Here in Maine, we have this "school," that's really not a school, per se. It's more of a high-priced juvenile detention center for specially CPS-selected troubled kids. Now, I have changed the name to protect the guilty, but I know what I am talking about because I actually worked there a few years ago. In order to not risk being sued, I am going to paraphrase from their website, but I will not be giving the actual web address. You're just going to have to trust me that I am faithfully rendering the meaning of their statements about themselves.
Here is the first "excerpt" taken from their "about us" section:
"Bridlenod exists to help children with behavioral issues with their health and educational needs. Our vision is to provide those affected by behavioral health challenges and developmental disabilities to be able to live healthy, engaged lives in their communities."
They also claim (as part of the above) that they also help adults, but I never once saw any adult being cared for over the two years I worked there. While they have expanded their activities since I was there, they primarily are known for these compounds where they put kids in homes with fake parents, and try to pretend they are making "families" so that the kids will have a fantasy childhood surrounded by relative luxury. (The most recent report claims they are moving to larger buildings now with more residents per home, and away from what I saw.)
Now, of course, they would never describe it that way, but here is what I personally witnessed with these kids. There were several beautiful $250,000, 3-BR, 2-BA homes in a small neighborhood behind gates, with each home housing just two children, and two full time "house parents." The parents were very, very well paid--in excess of $120,000 each, per year, and the homes were gorgeous and far better than the average house most Mainers could afford. The vehicles the "family" were provided were top-end, recent-model Suburban-types that had to be at least $35-40K new.
While there may have indeed have been some positive results from this arrangement, the "school" was the notoriously underwhelming part of the whole operation. Not only was the "school" facility nowhere up to standard from a facilities standpoint, I never witnessed any homework being done in the home when I was there, and the kids never talked about what they were learning.
My job was to come in when the "parents" needed a break from their idyllic life. I was primarily a short-term baby sitter, and it was my job to basically make sure that the kids got their schedule II psychotropics on time and in the right dosages, take them out to "play" in the community at a movie, roller rink, restaurant, etc., to make their meals and make sure they ate, and to make sure they didn't escape or hurt themselves while I was there and before the regular "parents" returned. I made about $200 per day (plus food and lodging)...take home. The kids each also got $20 "allowance" to be spent while out on the weekend.
Now, I am glad someone was trying to help these kids--many of whom were removed from their homes by the state (specifically from our version of "child protective" "services"--CPS--which we call the" Department of Human Services" --DHS--here) I still have no idea how all of this was being paid for, and The Bridlenod School does not release detailed financials. I was able to find that they claim that 89% of their income is from "program revenues," but there is NO WAY these kids were paying for this stuff. They do list certain private donors on their website, but of the multi-millions of needed income, there is only one donor that gave more than $50,000 over the past year, two that gave $25-50K, eight that gave $10-25K, four that gave $5-10K, and the rest smaller amounts. There is NO WAY private donations were paying for the lavish lifestyles these kids were given. Government grants were mentioned too, and I am going to bet that this is where the real money comes in...i.e. from the taxpayer.
(Image courtesy of guardianatasystems.com.)
People can say what they want about the therapeutic effects/results of giving kids a life most Maine kids without "behavioral issues" can only ever dream of, but the system was clearly not financially sustainable and there has to be an element of "collapsing the system" involved here too. Just the drug bill alone for one of these kids had to run into the hundreds of dollars per month.
We were not supposed to really talk to the kids about their "previous life," but in several instances that I am aware of they definitely would have preferred to be with their mom and dad (or one of them) rather than at The Bridlenod School, regardless of the lifestyle. Some of these kids came from the poorest areas of the state, and so I know that, from a purely physical standpoint, they were getting way, way more in every physical measure than they could have received at home, and yet most the kids I worked with were not happy at all to be where they were...with one noted exception, and he was diagnosed as a schizophrenic.
(Courtesy of medium.com.)
Now, I don't want to be too hard on the series of liberals who are supporting this with their board memberships, small donations, etc. The Freudian/Jungian underpinnings of the whole "process" (including the powerful drugs) could also be debated with regard to the actual "successes" claimed, as to whether or not "pacified" youngsters who may not kill anyone now but who also can't really function in the real world are acceptable "outcomes." These people are trying to help--most of them--and they have convinced themselves that their model "works." I am even sure that some kids wound up better off as a result of this luxury intervention, I am just not sure the costs to society can, in any way, be justified.
If most the kids don't want to be there, and society can't afford to have them there, then the whole thing is, in my conservative world view, a BOONDOGGLE. And, that doesn't even take into account how parents feel about having the kids taken from them, although I am sure some were/are relieved.
Do-goodism is NOT the panacea for maintenance of a free and capitalist society.
Do-rightism IS.