This just shouldn't be allowed. At all. Perhaps in very serious cases it should be allowed, But what I don't get is why the parents just don't seem to be giving any second chances. This should, as the article suggests, DEFINITELY be the last resort. I've got a few quotes from a person from another forum who was there in '99.
"It wasn't meant as a boot camp.. It is meant to be a behavior modification program.. The laying on your face is meant to subdue you so that you will be more open to changing your ways... The problem is that they have no idea if you were "bad" before or not... They treat every kid there exactly the same; Some kids were in there merely for having a "bad attitude", or smoking weed once... There were some in there for worse things, but the point is that it did not matter to them...
Laying on your face for 18 months straight is akin to solitary confinement for 18 months (except you usually talk to people intermittently while in OP)... OP, though, is not just for layin on your face...OP is also the room where they beat you... You can hear screaming coming fom that room usually 1-3 times a day... Sometime a day would go by with none, but usually you would hear a friend getting beat; If not a boy, then you would hear it from the girls side..."
"There are a lot of staff, and they are backed by local authorities... There was a riot there, but it was subdued... A few kids tried to fight back individually, but you quickly learn that is the worst thing you can do... They will swarm you, and you will get a very severe punishment (arm dislocated etc...)... Your only hope is to just shutup and wait it out... Its horrible, and the hoplessness of the situation get to everyone eventually... You just feel so damn hopeless...
Second... Most of the staff are good local people... They obey the rules, and a few of them even disagreed with the beatings (they got fired)... They just do what they're told... They are not necessarily bad people... They just needed jobs...
Jay Kay is the guy who runs the place... He's the bastard... and his wife"