Paris Hilton’s Troubled Teen School Shut Down by the State of Utah
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I first met Quinetta when I started reaching out to women in prison. For years, I thought I knew why she killed a man. But the more I dug in, the more I realized that nothing was quite so simple.
I was just so scared that I was about to die. She did some things she shouldn't have did. She made a big mistake.
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From Sony Music Entertainment and Campsite Media, this is Infamous. I'm Natalie Robomed. So if you've been tapped into pop culture in recent years, you might have been aware that Paris Hilton, the reality star turned DJ, has been on a crusade against the troubled teen industry. That is, the multi-billion dollar sector that promises child reform. And against one school in particular, Provo Canyon, the place she was sent to as a teenager. Paris has been trying to get the Utah facility where she says she was abused shut down. And last week, she got her wish. The Utah government revoked Provo Canyon's license.
The order to close comes after years of lawsuits by families and mounting pressure from survivors who say they've been inspired by Paris.
I never felt prouder in my life. This has been the most meaningful work of my life.
According to the state, Provo Canyon School failed to protect children from harm, used cruel and unnecessary techniques, and imposed discipline intended to frighten or humiliate. The school has faced abuse allegations for decades, but it's come under particular scrutiny since Paris Hilton's 2020 documentary, This Is Paris, revealed detailed accounts of the mistreatment Paris says she suffered there. Here's a clip from the documentary, which you're going to be hearing bits of throughout this episode. You're sitting on a chair, staring at a wall all day long, getting yelled at or hit.
I felt like a lot of the people who work there got off on torturing children and seeing them naked.
And Paris wasn't the only one.
There's a bunch of police reports we were able to gather from 2011 to 2014. 56 calls of assault to Provo Canyon School and 25 calls to the police in regards to sexual offenses.
Since the documentary, Paris has become an outspoken advocate for reforming the troubled teen industry. She testified before lawmakers in 2021 about the abuse she says she endured at Provo Canyon School and has since championed a bill to increase oversight at these facilities. It's a startling turn for a woman who, when she first entered the public consciousness, was known as a caricature of a dumb blonde.
There's a new breed of celebrity, famous for being famous. She is the great-granddaughter of the hotel magnate Conrad Hilton, the model and the gossip column favorite. Hilton mania climaxed this week. More than 13 million people watched her show, The Simple Life. That's hot.
That's hot.
Next week, we're going to dive deeper into Paris, the person she was and who she is now, as well as hear from someone who actually went to one of the facilities Paris was at before she was sent to Provo. But for now, we wanted to get into the troubled teen industry, its roots in the California cult Synanon, what actually happens at these wilderness camps and residential treatment facilities, and what drives parents to send their children to these schools in the first place. And fair warning, this is a pretty heavy episode, and we know last week's was too. But we wanted to give you this news about Provo Canyon School and the closure, and explore the whole troubled teen industry, which is enormously important to understand.
This week, we're talking to Maya Salovitz, an acclaimed reporter and New York Times bestselling author. She wrote the first in-depth book investigating this industry, called Help at Any Cost, How the Troubled Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids. So Maya, you've been covering this industry for a long time. What did you think when you first heard Paris Hilton speaking out about her experience?
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–4:51
2
How did Paris Hilton’s allegations lead to Provo Canyon School’s license being revoked?
4:51–11:57
3
What evidence and survivor reports describe the abuses at Provo Canyon School?
11:57–21:50
4
How does Maia Szalavitz trace the troubled-teen industry back to Synanon and cult roots?
21:50–32:50
5
What techniques and practices define behavior-modification programs and boot camps?
32:50–33:51