Academy at Dundee Ranch
Encyclopedia
Academy at Dundee Ranch was a behavior modification
facility for United States teenagers, located on La Ceiba Cascajal, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Orotina
, province of Alajuela
, Costa Rica
. It was promoted as a residential school
, offering a program of behavior modification, motivational "emotional growth seminars," a progressive academic curriculum, and a structured daily schedule, for teenagers struggling in their homes, schools, or communities.
The facility was associated with World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
(WWASP).
In May 2003, authorities in Costa Rica shut down due to claims of child abuse, and investigated the school and its managers. A new WWASP facility called Pillars of Hope
was opened at the site of Academy at Dundee Ranch in 2004.
A judgment in Louisiana caused Costa Rican authorities to investigate the facilities.
Academy at Dundee Ranch was a behavior modification
facility for United States teenagers, located on La Ceiba Cascajal, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Orotina
, province of Alajuela
, Costa Rica
. It was promoted as a residential school
, offering a program of behavior modification, motivational "emotional growth seminars," a progressive academic curriculum, and a structured daily schedule, for teenagers struggling in their homes, schools, or communities.Academy at Dundee Ranch website, accessed January 31, 2007, archived December 23, 2007.
The facility was associated with World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
(WWASP).
In May 2003, authorities in Costa Rica shut down due to claims of child abuse, and investigated the school and its managers. A new WWASP facility called Pillars of Hope
was opened at the site of Academy at Dundee Ranch in 2004.Program Overview, Pillars of Hope website. "The setting of Pillars of Hope was first established in 1991 as Dundee Ranch Hotel Adventure Resort."
A judgment in Louisiana caused Costa Rican authorities to investigate the facilities.
Academy at Dundee Ranch was a behavior modification
facility for United States teenagers, located on La Ceiba Cascajal, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Orotina
, province of Alajuela
, Costa Rica
. It was promoted as a residential school
, offering a program of behavior modification, motivational "emotional growth seminars," a progressive academic curriculum, and a structured daily schedule, for teenagers struggling in their homes, schools, or communities.Academy at Dundee Ranch website, accessed January 31, 2007, archived December 23, 2007.
The facility was associated with World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
(WWASP).
In May 2003, authorities in Costa Rica shut down due to claims of child abuse, and investigated the school and its managers. A new WWASP facility called Pillars of Hope
was opened at the site of Academy at Dundee Ranch in 2004.Program Overview, Pillars of Hope website. "The setting of Pillars of Hope was first established in 1991 as Dundee Ranch Hotel Adventure Resort."
A judgment in Louisiana caused Costa Rican authorities to investigate the facilities.Officials to Investigate 'Tough Love' Facility Here (The Tico Times) A riot
occurred at the facility in May 2003,Rioting, escapes put teen facility under scrutiny (Miami Herald-News from Babylon)Tough love school sent to timeout (Inside Costa Rica, June 2003) leading to its closure. The Costa Rican immigration authorities found that 100 of the 193 children enrolled in the program did not have appropriate migration papers.
Due to the closure U.S. Representative George Miller
asked U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft
to investigate WWASP.U.S. Federal Probe of WWASP Requested, The Tico Times, November 5, 2003)
Narvin Lichfield, who was the director at the time of the facility's closure, was jailed in Costa Rica for a brief period at the time of the closure. He was later tried in Costa Rica on charges of coercion, holding minors against their will, and "crimes of an international character" (violating a law based on international treaties, specifically referring to torture).
On February 21, 2007 a three-judge panel found Narvin Lichfield innocent of the charges of abuse. During the trial the prosecutor told the court that there was insufficient evidence and testimony to link Lichfield to the crimes for which he was accused. The Tico Times reported that the judges said they believed the students at Dundee had been abused, but there was no proof that that Lichfield ordered the abuse.Lealand Baxter Neal, Lichfield Declared Innocent, Tico Times - Daily News Three other Academy employees, all Jamaica
ns, had been wanted in connection with the same case, but they fled Costa Rica following the closure of the Academy.Leland Baxter-Neal, Tough-Love’ Camp Owner Faces Trial, The Tico Times, July 2006.
