Despite years of investigations and billion-dollar fines, rampant abuse continues in youth behavioral-psychiatric hospitals. CCHR demands immediate federal and state action—not another three-year study—before more children suffer or die.
By CCHR International
The Mental Health Industry Watchdog
June 6, 2025
Amid a surge of reported abuse and deaths in psychiatric and behavioral residential programs for youth, CCHR is urging immediate and sweeping federal intervention. Continued inaction by state and federal agencies endangers lives and enables a psychiatric system where vulnerable children and adolescents are subjected to trauma, neglect, and avoidable harm.
In December 2024, Congress enacted the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act to finally confront the decades-long crisis of abuse, injury, and death in youth psychiatric and behavioral facilities. The law called for a comprehensive federal investigation, but gave it a three-year timeline.[1] CCHR International supported the measure, but warns that this timeline is now not acceptable given the increasing reports of abuse. Children are being raped, restrained to death, drugged into submission, and traumatized by abusive psychiatrists and staff in facilities that continue to operate despite years of federal and state investigations, lawsuits, and criminal findings.
A 2024 study in Psychiatric Services affirmed that “the use of seclusion and mechanical restraints (S-R) in psychiatric hospitals remains widespread despite the traumatizing effects and risk for lethality,” urging the U.S Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and The Joint Commission to enforce mandates to eliminate these practices.[2] But nothing has changed. The abuse is not an anomaly—it is systemic and targets troubled teens especially.
A New York Times report on the troubled teen treatment industry estimated 86 deaths from 2000 to 2015, stating that “more have died in the years since.” Children, it said, are treated in psychiatric residential treatment facilities in ways that are illegal to treat prisoners. It specifically addressed physical and chemical restraint use and the use of seclusion rooms.[3]
Just in the past month, headlines confirm that the brutality is escalating, not abating:
- A 16-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at the now-shuttered Trails Carolina wilderness therapy camp in North Carolina, at the same facility where a 12-year-old boy died in February 2024 after being restrained.[4] Asheville Academy, owned by the same company, recently closed after two girls, aged 13 and 12, died by suicide in less than four weeks. The state ordered Asheville to stop taking new patients on May 27. Two days later, the 12-year-old killed herself. State regulators found serious safety violations.[5] Earlier in the year, NC’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kody Kinsley, called for a ban on wilderness therapy camps, but the state has yet to act to protect children and adolescents from them.[6]
- Disability Rights California reported that for-profit College Hospital routinely uses restraints with prolonged use for up to eight hours per incident—over 800 in just five months.[7]
- In New Mexico, a teenage boy reported repeated sexual abuse by staff at an Acadia Healthcare facility. The company owns a lion’s share of for-profit psychiatric hospitals in the U.S.[8]
- In Texas, an Acadia Healthcare-owned Cedar Crest Hospital staffer was charged with sexual assault of a child.[9] In Delaware, Acadia’s MeadowWood Behavioral Health was exposed for years of egregious violations, including multiple patient deaths, and frequent use of sedatives as chemical restraints to “control” patient behavior. In one case, a patient died after being heavily medicated and choking on a sandwich.[10]
- In Vermont, over 500 youth restraint and seclusion incidents were logged at facilities across the state during 2023 and 2024. Children as young as 5 were locked in seclusion rooms, and 8-year-olds were restrained.[11]
- Maryland just passed a law banning dangerous restraints during youth transport to behavioral centers and preventing their use for punishment or for staff convenience.[12] State Representative Vaughn Stewart credited celebrity Paris Hilton as well as CCHR’s work for the legislation, stating: “The law will protect children… and empower survivors and their families to seek justice.”
CCHR says the law could be strengthened by other states to prohibit all chemical and physical restraints during such transportation and in all residential psychiatric facilities.
These are only the latest in an endless stream of atrocities and demands for oversight yet not been put into action.
