I've written quite a lot on the subject of coercive "behaviour modification" facilities in past--including legislative efforts to stop the industry in its tracks as well as exposes of their heavy usage as a dominionist "parallel economy" alternative to legit mental health and info on gross abuses in these facilities.
Over the next few days, we are going to focus on a specific chain of these facilities (which have been compared to Abu Ghraib)--Teen Challenge, a chain of Assemblies-run "faith based rehabs" that was the target of a "get out of jail free" deregulation of the "kiddie gulag" industry in Texas by none other than George W. Bush.
In a continuation of the series, we focus on life within Teen Challenge, as revealed by their guides to members--and point out why Teen Challenge cannot be considered a legit rehab facility but rather a "Jesus Gulag". (It's a little long, but this is by necessity.)
More info re life in the gulag
Apologies for the length in advance--I'd much rather document it here and go a bit long rather than risk the material being removed from pages and archives.
There's more info than what we have mentioned previously in the series regarding coercion at Teen Challenge. One particularly revealing bit of info comes from the aforementioned application packet from Teen Challenge West Pennsylvania, which not only explicitly notes that they are NIV-only and expect to hit people up for their SSI checks, but explicitly require inmates to hit up their friends and family for "pledge money" to boot:
- You will need a letter from your last employer stating your earnings and your dates of employment.
You will also need a letter from whoever has supported you during the past year. This must also be sent in before entrance into the program.
- Ask friends, family, or church members to support Teen Challenge and record their pledges on the Sponsorship Form.
(Yes, it helpfully includes a sponsorship form--as if you were sponsoring people for a "Diabetes Walk" for the American Diabetes Association or a "jump-rope-a-thon" for the American Lung Association, rather than hitting them up for funds for their loved one to be inducted into an abusive group.)
Some of the restrictions (no drugs/alcohol/tobacco, etc.) are similar to conventional rehab programs--but some are most definitely not. Among other things, facial hair is prohibited as well as long hair:
• You must shave daily. Facial hair below the lip is not permitted. Any skin conditions requiring care by a dermatologist must
be taken care of prior to treatment at TCWP, so that while in treatment, you may shave daily. Your hair must be cut so that it
is off the collar.
Medical care is not only not provided but they explicitly state they will not refer people to physicians save for "emergencies" and that they further will not allow people to take necessary psychiatric medications (presumably so they don't have to be licensed as a psychiatric hospital or hire licensed doctors or nurse practitioners--this is pretty much what got "Love In Action/Refuge" in trouble with the state of Tennessee):
• If you need medical or dental care, it must be taken care of prior to admission in to the program. Only emergency treatment
for medical problems or sudden toothache pain will be addressed. We do not want anything to distract you from the treatment for which you came to Teen Challenge.
• You will not be permitted to take any type of psychiatric medications while in the program.
(Gods help anyone who is bipolar or schizophrenic--or who is still being weaned off opiates or on methadone treatment--and ends up finding themselves sentenced to Teen Challenge as part of an "alternative sentencing" program.)
Not only are piercings et al apparently prohibited, but media censorship is actively enforced:
• No radios, clock-radios, tape or CD players, musical instruments, reading materials, inappropriate photos, pornographic
materials, excessive jewelry, earrings or any other type of body piercing jewelry are to be brought to TCWP. Any student
entering the program with any of these items will have them confiscated and discarded unless you quickly provide the means
for sending them home. They will not be stored.
• Non-Christian music, easy listening, or instrumental music, that highlight values contrary to Biblical principles will not be
permitted. The playing or singing of, or listening to, music related to the drug culture is not permitted.
(You are reading this right--the only reading material allowed at all is an NIV bible to be brought with the person. Pretty much any instrument which can produce music is also banned, so as to keep non-Assemblies-friendly music out. I still have not entirely figured out how instrumental music of any sort could highlight "values contrary to Biblical principles", unless they're raising objections to the works of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani et al because they play that evil, evil guitar.)
People are explicitly held incommunicado for the first two weeks to a month, and finally after "four or five months" are transferred to a different gulag--oh, and persons involuntarily sent there by the courts are apparently not allowed to contact their lawyers or medical professionals at all:
• No visits or telephone calls are permitted during the first two weeks after entering the program. Except for emergencies,
you must have been here for at least 14 days before making or receiving telephone calls. Phone calls are only permitted to
your immediate family.
