A traumatised woman who went to the same camp for troubled youth as Paris Hilton claims staff shaved her head and called her ‘Auschwitz’ to mock her Jewish heritage.
Jen Robison of Los Angeles also alleges she was physically abused and placed in solitary confinement by staff at Provo Canyon School in Utah when she was between the ages of 14 and 17.
The shocking claims are revealed in a new Max Documentary, ‘Teen Torture, Inc.’which exposes the harrowing stories of abuse in Provo and other troubled teenage camps in America.
Former participants at various camps testified that they were subjected to waterboarding, beatings and forcibly injected with drugs.
It comes just weeks after Hilton, who spoke about her own trauma from her time in Provo, called for greater oversight of such programs during a congressional hearing.
Jen Robison (right) has been campaigning with Paris Hilton to close the Provo Canyon School, a camp for troubled youth where they both allege they were abused.
Robison alleged she was physically abused and subjected to anti-Semitic insults at the Utah school (pictured) in a new documentary about Max, which streamed July 11
The actress previously alleged she was sexually assaulted after being forced to submit to cervical exams by staff members in the early morning hours while attending a Utah school in the 1990s.
It has launched an investigation into a multi-billion dollar industry that is subject to minimal regulation and offers limited protections to vulnerable teens who are often dragged into programs against their will.
It is estimated that there are currently approximately 100,000 children in these camps, but the exact number is unclear because the U.S. government does not keep track.
Such programs are often a last resort for parents who can’t cope with children with behavioral problems, yet they are estimated to cost $23 billion annually.
The documentary about Max, which has been airing since July 11, follows Robison as she tries to get her life back on track with her partner and young daughter in their southern Oregon home.
Robison recalls her difficult childhood in California, during which she struggled with depression.
In 2003, at age 14, she attempted suicide, after which her parents sent her to Provo Canyon School.
Robison claims she was stripped naked upon arrival and that the oppressive atmosphere at the camp, where students were not allowed to speak without permission, soon led her to harm herself.
She alleged that staff members forcefully injected her and other teens with Haldol, a drug used to treat schizophrenia and behavioral problems in children, once or twice a day. The drug often had unpleasant side effects, including jaw clenching, drooling and muscle spasms.
One day, when Robison was too scared to get out of bed, she claimed two staff members dragged her from the top bunk of a bunk bed, causing her to thud to the floor.
She recalls being dragged by her ankles down the hall to an observation cell, reportedly a common practice in Provo, where children were held in solitary confinement for hours and sometimes days.
Robison claims she was frisked upon arriving at school, which she later did again in the documentary.
Paris Hilton testified on Capitol Hill about the devastating experience she had in Provo while advocating for sweeping reforms to the foster and juvenile rehabilitation system
Mother of two alleged she was abused by staff conducting ‘medical examinations’
Robison later recounts the shocking incident of alleged anti-Semitism.
“In Provo Canyon I had a punk haircut so they shaved my head,” she said.
“When the staff called me on the radio, they gave me a nickname. Because my file said I came from a Jewish family, they called me Aushwitchz.”
In a statement to Max, the Provo Canyon School denied that solitary confinement is practiced and said the school is licensed by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
It was also said that the program changed hands in 2000 and therefore no statements can be made about the course of events or the experiences of students before that time. However, Robison was first admitted in 2003.
The documentary also features rapper Danielle Bregoli, also known as Bhad Bhabie, who spent six months at Turn-About Ranch in Utah.
Bregoli was at the camp in 2016 when 17-year-old student Clay Brewer murdered associate James Woolsey by hitting him in the back of the head with a metal rod.
It was later revealed that Brewer had attempted suicide by drinking bleach before the murder.
He was sentenced to five years to life for the murder.
Rapper Danielle Bregolin, aka Bhad Bhabie, who spent six months at the troubled youth camp Turn-About Ranch in Utah, also appears in the documentary
Bhabie, 21, from Boynton Beach, Florida, now has 16 million followers on Instagram
Bhabie was sent to Turn-About after appearing on the Dr. Phil Show with her mother, who was seeking help for her behavior. The camp was supported by Dr. Phil McGraw
Meanwhile, Allen Knoll describes being waterboarded as a teenager at Bethel Boys Academy in Mississippi.
He claims he was held to the ground by one employee while another threw buckets of water over him.
“I thought I was going to die,” Knoll said in the documentary.
The show also features an interview with Esther Fountain, daughter of Herman Fountain, one of the founders of the Bethel Boys Academy.
Esther claims her father repeatedly ‘beat’ the boys and describes Herman as a ‘conman’ who could ‘manipulate people and get away with it’.
Herman declined to comment for the documentary.
Her claims are reminiscent of those made by Nathaniel Lichfield in the recent Netflix documentary series “The Program,” in which he calls his father and teen camp boss Narvin Lichfield “a two-faced man.”
Nathaniel describes his father, who founded several shelters for troubled youth, including in South Carolina and Costa Rica, as “a funny man” and “a charming person” with “a very dark side.”
Women who attended Narvin’s school in South Carolina allege they were victims of various forms of physical and psychological violence.
Narvin has sued Netflix for defamation over allegations that his methods were abusive.
Allen Knoll claims in the documentary that he was waterboarded as a teenager at Bethel Boys Academy in Mississippi
The documentary also includes an interview with Esther Fountain, daughter of Herman Fountain, one of the founders of the Bethel Boys Academy
Esther claims her father repeatedly “beat” the boys and describes Herman as a “con man” who “could manipulate people and get away with it.” Herman declined to comment for the documentary.
During her appearance before Congress last month, Hilton focused her testimony on ending abuse in juvenile treatment facilities.
She urged the reauthorization and reform of Title IV-B, which provides states with funding for community-based, prevention-oriented programs to support family reunification and the permanent placement of children in foster care.
The program expired in 2021 and Congress is looking for ways to modernize it.
Hilton highlighted the story of 16-year-old Cornelius Fredericks, who entered Lakeside Academy juvenile detention after his mother died and his father was incarcerated. Fredericks died after being restrained by facility staff in April 2020 for throwing a sandwich. Two staff members were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the incident.
“The state could have prevented this,” Hilton said.
She also shared her own devastating experiences at Provo Canyon School.
“When I was 16, I was dragged out of bed in the middle of the night and taken across state lines to the first of four residential facilities,” Hilton told the House Finance Committee.
“For two years I was drugged and sexually abused by the staff. I was forcibly held down … stripped naked, thrown into solitary confinement,” the Hilton heiress continued.
She said her parents were “completely manipulated” by the agencies and were unaware of the treatment she was undergoing. In the past, she said her parents were “conned” into believing her ADD could be cured with “tough love.”