I Speak of Dreams

Pseudotherapy in Prison: Moral Reconation Therapy

Today I ran across a very troubling article, The Scientology-Based "Re-Education" Program for American Prisoners, Sponsored by Goldman Sachs. The author, Sarah Beller, wrote:

I wanted to find out more about this strange book that has been forced on a million people in the prison system, this book that uses terms and ideas from Scientology and tells people that their immoral personalities are responsible for their substance use, their incarceration and their unhappiness.

But for an organization that purports to seek to help as many people as possible, Correctional Counseling keeps its materials mighty close to its chest.

The similarities between Scientology and the Moral Reconation Therapy:

I wondered what Goldman Sachs had to do with this heavily-Scientology-influenced company.

The much-heralded “social impact bond” (SIB) uses money from private funders to pay for public policy programs.

The very first SIB private funder was Goldman Sachs, which contributed $7.2 million to launch the Adolescent Behavioral Learning Experience (ABLE) in Rikers Island for kids aged 16 to 18.

Goldman Sachs and the team it employed chose MRT as the treatment model.

Beller went on to write:

So in a sense, MRT was the perfect choice for a Goldman Sachs-government partnership program: Its underlying logic props up the structural status quo, which ultimately benefits the very bankers funding it. Interestingly, one of the early studies “proving” MRT worked was paid for by a Koch brother (conducted by the Koch Crime Institute).

Beller closes by asking

Instead of shooting money into pseudo-rehabilitative, pseudo-Scientology “treatments,” couldn’t we put it toward more helpful things? Like bail reform: 79 percent of people in Rikers have not been convicted of anything; they’re only there because they can’t afford bail. Or a cause for which Abe Bergman, whose son underwent MRT, is now a public lobbyist: supportive housing for people with mental illness.

I can think of some other ones too, like remediating prisoners' literacy rates.

85 percent of all juveniles who come into contact with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate. So are 60 percent of all prison inmates.

Inmates have a 16 percent chance of returning to prison if they receive literacy help, as opposed to 70 percent for those who receive no help. This equates, according to the study, to taxpayer costs of $25,000 per year per inmate and nearly double that amount for juvenile offenders (California & New York spend over $200,000 per year on juveniles in their juvenile justice systems).

The article was published at The Influence, with which I was unfamiliar.

The Influence is a journalistic publication covering the full spectrum of human relationships with drugs and potentially addictive behaviors. We explore the nature of addiction and the various responses to it, as well as political, scientific and cultural aspects of our field. We aim neither to promote nor to demonize drugs, and we approach our subject open-mindedly, with respect for different lifestyles.

 

Another Thing Brock Turner Did Wrong

I used to write a lot about underage alcohol alcohol deaths. Many of them could have been prevented if people had known how to respond to a person who lost consciousness while intoxicated. 

Carl-Fredrik Arndt and Peter Jonsson knew something was dreadfully wrong. After accosting Turner, Arndt leaned over to make sure the unconscious victim was still alive. “She lay perfectly still,” he said.

From the University of Texas site Party Foul

If at any time the person becomes unconscious or has respiratory problems immediately call 911.

• Keep the person still and comfortable
• Don't leave a person alone who is vomiting.
• If the intoxicated person lies down, make sure they are on their side NOT on the back or stomach.
• Monitor the person's breathing and heart beat
• If you have ANY doubts, call 911. It's better to be safe than sorry!

From Lifehacker: Is your friend sleep it off drunk or call 911 drunk.

If the person is not responsive or if they’re showing any scary symptoms (like unconsciousness, slow breathing, or seizures—anything that worries you),

• Call for help (911 or the rescue squad).
• Stay with them until help arrives. Put them into a recovery position, and if you can, find somebody who knows how to do CPR—just in case.
• Tell emergency responders what happened—how many drinks they had, what kind, and their symptoms or injuries.

Please read the victim's statement in full

She provided her statement, printed in full below, to BuzzFeed News.