• You will not be permitted to have off-property passes during the first month of treatment. You will be permitted to have off-
property passes after the first month, but only with immediate family members and spouses. Passes with spouses require the proof of a valid marriage certificate. Leaving the premises without authorization, or with an unauthorized party, may result in your dismissal from the program. Before you leave on a pass, you will need to sign out, inform the staff of where you will be, with whom you are going, and leave a telephone number where you can be reached in the event we might need to contact you.
. . .
• After 4-5 months in the induction center (TCWP), you will transfer to the Teen Challenge Training Center (TCTC). TCTC is a 350-acre campus with approximately 270-300 students located in rural eastern Pennsylvania. The student body is approximately 43% African-American, 32% Hispanic & 25% Caucasian, and lives in a dormitory setting with 4 men assigned to a room. Each incoming class is usually between 40-45 men.
And don't even think about trying to get a job outside of the gulag, zek:
• You will not be permitted to pursue employment while you are in treatment.
Incidentially, legitimate treatment centers do not work like this. You might be inpatient for a while--you may have privileges restricted if you are on suicide watch--but you aren't sent to religious indoctrination for a sizable chunk of your day, you aren't banned from off-campus employment (in fact, it's typical that once someone gets to the stage they are able to do outpatient treatment--mostly when they get weaned off the drugs and get in a good support network--that you end up being actively assisted in helping get a job in the wider community), you actually get real training and education, and you are never, ever, ever denied necessary medical treatment including not only doctor's visits but necessary psychiatric medications. You are never cut off from family, you are never cut off from your doctors or legal personnel. The ONLY time anyone is held in conditions even close to what is described here is if one has been involuntarily committed to a secured mental ward under a suicide watch. This is an area I can speak with some authority on, having been in treatment (for depression, at a time when religiously motivated child abuse was not well recognised).
Even people within the general population of prison have more rights; the conditions described approach some of the conditions in Supermax facilities or--in a disturbing and more direct parallel that has also been made in regards to the hearings on HR 5738--some of the documented human rights abuses occuring at none other than Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib (abuses that themselves have some very interesting Assemblies connections--including "Assemblies man" William Boykin and Assemblies chaplain Steven L. Jordan being right at the heart of the torture scandals at those two detention facilities, being quite possibly some of the architects of abuse).
There is an archived, even more in-depth guide published, again, by Teen Challenge Canada (and later removed from their website) that is also highly revealing. Among other things, they start right into things with telling a number of porky-pies:
# We are not a government agency. We do not accept government funding but are privately funded.
# We are not an alternative to jail. All applicants (where possible) must resolve legal issues before entering Teen Challenge.
This is...not entirely accurate.
As will be noted in future portions of this series (the final two segments, in fact), not only does Teen Challenge receive government funding (under the US Office of Faith-Based Initiatives) but in fact is frequently used as an alternative to jail--namely, an increasing number of people are literally being sentenced to what amounts to an Assemblies of God gulag as a form of "alternative sentencing".
We also get more details re the "induction" phase and the "training" phases noted in the schedule:
The Induction Program is four to six months in length, and it is characterized by a strong emphasis on counseling, structure and discipline, and teaching on the basics of Christianity. The program also includes overcoming life problems which cause men and women to become dependent upon drugs and alcohol. Once a man has satisfactorily completed the Induction Program, he may opt to return to society or he may apply to enter our Training Program for additional rehabilitation.
The Training Program is eight months in length, and it is characterized by a strong emphasis on Christian education, Christian outreach to churches and the community, and more personal responsibility with less supervision. Acceptance into this program will be based on demonstrating, in the Induction Program, the following: 1) a strong desire to grow spiritually as a Christian man; 2) maturity; and 3) the ability to handle the academic requirements of the program.
In order to successfully graduate, a student (as we prefer to call them at Teen Challenge) must complete both phases of the program at which time he will receive a certificate of graduation at a formal graduation ceremony.
It's been reported by walkaways that the Training Program is where people are explicitly pressured to essentially become lay Assemblies missionaries--and, if people don't join up, they are pressured to give their initial paychecks to the group.
