Social:Tranquility Bay

From HandWiki
Short description: Private residential youth educational and treatment facility
Not to be confused with Tranquility Base.
Short description: Private school in Jamaica
Tranquility Bay
Location
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Calabash Bay

Saint Elizabeth Parish

Jamaica
Coordinates [ ⚑ ] : 17°52′14″N 77°45′04″W / 17.87056°N 77.75111°W / 17.87056; -77.75111
Information
School typePrivate
Motto"Working for the future of the world"
Established1997
Closed2009
DirectorJay Kay
Age12 to 19
Enrollment300
AccreditationNorthwest Association of Accredited Schools
Tuition$40,000[1]
AffiliationWorld Wide Association of Specialty Programs

Tranquility Bay was a troubled teen program in Calabash Bay, Saint Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica, that operated from 1997 to 2009. Affiliated with the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools, it functioned as an adolescent behavioral modification facility.

Background

Tranquility Bay accepted adolescents aged 12 to 19 years old and had the capacity to house approximately 300 students at a time.[2] Tuition for the program ranged $25,000 to $40,000 per year.[3] The facility primarily served teenagers from the United States whose parents had enrolled them for behavioural or substance abuse issues.[4] The facility was affiliated with the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools and was accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools.[5] Those enrolled in the program typically remained there for 3 or more years.[4]

The facility was located above a beach in Calabash Bay, Jamaica. Security features included barred windows and balconies and high perimeter walls topped with barbed wire, which prevented students from leaving the facility.[6][3]

History

Tranquility Bay was founded in the year 1997.[4]

In 1998, Tranquility Bay was the focus of a legal case after neighbors of a family reported the parents to police for kidnapping and false imprisonment of their son, David Van Blarigan, who had been sent to Tranquility Bay.[7]Judge Ken Kawaichi denied the writ of habeas corpus due to lack of evidence of abuse at Tranquility Bay.[8] Van Blarigan had previously been enrolled at Skyline High School in Oakland, California, and had no history of crime, drug use, or violence, according to defense attorney Dan Koller, who was representing the Van Blarigan family.[9]

On August 10, 2001, a 17-year-old girl named Valerie Ann Heron ran from her room and jumped off the 35 ft high balcony at Tranquility Bay and consequently died from the fall.[10] She had only been at program for 24 hours.[11]

Also in 2001, the Government of the Cayman Islands began sending adolescents to the Tranquility Bay until it's closure in 2009.[12]

Tranquility Bay was evacuated in 2004 when hurricane Ivan hit Jamaica. The storm caused several hundred thousand dollars of damage to the facility.[13]

A 2004 documentary, Locked in Paradise, examined conditions at the facility and characterized its regime as highly strict. The program was described by some parents as a form of “tough love”, while organizations such as UNICEF expressed concern that certain practices could constitute child abuse.[14]

Closure

Tranquility Bay was shut down in January 2009,[15] after the case of Isaac Hersh gained national media and political attention and years of alleged abuse and torture came to light.[16] Many politicians, including Hillary Clinton, were involved in Isaac's release.

Program practices

Attack Therapy

Observers of Tranquility Bay described group sessions in which students were encouraged to openly discuss their personal fears and behaviors while receiving immediate feedback from staff and peers. During these sessions, emotional expression was met with direct challenges or corrective statements, a style reminiscent of confrontational or “attack therapy” methods used in Synanon-inspired programs. These sessions aimed to enforce accountability and encourage behavioural change through intense emotional exposure and group feedback.[17]

Education

According to the 2004 documentary Locked in Paradise, broadcast on BBC Two, students at Tranquility Bay followed a self-study academic program. Coursework was completed independently, and students submitted assignments to teachers before taking tests on the material. Students were required to achieve a score of at least 80 percent in order to pass exams. The documentary also reported that private tutoring and school supplies, such as pens and paper, were provided at additional cost to parents.[11]

Observation Placement

Observation Placement was a disciplinary measure employed within the program as part of its behavioural management system. Individuals assigned to this status could be reduced to the lowest program level and deprived of previously earned privileges and points. The practice reportedly required participants to remain in a prone position for extended durations under staff supervision. In some accounts, the length of time spent in Observation Placement was prolonged, indicating its function as a sustained corrective intervention. Within the broader institutional framework, this measure operated as a mechanism of behavioural control intended to enforce compliance and reinforce program expectations.[4]

Transportation

The transportation of participants to the facility was commonly facilitated through the use of private teen escort services. These services were responsible for transferring adolescents, often from the United States, to the program’s location in Jamaica. The process frequently occurred without prior notice to the individuals and was typically carried out during early morning hours. Reports indicate that physical restraints were sometimes employed during transit. This method of transportation constituted a central component of the program’s intake procedures and reflects a controlled and externally managed approach to enrolment.[4][18]