Your Honor, if it is all right, for the majority of this statement I would like to address the defendant directly.

You don’t know me, but you’ve been inside me, and that’s why we’re here today.

On January 17th, 2015, it was a quiet Saturday night at home. My dad made some dinner and I sat at the table with my younger sister who was visiting for the weekend. I was working full time and it was approaching my bed time. I planned to stay at home by myself, watch some TV and read, while she went to a party with her friends. Then, I decided it was my only night with her, I had nothing better to do, so why not, there’s a dumb party ten minutes from my house, I would go, dance like a fool, and embarrass my younger sister. On the way there, I joked that undergrad guys would have braces. My sister teased me for wearing a beige cardigan to a frat party like a librarian. I called myself “big mama”, because I knew I’d be the oldest one there. I made silly faces, let my guard down, and drank liquor too fast not factoring in that my tolerance had significantly lowered since college.

Myth: Are Teens Actively Faking ADHD -- Often-- To Get Meds?

I ran across this fear-mongering discussion. The author appears to be a therapy provider on the East Coast of the U.S.:

A student at our school has been having a little trouble [and said].. that a friend heard about adult ADHD on TV. His friend told him that he could get special treatment, like untimed tests and rescheduling of exams if he was diagnosed with ADHD, along with free meds.

My question is do you think a kid can actually fake it well enough to get diagnosed by a doctor? Do you know of any cases where kids have faked ADHD? I would have to think or hope that the tests are thorough enough to weed out fakers.

I expect to see the number of abusers sky rocket especially in the teenage set. There are about 5 to 7 million kids diagnosed with ADD. That number is sure to go up because of information on the internet that encourages and teaches abuse (see below)? It just scares me to think that kids can find information like this on the internet.

So I went looking for the questionnaire.  There's exactly one citation, an 2006 article from Abram Magomedov at eXiledOnline, a somewhat fringe publication.

Santa Clara County Parents, You Should Attend "Alcohol + Vomiting = Call 911."

From the Santa Clara Unified School District

Free Community Event in San Jose.

Presentation will be given in Spanish and English

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010, 6–8pm

Mayfair Community Center 2039 Kammerer Ave. San Jose, CA 95116 (map)

Contact Linda Goldston at 408-920-5862.

Teens and drinking program

Debbie Allen will be speaking at the Mayfair Community Center, 2039 Kammerer Ave., in San Jose. The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. There is no charge. For more information, call 408-292-7292.

In light of the recent loss in Gilroy of Sarah Botill in December 2009, Voices United is bringing Debbie Allen, Redding, CA, to speak about the loss of her daughter to alcohol poisoning (binge drinking) in 2008.

From the San Jose Mercury News:

Parent who lost daughter to speak in San Jose about teen drinking

By Linda Goldston

An expert on the perils of teen drinking — a parent who learned the hard way after her 17-year-old daughter died of alcohol poisoning — will speak Tuesday evening in San Jose about the need to educate young people and their parents about danger signs that can lead to death.

After her daughter died in December 2008, Debbie Allen of Redding vowed to dedicate her life to trying to prevent the death of more teenagers from alcohol — especially if there were clear danger signs and no one knew what to do about them.

Her speech is called "Alcohol + Vomiting = 911."

In a December interview with the Mercury News, Allen said most teenagers think vomiting is a normal thing when you drink.

"They don't see it as a big deal, an alarm," she said. "If they're vomiting and fall unconscious, the only way to save them is to get medical attention."

Her daughter, Shelby, died after drinking with two friends late at night. She started throwing up in the night and was unconscious by morning. She died shortly after a call to 911 around 9 a.m.

Some of the circumstances are similar to the death of 15-year-old Sarah Botill in Gilroy in December. Sarah and two friends were drinking at a sleepover to celebrate the birthday of one of them. She, too, started throwing up and went in and out of consciousness. She, too, died shortly after 911 was called around 9 a.m.