In addition, this site is rather more blatant on how much to hit people up for (for the $700 US it costs to enter the program):
To help defray the cost of your time at Teen Challenge, we ask you to help raise support by providing us with a list of family or friends who may want to sponsor you from $10 to $25 per month while in the program. These can be parents, relatives, churches, friends or concerned individuals. We will provide a sponsor sheet to help you after you have been interviewed and accepted to the program.
The second site is also considerably more frank on just how restricted people are. The conditions are akin to those at Bob Jones University or Pensacola Christian College, both of which have been considered to be "bible-based" coercive religious groups (in particular PCC). The list of verboten activities includes:
The personal rights and freedoms we ask you to lay down while at Teen Challenge include:
. . .
* No relationships with women (unless you are married). We do not have housing of any kind available for wives or children, which means you will have to make alternate arrangements if applicable. Relationships with legitimate fiancees (a woman you have had a longtime relationship with and are planning to marry) will be put on hold while you are in the Induction Program. At the end of this first phase, under the direction of your counselor, we may allow the relationship to slowly resume. All other relationships with women must be put on hold for the entire time you are in the program. Remember, you are not here to date girls, but to get your life together!
* You may have only one phone call per week in the Induction Phase and two phone calls per week in the Training Phase. This includes incoming and outgoing phone calls. The people you may communicate with during the Induction Phase are limited to your Pastor and immediate family only. During the Training Phase, your counselor may add other people to your approved phone and mail list as deemed appropriate.
* All incoming and outgoing mail will be reviewed by your counselor. If you are put on discipline your mail will be held by your counselor until your discipline has ended.
* No talking about your past life around other students. However we do encourage you to talk about your past during counseling for problems concerning your past life.
. . .
* No giving your last name or address out to anyone. (This is to protect you from well meaning people who want to befriend you, which can end up causing problems. We have found that these relationships can become detrimental to what God wants to do in your life because they can be distracting.)
* You must be with an approved partner during any group outing and you must have permission to leave the group.
. . .
* Hair must be above your collar. No earrings, no beards and no "T" shirts promoting not approved lifestyles are allowed.
* All your money will be put into a Teen Challenge bank account on-site, and you will be allowed to withdraw $10 per week in the Induction Program and $20 per week in the Training Program. If you leave the program prematurely, any outstanding bills must be settled before you leave in order to cash out your account.
* If you leave prematurely, we will hold your belongings for up to three (3) days. After this time, anything you have left behind will become Teen Challenge property, unless you make special arrangements with us.
* Your belongings and person are subject to staff inspection at anytime while you are in the program. Upon entrance your belongings will also be inspected.
(Things that weren't mentioned in the other list--incommunicado communications also extend to mail and essentially all other forms of communication, all money is taken by Teen Challenge, even people with "outside privs" are required to have a "shepherd", people are not allowed to use their last names (this is important from a potential coercion standpoint--last names do allow at least a social "wall of separation"--and, as we'll note, was also a characteristic of the extremely abusive "Straight, Inc." program which Teen Challenge shares substantial similarity with), and censorship includes clothing.
Despite not being a licensed rehab facility or mental hospital, a number of Teen Challenge facilities do dispense medication--mostly painkillers and the like. One facility (Teen Challenge Missouri, residing in a state which totally exempts "faith-based" children's homes from any regulation) does dispense psychotropic meds if the parents pay extra.
The program also lasts considerably longer than legit rehab. The "induction phase" alone lasts four to six months, and the site's literature states
There are no shortcuts to completing this program!! You will be spending a minimum of 12 months in the Teen Challenge program. In order to graduate you must successfully complete both phases of the program. As it has always been . . . the final choice is YOURS!
(Well, frequently "the choice is yours" for a limited definition of "choice" meaning "if you leave your parents will likely send you somewhere overseas" or "if you leave you will likely have to go to jail and have "violation of conditions of probation" on your record to boot". I guess it is a choice, much like choosing between hanging and firing squad for the manner of one's own execution is a "choice". But we'll get into that tomorrow.)
It should also be noted that twelve months is the low end of Teen Challenge programs' induction phases. Typically, other sites give fifteen months to two years.
