Popular on EntSun
- Hot Hollywood Commercial Talent Agent Zoey Allen Comes to the Inland Empire to Interview Actors - 163
- ®Grammy Award Winner Alex Cuba releases new single "El Día Más Triste"
- "One World in a New World" Amplifies Voices of Transformation, Resilience, and Global Connection
- Amid Controversy with The Weeknd/Playboi Carti and Buzz Surrounding His Upcoming Project, Darrin Jones Drops Soulful New Single "Under Control"
- Safe Night Partners With Simsi To Offer A New Certification For Proactive Alliance With Rutgers University
- Muench Workshops Welcomes New Partners Luke Dray and Sara Linssen, Announces Retirement of Andy Williams
- New Middle East Partnership for up to $40 Million Supporting Entry Into Emerging Global MOBA Digital Game Arena: NIP Group (Stock Symbol: NIPG)
- Hitachi Construction Machinery estabelece sede regional na América Latina no Chile
- Los Angeles Fires: Supporting Recovery Without Psychotropic Drug Risks
- The Forefront NYFW Celebrates Black Fashion Innovation In Collaboration With ForbesBLK NYC
Similar on EntSun
- Wide range of dental care products at upto 40% discounted prices | DentistryDeal.com
- NaturismRE, ANF, and GNA Stand United for Naturist Rights in Australia – A Call for Global Support
- Volante of Hanover Expands with the Opening of Its Second Building, Introduces Assisted Living Services
- BEPeterson Building Engineering Partnerships
- Sip Social Co. Brings Refreshing Energy to the Miami Marathon Finish Festival with FP Movement
- New Jersey Sober Living Opens New Luxury Themed Facility in South New Jersey
- Hawaii Bill Marks Progress in Protecting Patients From Dangerous Restraint Practices
- All me - secure anonymous social - kickstarter crowdfunding
- Vane Airport Media Inc, The Best Travel Idea of 2025
- Gold Coast Health Plan Distributes $225,000 for Fire Relief and Preparedness Efforts
NC Health Official Urges Ban on Wilderness Therapy Camps Following Child's Death
EntSun News/11049219
Mental Health Industry Watchdog CCHR Calls for Nationwide Ban, Citing History of Abuse and Fatalities in Troubled Teen Industry
LOS ANGELES - EntSun -- A top North Carolina health official is calling for a ban on wilderness therapy camps in the state following the tragic death of a 12-year-old boy at a now-closed wilderness therapy facility.[1] The mental health industry watchdog, Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), supports this action and urges the prohibition of such camps nationwide to ensure the safety of youths seeking help.
In his final weeks as North Carolina's Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kody Kinsley spoke to local media, stating that he believes wilderness therapy camps should be permanently outlawed in the state. His remarks follow the February 2024 death of a child at a camp in the western part of the state, which the NC Department of Health has since closed. The boy suffocated after being zipped into a sleeping bag with a device that prevented him from opening it. An autopsy later ruled his death a homicide.
"I don't think wilderness therapy camps have a place in our continuum of care in North Carolina," Kinsley said. "The law needs to be changed to permanently remove these licenses, so they don't exist." He expressed deep sympathy for the families affected by such tragedies, emphasizing the need to prevent other parents from experiencing similar heartbreak.
To implement this change, Kinsley emphasized that new legislation must be passed by the North Carolina General Assembly. CCHR suggests this could potentially be achieved by amending NC Codes to explicitly exclude wilderness therapy camps from being licensed as residential child-care facilities. Similarly, amendments to Licensing Procedures could specify that facilities employing wilderness-based therapeutic models are not eligible for licensure under mental health or substance use disorder treatment provisions.[2] The organization has urged state lawmakers to take action by inquiring with the Department about how wilderness camps can be prohibited under the state's health regulations.
More on EntSun News
In recent years, wilderness therapy camps have been widely scrutinized nationwide. A USA Today investigation in December 2022 revealed that many former participants described their experiences as negative and traumatizing, with some noting that these camps often serve as a gateway to longer-term residential treatment centers.[3] CCHR, which has been exposing abuse in these camps since the early 1990s, cites reports of deaths, mistreatment, and deceptive practices that have gone largely unregulated.[4] In 1995 there were almost 400 wilderness camps in the U.S.[5]
A 2008 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office documented abuse and deaths across these facilities, and more recent findings by Breaking Code Silence estimate that 150,000 to 200,000 children are enrolled in over 2,000 such programs nationwide, which includes 40 wilderness camps.[6] In Utah, the number of wilderness camps dropped 64% from 14 in 2014 to just five in 2023.[7]
With the decline came a decrease in deaths. Nationally, deaths in these facilities decreased by 81%, from 142 in the 2000s to 27 in the 2020s.[8]
Despite a decline in the number of wilderness camps due to increased scrutiny, CCHR argues that wilderness therapy camps are still a risk to vulnerable youth and should be prohibited.