Following the acquittal, Lichfield claimed in an e-mail to A.M. Costa Rica that when the school was raided, police stood by and watched youths sexually assault each other, that police held parents and staff at gunpoint and that one parent was ordered at gunpoint to hang up the phone when she attempted to phone the U.S. Embassy for help, and that police left the school in a shambles.
Behavior modification
Behavior modification is the use of empirically demonstrated behavior change techniques to increase or decrease the frequency of behaviors, such as altering an individual's behaviors and reactions to stimuli through positive and negative reinforcement of adaptive behavior and/or the reduction of...
facility for United States teenagers, located on La Ceiba Cascajal, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Orotina
Orotina
Orotina is the capital city of the canton of Orotina in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. It is also the name of the distrito that includes the city...
, province of Alajuela
Alajuela Province
Alajuela is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the north-central part of the country, bordering Nicaragua to the north, and clockwise the provinces Heredia, San José, Puntarenas and Guanacaste...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. It was promoted as a residential school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, offering a program of behavior modification, motivational "emotional growth seminars," a progressive academic curriculum, and a structured daily schedule, for teenagers struggling in their homes, schools, or communities.
The facility was associated with World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
The World Wide Association Of Specialty Programs and Schools is an organization based in Utah, in the United States. WWASPS was founded by Robert Lichfield and was incorporated in 1998...
(WWASP).
In May 2003, authorities in Costa Rica shut down due to claims of child abuse, and investigated the school and its managers. A new WWASP facility called Pillars of Hope
Pillars of Hope
Pillars of Hope is a "specialty" boarding school in Costa Rica, located on the former site of the Academy at Dundee Ranch that was shut down by the Costa Rican government in 2003.Mark Johnson, , Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, November 8, 2004. Archived September 29, 2007....
was opened at the site of Academy at Dundee Ranch in 2004.
Controversy
During its operation, Dundee Ranch was the subject of multiple allegations of abuse. Parents and enrollees claimed that food being withheld as punishment. Former students complained of emotional scars due to their stay there.A judgment in Louisiana caused Costa Rican authorities to investigate the facilities.
Academy at Dundee Ranch was a behavior modification
Behavior modification
Behavior modification is the use of empirically demonstrated behavior change techniques to increase or decrease the frequency of behaviors, such as altering an individual's behaviors and reactions to stimuli through positive and negative reinforcement of adaptive behavior and/or the reduction of...
facility for United States teenagers, located on La Ceiba Cascajal, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Orotina
Orotina
Orotina is the capital city of the canton of Orotina in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. It is also the name of the distrito that includes the city...
, province of Alajuela
Alajuela Province
Alajuela is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the north-central part of the country, bordering Nicaragua to the north, and clockwise the provinces Heredia, San José, Puntarenas and Guanacaste...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. It was promoted as a residential school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, offering a program of behavior modification, motivational "emotional growth seminars," a progressive academic curriculum, and a structured daily schedule, for teenagers struggling in their homes, schools, or communities.Academy at Dundee Ranch website, accessed January 31, 2007, archived December 23, 2007.
The facility was associated with World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
The World Wide Association Of Specialty Programs and Schools is an organization based in Utah, in the United States. WWASPS was founded by Robert Lichfield and was incorporated in 1998...
(WWASP).
In May 2003, authorities in Costa Rica shut down due to claims of child abuse, and investigated the school and its managers. A new WWASP facility called Pillars of Hope
Pillars of Hope
Pillars of Hope is a "specialty" boarding school in Costa Rica, located on the former site of the Academy at Dundee Ranch that was shut down by the Costa Rican government in 2003.Mark Johnson, , Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, November 8, 2004. Archived September 29, 2007....
was opened at the site of Academy at Dundee Ranch in 2004.Program Overview, Pillars of Hope website. "The setting of Pillars of Hope was first established in 1991 as Dundee Ranch Hotel Adventure Resort."
Controversy
During its operation, Dundee Ranch was the subject of multiple allegations of abuse. Parents and enrollees claimed that food being withheld as punishment. Former students complained of emotional scars due to their stay there.Desperate steps, dark journey, Milwaukee Journal SentinelA judgment in Louisiana caused Costa Rican authorities to investigate the facilities.