But unlike Shelby Allen's case, an autopsy was unable to determine thecause of Sarah's death. A coroner's report said there may have been multiple factors involved in her death, including alcohol, a heart murmur, and the possible aspiration of vomit or water.

"Everyone needs to know the ones who die are just the tip of the iceberg," said Gabrielle Antolovich, executive director of Voices United, a nonprofit group that provides information and resources on substance use and addiction in Silicon Valley.

"How many times has a friend been comatose but you're afraid to call for help?" she said. "We're all still hiding these experiences."

Another speaker will share a family story of a teenager drinking where the woman's mother intervened in time and her sister lived.

After the death of her daughter, Allen formed the Shelby Lyn Allen Alcohol Poisoning Foundation and speaks to groups around the state.

"When you're not educated about how to recognize the signs and you're scared about getting into trouble and you're under the influence, you're afraid to take action," Antolovich said.

From the 2005 blog post "Preventing Binge Drinking in High School", in which the video Tell Me Something I Don't Know on binge drinking and its dangers, was introduced. The video is available from the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta: http://www.phigam.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=291&srcid=281&chid=63

Phi Gamma Delta is pleased to announce the release of an updated version of Tell Me Something I Don’t Know! Released July 1, 2008, the feedback of our audience shaped the update of this award-winning film. While the update did not drastically change contents of the video, it provides a contemporary feel to better relate to today’s students. The new Tell Me Something I Don’t Know also features updated statistics, a new host, and allows viewers to hear from Scott Krueger’s parents.

Since its original release in 2003, educators and students and found the video to be powerful tool in opening dialogue about hazing, alcohol use and abuse and other risky behaviors high school and college students encounter. Phi Gamma Delta has distributed over 5,000 copies of this educational video, and we conservatively estimate that it has reached over 100,000 college and high school students and parents.

Shelby's Rules -- Another Teen Alcohol Death

From 2003 to 2008 I posted often on teen deaths from alcohol poisoning, including a year-end roundup.

The subject didn't fade from importance -- but my available time diminished.

Shelby Lynn Allen, aged 17, died December 20 2008 of alcohol poisoning.  Her parents have started Shelby's Rules.

For [April 2, 2009] Thursday night's series finale of ER, producer John Wells based one storyline on the alcohol poisoning death of his 17-year-old niece Shelby Lynn Allen. "Having this inspired by Shelby's story is going to teach a lot of young people and parents the dangers," said her mother Debbie. "The reality is if you're 5'6" and 107 pounds and you go past 7 or 8 shots, you're in the death zone."

Underage Alcohol Deaths, 2008

In 2007, at least thirty-one young people  died of alcohol toxicity (alcohol poisoning, alcohol overdose).

"There's no place  that's actually keeping data on alcohol deaths"--Thomas Kunstman MD.

In an article called Magnitude of alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among U.S. college students ages 18–24: changes from 1998 to 2001, by Hingson R, Heeren T, Winter M, Wechsler H. in Annual Review of Public Health. 2005, 26:259-279, the authors used statistical methods:

Estimated number of nontraffic injury deaths of all youth that are alcohol related:
1998         2001 
  991         1151

Estimated number of nontraffic injury deaths of college students that are alcohol related:
1998         2001 
  327           368

Alcohol Overdose Deaths on Campus or Those Under Age
[decedent's name with link], [age], [DoD], [university] [BAC]

The following list is generated by news reports listing cause of death as alcohol related.  I am sure there are more.

1. Brian W. Threet, 20, St. Cloud State, January 5, 2008,  BAC unknown
2. Chaz Lightner, 17,John Marshall High School (W. VA), February 10, 2008, BAC 0.374
3. Jesse Drews , 21, March 24, (WI), March 24, 2008, BAC 0.38
4. John Gunter, 17, White County, Georgia, April 25, 2008, BAC unknown
5. William Kiel Bobbitt, 19, California University of Pennsylvania, May 1, 2008, BAC unknown
6. Andrew I. Anderson, 16, Manako MN,  May 30 2008, BAC unknown

In all cases, my deepest condolences to family and friends.