In recent years, Acadia Healthcare and UHS have had at least $580 million in jury verdicts awarded against them over two children ages 8 and 13 sexually abused in their facilities.[13]
In June 2024, a U.S. Senate Finance Committee investigation into four for-profit behavioral hospital chains—Acadia, UHS, Sequel, and Devereux—concluded that abuse is “inevitable and by design,” driven by a profit-first business model that incentivizes neglect and inadequate care. The Committee urged “bold intervention,” warning the model will persist “because it’s good business.”[14]
On September 9, 2024, Acadia Healthcare paid $1.39 million to settle SEC charges for violating federal whistleblower protections.[15] The same month, Acadia also settled a federal Department of Justice probe into fraudulent, medically unnecessary inpatient behavioral services for nearly $20 million.[16]
For many years, CCHR has documented cases where children are physically assaulted, sexually violated, forcibly injected with drugs, held in isolation, or killed due to neglectful or abusive restraint practices. As the Ketterer, Browne & Associates (KBA) attorney firm stated, “CCHR has long advocated for stricter oversight of for-profit behavioral healthcare companies,” filing thousands of complaints with federal and state authorities regarding abuse in these facilities. “However, the penalties imposed on these companies…are seen as insufficient deterrents to prevent future abuses.” Furthermore: “More effective oversight systems need to be in place to protect patients. This includes stricter penalties for facilities found guilty of abuse or fraud. Jail time for executives and significantly larger financial penalties may be necessary to curb the misconduct prevalent in the for-profit behavioral healthcare industry.”[17]
Attorney Tommy James, who has filed numerous lawsuits against Sequel Youth and Family Services (now Vivant), also calls for stronger penalties, describing one Alabama facility as a “House of Horrors,” where a 17-year-old suffered physical abuse and neglect.[18] “No child should endure what this child and others have faced at this facility. The conditions and treatment are horrendous, and those responsible must be held accountable. It is heartbreaking and enraging to see children subjected to such inhumane treatment,” he said.[19]
Missouri attorney Kayla Ferrel Onder recently echoed CCHR’s concern when she implored: “We’ve seen enough headlines. We’ve read enough reports. The harm is real, and it’s documented. Now it’s time to stop treating it like an isolated problem and start treating it like the systemic failure it is.” She cited the disturbing and ongoing pattern of abuse at Acadia Healthcare behavioral facilities, focusing on Lakeland Behavioral Health in Springfield, where she recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of 28 plaintiffs alleging sexual abuse.[20]
Meanwhile, profit continues to drive the abuse. Private equity ownership of psychiatric hospitals rose from 8% in 2013 to 14% in 2021, according to JAMA Psychiatry, while federal oversight remains impotent.[21]
Fraud also runs rampant: In May 2025, North Carolina’s attorney general announced a $4.7 million Medicaid fraud settlement with a behavioral health company caught billing for over 30,000 hours of non-existent physician visits.[22]
Still, nothing to date has stopped the growth. Acadia Healthcare—a company that has faced millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements related to patient abuse and fraud—plans to add up to 1,000 new psychiatric beds annually.[23]
CCHR insists the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act’s mandated study must be accelerated. A three-year delay is a license to continue abuse. Governments must act now to:
- Immediately halt Medicaid and CMS funding to facilities with substantiated abuse.
- Freeze approval of any new psychiatric beds or facilities for youth.
- Enforce criminal penalties, including jail time, for executives and psychiatrists responsible.
- Prosecute institutional actors under civil rights and fraud statutes.
As Rep. Ro Khanna, who helped lead the Senate investigation into behavioral residential hospitals last year, stated: “The industry has gone unchecked for too long.” Sen. Tommy Tuberville added, “We need more sunlight… so we can put a stop to the waste, and the fraud, and abuse in the system.”[24]
Jan Eastgate, President of CCHR International, stated: “This is a criminal industry getting away with egregious assault and deaths of youths, aided by government complacency and bureaucratic delay. America is oblivious to this massive child abuse. That must end now. No more delays. No more children sacrificed to a system built for profit, not protection.
