8 episodes

It didn't seem to matter what happened at the teen treatment center. The state of Utah always gave it another chance. Death. Allegations of abuse. Criminal charges. Bizarre punishments. Whistleblowers coming forward. Each time, the place got a pass. A team of reporters from three news organizations has spent the last year digging into the untold stories of Utah's massive teen treatment industry. Some 20,000 teenagers facing depression, delinquency and other problems have been sent there from every state in the country over the last six years. Sent Away investigates how the government failed to keep all those kids safe — through the voices and stories of the teens who lived it.

Sent Away APM Reports, KUER and The Salt Lake Tribune

    • News
    • 4.8 • 881 Ratings

It didn't seem to matter what happened at the teen treatment center. The state of Utah always gave it another chance. Death. Allegations of abuse. Criminal charges. Bizarre punishments. Whistleblowers coming forward. Each time, the place got a pass. A team of reporters from three news organizations has spent the last year digging into the untold stories of Utah's massive teen treatment industry. Some 20,000 teenagers facing depression, delinquency and other problems have been sent there from every state in the country over the last six years. Sent Away investigates how the government failed to keep all those kids safe — through the voices and stories of the teens who lived it.

    1: Second Chances

    1: Second Chances

    A dark cave. A tragic accident. A new treatment center. The state of Utah tries to hold it accountable. But that turns out to be harder than you’d think.

    Read more: 'Blindfolds, hoods and handcuffs': How some teenagers get to Utah's youth treatment programs

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    • 31 min
    2: What They Saved

    2: What They Saved

    With the state off its back, Integrity House is free to grow. We learn what it was like to live there day after day — what the people who worked there saw, and what the state did when one of them blew the whistle.

    Read more: 'Blindfolds, hoods and handcuffs': How some teenagers get to Utah's youth treatment programs

    Support investigative journalism: Donate now

    • 36 min
    3: Blurred Lines

    3: Blurred Lines

    From Integrity House to Daniel's house. The lines between the Taylors' business and the Taylor family all but disappear. Plus: what happens when a mother reports one of their employees to the police.

    Read more: How 'inappropriate boundaries' for staff can lead to sexual abuse

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    • 30 min
    4: The Police Are Here

    4: The Police Are Here

    A knock at the door. A police raid. An outpouring of allegations. But the case crumbles when the cops learn something they never knew about Daniel Taylor.

    Read more: Shutting down a teen treatment facility in Utah is no easy task, even after serious allegations

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    • 34 min
    5: Under New Management

    5: Under New Management

    Even after the police raid Integrity House, the state still doesn’t shut it down. A new owner vows to turn the place around. But when his staff are caught practicing a bizarre form of “therapeutic discipline” the state once again gives him a pass.

    Read more: Here's why Utah will soon make it easier to search a teen treatment program's violation history

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    • 25 min
    6: This Is the Place

    6: This Is the Place

    How did Utah become the epicenter of the teen treatment industry? It's a story of culture. And connections.

    Read: The answer is a complex combination of history, culture and weak regulations

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    • 30 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
881 Ratings

881 Ratings

Lancaster listener ,

Very well researched

Very thorough research and good story telling. I had no idea these programs were a thing in Utah. Always enjoy learning something new and love listening to podcasts while doing mundane chores. This one really held my interest but I hated to learn about the mistreatment of so many teens.

CFHayback ,

The TTI: Reality, not Myth

One might, or might not be surprised to know that even in today’s age, there are judges and lawyers, who have no idea but there is in fact, a well organized “troubled teen industry“.
Thank you to APM for reporting on this little piece of a giant story. For those who don’t know what the TTI is, listen to this podcast and you’ll get a good taste. I know that there is so much more above below, and beyond what is covered in this podcast series.
Step one begins with “educational consultants“ who are less interested in placing your child into a great score, and more interested in the short buck to be made funneling kids into wilderness therapy, treatment, and then onto therapeutic boarding schools.
I don’t like the word “score“ or “academy“ for you. These are not schools. They are behavior modification centers determined to punish. And break children, even still.

Bugatti16 ,

Fairy riveting

I got into this because I was inspired by a book by a well-known children’s author by the name of Todd Strasser. in addition to writing many children’s novels for entertainment, he’s also novelize various feature films, but the book that got me interested in this podcast is a book by him called Boot Camp, about a boy, who, after ignoring several warnings to stop dating one of his teachers, is sent to Lake Harmony, a treatment program located in upstate, New York, on the Canadian border. The book itself was horrifying enough, but the afterword really hit home. And that’s why I looked at this podcast. However, I don’t think the story of people who are sent away is over with his final episode. It’s so good that I think that Moore needs to be talked about, including these so-called professional transporters. In fact, I read about one that I think should be interviewed. and unlike others, he is one of the good guys. His name is Evan, James, otherwise known as. bullet. In fact, he was featured on an A&E TV show called the extractors. And such facilities exist well beyond Utah. So I think there’s plenty of material to continue the podcast. But I would suggest doing one about a place called agape, in Missouri.

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