A young man in Minnesota:

After he watched an ambulance crew carry away a girl he knew earlier this year, he said, he wished he'd had another message dunned into him. If someone you know is breathing irregularly or passes out -- whether the reason appears to be too much drinking, or anything else -- call 911. Don't delay. Don't worry about getting him or her -- or yourself -- into trouble. Don't assume that "sleeping it off" is all that the situation requires.

Middlebury College to Host National GORDIEday Anti-Hazing Events - MarketWatch

Link: Middlebury College to Host National GORDIEday Anti-Hazing Events - MarketWatch.

Middlebury College will host two days of anti-hazing campus events, FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, on October 22 and 23, 2008, in conjunction with National GORDIEday and National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week. Presented by The Gordie Foundation, this year's inaugural National GORDIEday will help raise awareness about the dangers of binge drinking and hazing and commemorate the lives of more than 1,700 students who die each year as a result of alcohol-related incidents.

On Wednesday, October 22, at 7:30 p.m. in Dana Auditorium, Middlebury College will host "Hazing: The Fallout," a talk by Travis Apgar, hazing victim and associate dean of students at Cornell University. Apgar travels the country sharing his personal experience with hazing and is active in the movement for change on college campuses. On Thursday, October 23, at 7:30 p.m. in Dana Auditorium, Middlebury will host a free public screening of the documentary film, "HAZE." The film examines the issues surrounding the college drinking culture in America, including the death of college freshman Gordie Bailey who died of alcohol poisoning following a fraternity initiation ceremony at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2004. "HAZE" is presented by The Gordie Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing young people with the skills to navigate the dangers of alcohol, binge drinking, peer pressure and hazing. Produced by Watt Imagination! and Leslie and Michael Lanahan, parents of Gordie Bailey and founders of The Gordie Foundation, "HAZE" includes a special introduction by Robin Wright Penn, actress and national spokesperson for The Gordie Foundation. During the two days of events at Middlebury College, The Gordie Foundation will work with staff and students to register new members for the Middlebury College Circle of Trust Chapter. The Circle of Trust is a peer-to-peer advocacy program created by the foundation to educate about alcohol and hazing, spread Gordie's story, and help promote healthy norms on campus. There are currently more than 100 Circle of Trust chapters across the country. Middlebury College was selected by The Gordie Foundation as an official participant in National GORDIEday. Thousands of students on college and university campuses will participate in National GORDIEday on October 22 to spread awareness of the dangers of alcohol misuse, binge drinking, peer pressure, and hazing. For more information on the National GORDIEday free public programs at Middlebury College, please contact Jyoti Daniere, at 802-443-5580 or visit the Web site at www.middlebury.edu. For more information on The Gordie Foundation, please call 214-823-0235 or visit the Web site at www.gordie.org.

Julia Gonzalez, 16, Alcohol Poisoning

Julia Gonzalez was found dead in a Turlock (CA) park the morning of December 28, 2008.  Her friends denied seeing her drink, but the autopsy revealed a blood-alcohol level incompatible with life.

As always, my condolences to her family and friends.

Andrew I. Anderson, 16, Alcohol-Related Death

May 30, 2008 , Mr. Anderson went out for a night of drinking on with a group of friends, including his two older brothers.  Mr. Anderson fell off a log, and was later found unresponsive.

As always, my condolences to his family and friends.

Underage Alcohol Deaths 2004
Underage Alcohol Deaths 2005
Underage Alcohol Deaths 2006
Underage Alcohol Deaths 2007

William Kiel Bobbitt, 19, Alcohol Poisoning

Mr. Bobbitt, a sophomore at California University of Pennsylvania, was found unresponsive in a friend's apartment on May 1, 2008.

As always, my condolences to his family and friends.

Underage Alcohol Deaths 2004
Underage Alcohol Deaths 2005
Underage Alcohol Deaths 2006
Underage Alcohol Deaths 2007