“The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act must be implemented with urgency, not bureaucracy. The investigation it mandates must be completed within six months—not three years—and it must lead to action, not more words. That includes clear federal penalties for systemic violations: no more ‘agreements to improve’ with proven abusers, no more Corporate Integrity Agreements that get violated without consequence. It is time to end the charade and impose binding, enforceable criminal and financial penalties. Lives depend on it.”
[1] https://www.cchrint.org/2024/12/27/paris-hilton-congress-praised-for-teen-behavioral-treatment-abuse-prevention-and-oversight/; S. 1351: Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/s1351/text/enr;
[2] S Atdjian, K A Huckshorn, “Toward the Cessation of Seclusion and Mechanical Restraint Use in Psychiatric Hospitals: A Call for Regulatory Action,” Psychiatric Services, Jan. 2024, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37461820/
[3] Alexander Stockton, “Can you punish a child’s mental health problems away?,” New York Times, 11 Oct. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/10/11/opinion/teen-mental-health-care.html
[4] New lawsuit against Trails Carolina alleges sexual assault in 2018, Spectrum News, 29 May 2025, https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triad/news/2025/05/29/new-lawsuit-against-trails-carolina-alleges-sexual-assault-in-2018
[5] Jeffery Collins, “Residential treatment school closes in North Carolina after deaths of 2 girls,” AP News, 3 June 2025, https://apnews.com/article/therapy-school-closes-north-carolina-asheville-academy-9854c3ca7cda11cc06f05d9fccef4112
[6] https://www.cchrint.org/2025/01/31/nc-health-official-urges-ban-on-wilderness-therapy-camps/; Nick Ochsner, “Top regulator calls for ban on wilderness camps in North Carolina 2 children died in 1 decade at North Carolina camp,” WBTV 3 News, 14 Jan 2025, https://www.wbtv.com/2025/01/14/top-regulator-calls-ban-wilderness-camps-north-carolina/
[7] Cynthia Dizikes, Joaquin Palomino, “California watchdog finds for-profit psychiatric hospital abused patients,” San Franciso Chronicle, 19 May 2025, https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/forprofit-psychiatric-hospital-restraints-20263627.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2ZjaHJvbmljbGUuY29tL2NhbGlmb3JuaWEvYXJ0aWNsZS9mb3Jwcm
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sharecount=MA%3D%3D
[8] “Suit alleges teen repeatedly abused by worker at former youth residential treatment center,” Santa Fe New Mexican, 29 May 2025, https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/suit-alleges-teen-repeatedly-abused-by-worker-at-former-youth-residential-treatment-center/article_be37888c-4bbe-41db-bd35-c76f3c8eb6c1.html
[9] Roland Richter, “Former coach charged with sex assault of a child,” Fox 44 News, 23 May 2025, https://www.fox44news.com/news/local-news/bell-county/former-coach-charged-with-sex-assault-of-a-child
[10] “Years of violations, but few consequences for Delaware psych hospital MeadowWood,” News from the States, 16 May 2025, https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/years-violations-few-consequences-delaware-psych-hospital-meadowwood
[11] “Youth in Vermont custody have been physically restrained hundreds of times in recent years,” VT Digger, 22 May 2025, https://vtdigger.org/2025/05/22/youth-in-vermont-custody-have-been-physically-restrained-hundreds-of-times-in-recent-years/
[12] https://legiscan.com/MD/text/SB400/id/3232730