The group, which was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and professor of psychiatry, Dr. Thomas Szasz, helped secure federal protections in the late 1990s against restraint use in mental health residential hospitals. It has helped secure hundreds of laws and regulations worldwide that provide protections to mental health patients and their families.
More on EntSun News
CCHR is calling for a comprehensive overhaul of the troubled teen industry, part of which will be addressed by the recently passed federal Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, which establishes a study to ultimately help prevent child abuse in youth residential programs. However, as the study may take several years, CCHR wants regulations now to impose robust penalties on facilities found abusing children and youths, including stronger regulations to revoke facility licenses and penalties for violations of vulnerable youth. As part of this, it says, wilderness therapy camps are no longer necessary as mental health care facilities for children and teens.
Sources:
[1] www.wbtv.com/2025/01/14/top-regulator-calls-ban-wilderness-camps-north-carolina/
[2] www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByArticle/Chapter_122C/Article_2.html; regulations.justia.com/states/north-carolina/title-10a/chapter-27/subchapter-g/section-0400/
[3] www.usatoday.com/in-depth/life/health-wellness/2022/12/08/wilderness-therapy-troubled-teen-industry/9890694002/
[4] "Utah wilderness therapy deaths," Salt Lake Tribune, 11 Oct. 2007,
archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/news/ci_7139316
[5] "Taking Nature's Cure," U.S. News and World Report, June 26, 1995
[6] www.usatoday.com/in-depth/life/health-wellness/2022/12/08/wilderness-therapy-troubled-teen-industry/9890694002/
[7] www.sltrib.com/news/2024/05/07/nearly-half-utahs-wilderness/
[8] sierranevadaally.org/2023/08/02/dark-forest-a-look-inside-controversial-wilderness-therapy-camps/
In his final weeks as North Carolina's Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kody Kinsley spoke to local media, stating that he believes wilderness therapy camps should be permanently outlawed in the state. His remarks follow the February 2024 death of a child at a camp in the western part of the state, which the NC Department of Health has since closed. The boy suffocated after being zipped into a sleeping bag with a device that prevented him from opening it. An autopsy later ruled his death a homicide.
"I don't think wilderness therapy camps have a place in our continuum of care in North Carolina," Kinsley said. "The law needs to be changed to permanently remove these licenses, so they don't exist." He expressed deep sympathy for the families affected by such tragedies, emphasizing the need to prevent other parents from experiencing similar heartbreak.
To implement this change, Kinsley emphasized that new legislation must be passed by the North Carolina General Assembly. CCHR suggests this could potentially be achieved by amending NC Codes to explicitly exclude wilderness therapy camps from being licensed as residential child-care facilities. Similarly, amendments to Licensing Procedures could specify that facilities employing wilderness-based therapeutic models are not eligible for licensure under mental health or substance use disorder treatment provisions.[2] The organization has urged state lawmakers to take action by inquiring with the Department about how wilderness camps can be prohibited under the state's health regulations.
More on EntSun News
- Ellis Island: Gateway to a Dream Brings Immigrant Stories to Life on the Weinberg Stage
- FlyBright Pilot Academy Partners with Allegiant Air to Address the Pilot Shortage
- BEPeterson Building Engineering Partnerships
- Sundays at the movies: Naples Jewish Film Festival returns in March
- WonderDays: The Startup Disrupting the UK Gifting Industry
In recent years, wilderness therapy camps have been widely scrutinized nationwide. A USA Today investigation in December 2022 revealed that many former participants described their experiences as negative and traumatizing, with some noting that these camps often serve as a gateway to longer-term residential treatment centers.[3] CCHR, which has been exposing abuse in these camps since the early 1990s, cites reports of deaths, mistreatment, and deceptive practices that have gone largely unregulated.[4] In 1995 there were almost 400 wilderness camps in the U.S.[5]
A 2008 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office documented abuse and deaths across these facilities, and more recent findings by Breaking Code Silence estimate that 150,000 to 200,000 children are enrolled in over 2,000 such programs nationwide, which includes 40 wilderness camps.[6] In Utah, the number of wilderness camps dropped 64% from 14 in 2014 to just five in 2023.[7]
With the decline came a decrease in deaths. Nationally, deaths in these facilities decreased by 81%, from 142 in the 2000s to 27 in the 2020s.[8]
Despite a decline in the number of wilderness camps due to increased scrutiny, CCHR argues that wilderness therapy camps are still a risk to vulnerable youth and should be prohibited.
