Ayesha Roscoe

It sounds almost too good to be true.

There have to be some people who have some criticism of it.

It has to be meaningful employment that allows a person to make a living.

We do know what works and what works tends to be treating people kindly with dignity and respect, using medications where appropriate, and having them have access to education, meaningful employment, and community.

Institutions with unchecked power almost always come to no good.

And the way the therapeutic community has been set up has been with unchecked power.

It was absolutely impossible to leave the community.

I mean, there were plenty of people trying to run away.

But the other members of the community used to run after them.

More on that when we come back.

We're back with The Sunday Story and journalist Deborah Becker talking about the drug treatment community San Pantrignano.

So what is this story of how San Pantrignano nearly fell apart?

So this is the program that RFK Jr.

has said should serve as a model for treatment in the U.S.

Do we have anything remotely like this in the U.S.

right now?

Okay, so RFK Jr.

says San Panciniano is a model to bring to the U.S., but what kinds of barriers exist to making that happen?

Well, Deb, thank you so much for bringing us this story.

I mean, this is really interesting.