collected during the investigation of Morgan Harrington’s 2009 murder. #
In the wake of Hannah Graham’s disappearance, and the evidence that came from private security footage, city officials are revisiting the question of installing security cameras on the downtown mall. #
Both Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta and former Electoral Board member Stephanie Commander have turned themselves in to the police on
foursix and four felony counts of embezzlement, respectively. #Ten years ago, the National Institutes of Health budget doubled and schools like the University of Virginia built massive new research facilities. A decade later, those buildings remain largely underutilized. NPR visits UVA in this story on the effect of federal binge and spurge spending in the sciences. #
In 2012, Council approved a new student housing complex on West Main—now some council members are questioning whether what they were shown matches what was built. #
The Architectural Review Board has approved a bike-themed mural on West Market, below the McGuffey Art Center, although at least one member expressed concerns that it might look like the bicyclists were riding away from Charlottesville’s downtown. #
City Police Chief Tim Longo is meeting with city leaders to work on protocols regarding the use of military surplus police weapons in Charlottesville. #
A 100-year-old Colonnades resident received military honors for her service in the WWII Women’s Army Corps #
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It’s like this place is run by monkeys. Although I certainly feel quite badly for the patients that have to endure their stay at this facility, I do relish any new story about the Browns School. It’s always full of sentences that make me say aloud, involuntarily: “my god“
What a bunch of maroons.
This place is in the news again every few months for something incredibly awful. Who are these sick people that keep sending their kids here? More importantly, why hasn’t the state shut the ‘school’ down?
With 99 human rights violations in 2 years, it’s a wonder that the *UN* hasn’t stepped in. That record seems to transcend mismanagement into something approaching criminal negligence on the part of the administrators.
To any former inmates of this facility who happen to be reading this, I have a three word suggestion for you: Class Action Lawsuit.
Perhaps they pride themselves on their record, after all, parents send their children there to be tortured and punished. They’re getting their money’s worth.
Read the first word of the story "Troubled-adolescent". Sadly some people just dont want to deal with puberty. There is no cure, so what do you do? Lock em up!
None of these people are doctors, they’re hired goons. They’re DOING THIER JOB!
Wow. So exactly how long have you guys been working in an adolescent treatment facility?
Yeah, I guess you’re right. Not having ever worked in an adolescent treatment facility, how could we ever judge whether it is right or wrong to beat a child to a living pulp? Or what about raping a mentally ill, 15 year old prisoner (which the school has also been cited for)? Does my lack of adolescent counseling/raping experience preclude me from passing judgement on that, too?
I guess until you’ve been there, you just can’t knock it.
If I ever go postal, I want you on my jury.
Perhaps I’m misunderstanding you, but it sounds to me like you’re saying that these actions are excusable because of how difficult a situation it is.
Kinda makes me wonder about the "youth boot camp" idea that has been offered on other threads on this board–the way to deal with juvenile offenders is to send them off to boot camps.
Seems to me that the problems at Brown School are typical (more exaggerated here, no doubt, but typical) of the larger genre of programs for troubled youth. These programs seem plagued by meager budgets which translates into inability to train employees properly or hiring more questionable employees. The demands of working with troubled youth are incredibly stressful, but there’s little prestige or monetary reward for doing that work. So you get sucky people doing a job that no one else wants to do. So you get things like Brown School and its violations.
I apologize for my comment. Having never worked in an adolescent treatment facility, it is plain that my perspective on things is not merely irrelevant, but misguided. I now see that it is both appropriate and necessary to have sex with juveniles in order to properly rehabilitate them. In addition, it is now fully clear to me that human rights violations are normal part of operating a business; including, but not limited to, beatings, death threats, and chaining-up-in-closets.
Again, my apologies.
Unfortunately, boot camp programs for troubled youth have their own share of problems. Our neighbors in Maryland can testify to that. Their program was shut down due to horrible cases of abuse of kids in the program. In fact, this failed program is becoming an issue in the Maryland governor’s race, due to Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s involvement in overseeing the program.
There seems to be something about having control over other people in these sorts of programs that attracts people of a masochistic bent. Clearly, the bullies are a minority and there are lots of well-intentioned folks that work in the field. No easy answers here.
If that were true, then police would be control freaks and criminals wanting to get away with more. Thats clearly not true…. oh wait…
Score: 2, Sarcastic
I have worked in a residential program with adolescents, and I am as amazed as others at the incompetency of those in charge to not hire and train staff who follow very basic safety rules and maintain human rights. Charlottesville needs a mental health facility for adolescents–not as a warehouse for rejected teens whose parents don’t want to bother, but for those with serious mental illness. When this facility closes (and it must), where and how far will we have to send our most fragile adolescents for treatment?