Pepper Spray

Staff members at the facility were at one time equipped with pepper spray as part of the program’s internal security and behavioural management practices. The use of such chemical deterrents suggests an emphasis on maintaining order and ensuring compliance within the institutional environment. This practice was reportedly discontinued in 1998, indicating a subsequent modification of staff control methods. The presence and later removal of pepper spray as a management tool illustrates the evolving nature of the program’s operational policies.[11]

Representation in Intervention

The "Cassie" episode of the A&E program Intervention, first shown in January 2011, features a young woman addicted to prescription painkillers who had been sent to Tranquility Bay as a child and blamed her father for not rescuing her.[19] In the episode, Cassie states that her fellow residents consumed "chemicals" so they would be sent to the hospital and would be able to talk to their parents regarding the abuse they were enduring. However, she said that when they vomited in response to the poison, rather than being sent to a hospital, they were restrained by staff face down in their own vomit.[20]

References

  1. ↑ Rowe, Raphael (7 December 2004). "Tranquility Bay: The last resort". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/this_world/4058833.stm. 
  2. ↑ Weiner, Tim (17 June 2003). "Parents Divided Over Jamaica Disciplinary Academy". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/17/international/americas/17JAMA.html. Retrieved 22 February 2014. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rowe, Raphael (2004-12-07). "Tranquility Bay: The last resort" (in en-GB). BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/4058833.stm. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Aitkenhead, Decca (29 June 2003). "The last resort (part one)". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2003/jun/29/schools.uk1. 
  5. ↑ "Tranquility Bay : : : Treatment Program in Jamaica". http://www.tranquilitybay.org/accreditation.pdf. 
  6. ↑ Green, Joanne (2006-06-22). "Rough Love". Miami New Times. http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2006-06-22/news/rough-love/full. Retrieved 2010-04-12. 
  7. ↑ Stryker, Jeff (1998-02-01). "Word for Word/Teen-Age Treatment Programs; Sorry to Wake You, Honey. They're Coming to Take You Away." (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/01/weekinreview/word-for-word-teen-age-treatment-programs-sorry-wake-you-honey-they-re-coming.html. ""After a neighbor filed a police report claiming that David had been kidnapped and falsely imprisoned, the Alameda County District Attorney's office petitioned to have David returned to California as a witness in his own case."" 
  8. ↑ "A war within the family" (in en). https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1998/02/04/a-war-within-the-family/. ""On Jan. 20, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Ken Kawaichi denied the writ of habeas corpus, noting that no evidence had been presented that David had been abused at Tranquility Bay."" 
  9. ↑ Writer, Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff (8 January 1998). "Alameda County Seeks Return of Teen Sent to Rehab Camp" (in en). San Francisco Chronicle. https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/alameda-county-seeks-return-of-teen-sent-to-rehab-3017215.php. 
  10. ↑ Green, Joanne (21 June 2006). "Rough Love". Miami New Times. ISSN 1072-3331. https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/rough-love-6336423/. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Locked in Paradise (Television documentary). 7 December 2004.
  12. ↑ "Tranquility Bay closes". Cayman Compass. February 23, 2009. https://www.caymancompass.com/2009/02/23/tranquility-bay-closes/. 
  13. ↑ Weiner, Tim (26 September 2004). "Mexico Shuts Tough-Love Center". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/26/world/americas/mexico-shuts-toughlove-center.html. 
  14. ↑ Joseph, Joe (8 December 2004). "A crash course in the art of crime". www.thetimes.com. https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/a-crash-course-in-the-art-of-crime-p7m9skggl3w?. 
  15. ↑ "Good News: Bad Economy Killing Abusive Teen Programs" (in en). 2009-01-30. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/good-news-bad-economy-kil_b_162696. 
  16. ↑ Danis, Kirsten (25 March 2008). "Jewish family sues Jamaican reform school for troubled teens". https://www.nydailynews.com/news/jewish-family-sues-jamaican-reform-school-troubled-teens-article-1.287164. 
  17. ↑ Aitkenhead, Decca (29 June 2003). "The last resort (part two)". The Guardian. ISSN 1756-3224. OCLC 60623878. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2003/jun/29/schools.uk. 
  18. ↑ Cohen, Adam (January 26, 1998). "Is This a Camp Or Jail?". Time Magazine. https://time.com/archive/6732155/is-this-a-camp-or-jail/. ""Just past midnight, David van Blarigan, 16, woke up in his Oakland, Calif., home to find his parents at his bedside with the two burly strangers they had called to take him away."" 
  19. ↑ "Cassie". Intervention. January 2011. A&E.
  20. ↑ "Jewish family sues Jamaican reform school for troubled teens" (in en-US). 2008-03-25. https://www.nydailynews.com/2008/03/25/jewish-family-sues-jamaican-reform-school-for-troubled-teens/. 

Further reading

  • Art, Cindy. 2012. Trapped in Paradise, A Memoir. ISBN 978-1475192278. An account of an attendee's time at Tranquility Bay.

Template:Schools in Jamaica



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