While legislation may not “cure” the problems that occur in residential treatment, at the very least, legislation WILL bring attention to the problems at hand. Parents, Judges, and others who work with children will be aware of the inherent risks of putting a child in residential treatment. Also, if someone decides to put a child in a program regardless of the risks and something does happen to the child, the parents and/or child may have some course of action to take against the guilty parties.
While I don’t think legislation is a “cure,” I do believe it is a step in the right direction, in the campaign to bring information to the general public about the dangers involved in these adolescent programs.
The “Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008.”