[13] https://www.cchrint.org/2025/05/17/apa-faces-outrage-child-deaths-mental-health-failure/; https://simonlawpc.com/results/illinois-jury-awards-535m-sexual-assault-at-uhs-psychiatric-facility/; “Judge reduces verdict by $355M in UHS subsidiary’s negligence case,” Becker’s Behavioral Health, 14 Oct. 2024, https://www.beckersbehavioralhealth.com/behavioral-health-news/judge-reduces-verdict-by-355m-in-uhs-subsidiarys-negligence-case.html; Colleen Heild and Olivier Uytterbrouck, “Foster child sexual assault results in $485 million jury award,” Albuquerque Journal, 11 July 2023, https://www.abqjournal.com/news/foster-child-sexual-assault-results-in-485-million-jury-award/article_bfdf6e86-1f70-11ee-b4e3-c7c608def4fe.html
[14] https://www.cchrint.org/2024/10/04/cchr-demands-justice-for-victims-of-psychiatric-fraud-and-patient-sexual-abuse/; Chris Larson, “Senate Finance Committee Releases Excoriating Investigation of Abuse in At-Risk Youth Industry,” Behavioral Health Business, 12 June 2024, https://bhbusiness.com/2024/06/12/senate-finance-committee-releases-excoriating-investigation-of-abuse-in-at-risk-youth-industry/
[15] https://www.cchrint.org/2024/10/04/cchr-demands-justice-for-victims-of-psychiatric-fraud-and-patient-sexual-abuse/; “US SEC hits 7 public companies with penalties for violating whistleblower protections,” MSN, 9 Sept, 2024
[16] https://www.cchrint.org/2024/10/04/cchr-demands-justice-for-victims-of-psychiatric-fraud-and-patient-sexual-abuse/; Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Katie Thomas, “Acadia Hospitals Reach $20 Million Settlement With Justice Dept.” The New York Times, 26 Sept. 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/26/health/acadia-doj-settlement-fbi.html; “Acadia Healthcare Company Inc. to Pay $19.85M to Settle Allegations Relating to Medically Unnecessary Inpatient Behavioral Health Services,” Dept. of Justice, 26 Sept. 2024, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/acadia-healthcare
[17] https://kbaattorneys.com/acadia-abuse-behavioral-health-facilities/
[18] Erica Thomas, “Tuskegee youth facility dubbed ‘House of Horrors’ in latest lawsuit,” 1819 News, 27 Aug. 2024, https://1819news.com/news/item/tuskegee-youth-facility-dubbed-house-of-horrors-in-latest-lawsuit
[19] Erica Thomas, “Tuskegee youth facility dubbed ‘House of Horrors’ in latest lawsuit,” 1819 News, 27 Aug. 2024, https://1819news.com/news/item/tuskegee-youth-facility-dubbed-house-of-horrors-in-latest-lawsuit
[20] “Letter: The alarming pattern of abuse at Acadia Healthcare facilities,” Springfield Daily Citizen, 29 May 2025, https://sgfcitizen.org/voices-opinion/letters/letter-the-alarming-pattern-of-abuse-at-acadia-healthcare-facilities/
[21] Chris Larson, “Private Equity Firms Own 14% of Freestanding Psychiatric Facilities,” Behavior Health Business, 21 May 2025, https://bhbusiness.com/2025/05/21/private-equity-firms-own-14-of-freestanding-psychiatric-facilities/, citing Morgan C. Shields, PhD et al., “Private Equity Among US Psychiatric Hospitals,” JAMA Psychiatry, 21 May 2025, https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2833839?guestAccessKey=a99b079f-cd50-4eb3-b3e7-3dc6a25968ab&utm_source=for_the_media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links
&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=052125
[22] “Attorney General Jeff Jackson Reaches $4.7 Million Medicaid Fraud Settlement,” North Carolina Dept. of Justice, 13 May 2025, https://ncdoj.gov/attorney-general-jeff-jackson-reaches-4-7-million-medicaid-fraud-settlement/
[23] Ashleigh Hollowell, “Acadia Faces Legal Headwinds, But Core Metrics Remain on Track,” Behavioral Health Business, 13 May 2025, https://bhbusiness.com/2025/05/13/acadia-faces-legal-headwinds-but-core-metrics-remain-on-track/
[24] https://www.cchrint.org/2024/12/27/paris-hilton-congress-praised-for-teen-behavioral-treatment-abuse-prevention-and-oversight/ citing https://khanna.house.gov/media/press-releases/khanna-merkley-cornyn-tuberville-and-carter-joined-paris-hilton-celebrating
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