The group, which was established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and professor of psychiatry, Dr. Thomas Szasz, helped secure federal protections in the late 1990s against restraint use in mental health residential hospitals. It has helped secure hundreds of laws and regulations worldwide that provide protections to mental health patients and their families.
More on EntSun News
- The Rising Pop Star presents; The GREEN Code
- A Galentine's Event: Ploume Presents "The Gemini Project"
- Kennedy Center for the Performimg Arts National Symphony and Piano Battle to Perform in Fort Myers
- Marketing Services and Merch for Entertainers, Artists, Musicians
- Embrace the Nostalgia: Live Acoustic Emo Night Returns This Friday in Phoenix
CCHR is calling for a comprehensive overhaul of the troubled teen industry, part of which will be addressed by the recently passed federal Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, which establishes a study to ultimately help prevent child abuse in youth residential programs. However, as the study may take several years, CCHR wants regulations now to impose robust penalties on facilities found abusing children and youths, including stronger regulations to revoke facility licenses and penalties for violations of vulnerable youth. As part of this, it says, wilderness therapy camps are no longer necessary as mental health care facilities for children and teens.
Sources:
[1] www.wbtv.com/2025/01/14/top-regulator-calls-ban-wilderness-camps-north-carolina/
[2] www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByArticle/Chapter_122C/Article_2.html; regulations.justia.com/states/north-carolina/title-10a/chapter-27/subchapter-g/section-0400/
[3] www.usatoday.com/in-depth/life/health-wellness/2022/12/08/wilderness-therapy-troubled-teen-industry/9890694002/
[4] "Utah wilderness therapy deaths," Salt Lake Tribune, 11 Oct. 2007,
archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/news/ci_7139316
[5] "Taking Nature's Cure," U.S. News and World Report, June 26, 1995
[6] www.usatoday.com/in-depth/life/health-wellness/2022/12/08/wilderness-therapy-troubled-teen-industry/9890694002/
[7] www.sltrib.com/news/2024/05/07/nearly-half-utahs-wilderness/
[8] sierranevadaally.org/2023/08/02/dark-forest-a-look-inside-controversial-wilderness-therapy-camps/
Source: Citizens Commission on Human Rights
0 Comments
Latest on EntSun News
- The Grifties Award Show Tickets Now Available
- New Jersey Sober Living Opens New Luxury Themed Facility in South New Jersey
- Comedy Magician George Gilbert Announces Corporate Entertainment Services in Naples, FL
- Southwest Florida Circus Company Launches New Entertainment Packages for Lifestyle Directors
- Hawaii Bill Marks Progress in Protecting Patients From Dangerous Restraint Practices
- All me - secure anonymous social - kickstarter crowdfunding
- HomeFortis Launches Target Hardening Guides for Home Security
- Kendrick Lamar's big Super Bowl moment; will this performance be remembered as one of the classics
- "Private Stock: The C-Murder Story - Corey Miller Diaries New Episodes Every Sunday"
- Retired Leadership Facilitator Shares Decades of Wisdom in New Book
- Opulence The Queen City's Royal Sneaker Ball Returns to the Charlotte Area
- Southland Symphony Presents SSO Soloists!
- I belong (t)here, an exhibition that explores the fluidity of identity and the search for belonging in a world that is constantly shifting
- Transform Your Corporate Event with Expert DJ Entertainment-Energize, Inspire, & Elevate Your Brand
- Bad Boy Is in Turmoil! What was Behind the Scenes of the Life of Biggie Smalls and Music Industry
- Js Art Gallery: A New International Art Space Promoting Unity Through Art
- A Legacy in Every Stitch: The Story Behind Moriah Dovelle's Kickstarter Campaign
- Earn passive income through DAY Miner cloud mining in 2025
- Smarteez Launches Bengali Kids T-shirt Collection, Celebrating Culture and Comfort
- SR Socially Relevant™ Film Festival unveiled the 12th edition narrative and documentary features