Not only are people kept incommunicado, persons in the "induction" phase are essentially held prisoner--despite Teen Challenge not being a licensed mental health facility (and a completely bogus claim on one site that they are not a "lock-down" facility), people are not allowed to leave the facility and only are allowed visitors once a month:
Students in our Induction Program may receive one six hour (maximum) visit on site per month on the first Saturday of each month between 12:00 noon and 6:00 PM. All visitors must be pre-approved, up to a maximum of five persons. It should be noted that your visitors are welcome to stay for dinner, however there is a charge of $5.00 per meal for adults.
Students in the Induction Program are not allowed passes. The Program Director has final say on all requests. These privileges are dependent upon what Phase you are in, and your general progress and attitude in the program.
(In legit inpatient facilities, people are allowed visitors far more frequently than this--even people on suicide watch are allowed visitors once a week, unless the particular visitor may impact their recovery negatively. And it has to be pretty darn serious for a visitor to be considered "negative"--say, an abusive parent, or someone who is still an active drug user and part of a circle of drug users that an addict in recovery was a part of.)
The list proceeds to note that there are specific standards for bedmaking (presumably "military corners" and the like) and people who don't toe the line--even for so much as saying "darn" or stating disagreements with the program or trying to contact outside help--are subject to swift retribution:
Being put on total discipline, means you are given work assignments during your free time Monday through Saturday, and a suspension of certain privileges.
Privileges denied include:
* No phone calls - except legal or family emergencies
* No sports at all (except during recreation) including basketball, weights, ping-pong, hockey, baseball, bike-riding, all board games, etc.
* No use of student bank (except special circumstances)
* No mail - except for legal matters
* No passes/visits or applying for passes/visits
* No snacks during the evenings
* No seconds at meal time
* No snacks from the pop and candy machines
* No coffee or tea
* No desserts
* No television or recreational movies
* No music
(No mail "except for legal matters" effectively means "no mail"--all incoming and outgoing mail is matched with an approved sender's list that is typically restricted to pastors, parents, and occasionally one's parole officer, and mail coming in and leaving the facility is censored with all correspondence negatively referring to Teen Challenge destroyed and the writer subject to "total discipline".)
A facility in Minnesota operated by Teen Challenge is even more restrictive--it's finally revealed in this document that the dress code includes essentially one's "Sunday best" the majority of the time:
§ Dress requirements for students include three main dress codes:
- Casual/Class dress:
Males- collared shirts (no t-shirts), casual slacks, dress jeans or shorts.
Females- shirts, blouses, casual slacks, skirts, dresses, dress jeans or shorts (tank tops may only be worn with a shirt over it).
- MnTC choir:
Males- black dress trousers, white button down collared shirt, tie, dark colored shoes and socks.
Females- black skirt, white blouse, black or flesh colored nylons, black shoes.
- Leisure/recreational dress:
Shorts (must cover ¾ of thigh), t-shirts, sweat suits, swim trunks and jeans. Females: one piece bathing suit for swimming.
§ Students may not wear jewelry in any body piercing, with the exception of ears for female students only.
§ Hairstyles that bring unusual attention are not allowed. Hair color must be of a normal color.
The restrictions--and the "level" system--are remarkably similar to documented abuse within Straight, Inc.--which generally has been held to be the single most abusive "behaviour modification" chain ever documented. Some of the tactics--including refusing to use last names in the program and "confrontational evangelism"--seem to be taken whole-cloth from the worst documented practices of Straight, Inc. The connections go deeper than this; Mel Sembler, former head of Straight, Inc., now operates the Drug Free America Foundation--a group which, among other things, makes referrals to Teen Challenge. Disturbingly, Teen Challenge is the only residential facility to get explicit endorsement--giving a dangerous sign indeed that it may be acting de facto as the inheritor of Straight, Inc.'s legacy of horror and torture.
Tomorrow, we get a glimpse at what goes on in the "training" phase--and it is revealed that much of the purpose of Teen Challenge's "rehab" is in fact running a de facto "missionary mill" for the Assemblies.
Previous posts in this series:
Part 1: Teen Challenge: The Assemblies' own "kiddie gulag"
Part 2: Teen Challenge: Coercive groups disguised as rehab
Part 3: Teen Challenge: A typical week in the "Jesus Gulag"