Academy at Dundee Ranch was a behavior modification
Behavior modification
Behavior modification is the use of empirically demonstrated behavior change techniques to increase or decrease the frequency of behaviors, such as altering an individual's behaviors and reactions to stimuli through positive and negative reinforcement of adaptive behavior and/or the reduction of...
facility for United States teenagers, located on La Ceiba Cascajal, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Orotina
Orotina
Orotina is the capital city of the canton of Orotina in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. It is also the name of the distrito that includes the city...
, province of Alajuela
Alajuela Province
Alajuela is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the north-central part of the country, bordering Nicaragua to the north, and clockwise the provinces Heredia, San José, Puntarenas and Guanacaste...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. It was promoted as a residential school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
, offering a program of behavior modification, motivational "emotional growth seminars," a progressive academic curriculum, and a structured daily schedule, for teenagers struggling in their homes, schools, or communities.Academy at Dundee Ranch website, accessed January 31, 2007, archived December 23, 2007.
The facility was associated with World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools
The World Wide Association Of Specialty Programs and Schools is an organization based in Utah, in the United States. WWASPS was founded by Robert Lichfield and was incorporated in 1998...
(WWASP).
In May 2003, authorities in Costa Rica shut down due to claims of child abuse, and investigated the school and its managers. A new WWASP facility called Pillars of Hope
Pillars of Hope
Pillars of Hope is a "specialty" boarding school in Costa Rica, located on the former site of the Academy at Dundee Ranch that was shut down by the Costa Rican government in 2003.Mark Johnson, , Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, November 8, 2004. Archived September 29, 2007....
was opened at the site of Academy at Dundee Ranch in 2004.Program Overview, Pillars of Hope website. "The setting of Pillars of Hope was first established in 1991 as Dundee Ranch Hotel Adventure Resort."
Controversy
During its operation, Dundee Ranch was the subject of multiple allegations of abuse. Parents and enrollees claimed that food being withheld as punishment. Former students complained of emotional scars due to their stay there.Desperate steps, dark journey, Milwaukee Journal SentinelA judgment in Louisiana caused Costa Rican authorities to investigate the facilities.Officials to Investigate 'Tough Love' Facility Here (The Tico Times) A riot
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
occurred at the facility in May 2003,Rioting, escapes put teen facility under scrutiny (Miami Herald-News from Babylon)Tough love school sent to timeout (Inside Costa Rica, June 2003) leading to its closure. The Costa Rican immigration authorities found that 100 of the 193 children enrolled in the program did not have appropriate migration papers.
Due to the closure U.S. Representative George Miller
George Miller (politician)
George Miller III is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1975. He is a member of the Democratic Party. From 2007 through 2010, Miller served as chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, formerly known as the Education and the Workforce Committee.-Early life, education, and early...
asked U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft
John Ashcroft
John David Ashcroft is a United States politician who served as the 79th United States Attorney General, from 2001 until 2005, appointed by President George W. Bush. Ashcroft previously served as the 50th Governor of Missouri and a U.S...
to investigate WWASP.U.S. Federal Probe of WWASP Requested, The Tico Times, November 5, 2003)
Narvin Lichfield, who was the director at the time of the facility's closure, was jailed in Costa Rica for a brief period at the time of the closure. He was later tried in Costa Rica on charges of coercion, holding minors against their will, and "crimes of an international character" (violating a law based on international treaties, specifically referring to torture).
On February 21, 2007 a three-judge panel found Narvin Lichfield innocent of the charges of abuse. During the trial the prosecutor told the court that there was insufficient evidence and testimony to link Lichfield to the crimes for which he was accused. The Tico Times reported that the judges said they believed the students at Dundee had been abused, but there was no proof that that Lichfield ordered the abuse.Lealand Baxter Neal, Lichfield Declared Innocent, Tico Times - Daily News Three other Academy employees, all Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
ns, had been wanted in connection with the same case, but they fled Costa Rica following the closure of the Academy.Leland Baxter-Neal, Tough-Love’ Camp Owner Faces Trial, The Tico Times, July 2006.
Following the acquittal, Lichfield claimed in an e-mail to A.M. Costa Rica that when the school was raided, police stood by and watched youths sexually assault each other, that police held parents and staff at gunpoint and that one parent was ordered at gunpoint to hang up the phone when she attempted to phone the U.S. Embassy for help, and that police left the school in a shambles.