Press-Enterprise Examines Mexico-Based Drug Treatment, Rehabilitation Programs for U.S. Teenagers
The Riverside Press-Enterprise this week published several articles on residential drug treatment and rehabilitation programs in Mexico that serve U.S. teenagers. Summaries of the articles appear below:
- "Troubled Teens, Tough Choices": The article examines rehabilitation programs in Mexico, which serve "hundreds of troubled teenagers from the United States." Although the programs provide an "affordable option" to U.S. programs, they do not have to adhere to U.S. health and safety standards, and Mexican authorities often do not monitor the programs. The article profiles Future Expectations Today, a rehabilitation and behavior modification program in Baja California. In the program, counselors can use handcuffs on participants. They also can place participants in a 12-by-15-foot cell -- which has a "narrow, barred window, single bare light bulb and wooden padlocked door" -- for violations of 11 "cardinal rules," an illegal practice in the United States (Zimmerman, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 8/4).
- "Some See Benefits to Non-U.S. Programs": The article examines the advantages and disadvantages of rehabilitation programs in Mexico. According to John Andersen, founder of Positive Impact, a rehabilitation program based in Sonora, Mexico, the programs take teenagers "out of their comfort zone," which can improve treatment. However, Lon Woodbury, an educational consultant in Idaho, said that "less expensive programs," such as those in Mexico, may "cut corners" (Zimmerman, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 8/5).
- "Not All Program's Teens Go There Voluntarily": The article profiles Brad Clodt, a 16-year old participant in Future Expectations Today, whose father forced him to participate in the program (Zimmerman, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 8/4).
- "Closure Highlights Foreign Rehab Woes": The article examines the closure of High Impact, a "boot camp" in Mexico for "troubled teens" and those with drug addictions that closed last year over allegations of mistreatment and abuse of participants (Zimmerman, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 8/5).