Provo Canyon School

Provo Canyon School
Location
*Boy's campus: 4501 North University Ave, Provo, Utah 84604
  • Girl's campus: 763 North 1650 West, Springville, Utah 84663-5066

North central Utah

Utah

United States
Information
Funding typePrivate
Religious affiliationNonsectarian
Founded1971[1]
FoundersRobert H. Crist, M.D. and Jack Williams
StatusOpen
Category[residential treatment center]
CEEB code450320
NCES School IDA0503514 [2]
AdministratorDave Campbell (girls campus)
Grades3 to 12
GenderMales and females
Age8[3] to 17
Enrollment
  • ~97 (boys campus)[4][5]
  • ~98 (girls campus)[6]
Capacity225 (combined)
Student to teacher ratio
  • ~8:1 (boys campus)[4][5]
  • ~6:1 (girls campus)[6]
LanguageEnglish
Schedule typeDaily bell class rotation
ScheduleMonday to Friday
Hours in school day5.5
Campuses2
Campus typeRural
AccreditationsThe Joint Commission, The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and Cognia:
Alumni
WebsiteOfficial website

Provo Canyon School (PCS) is a private, for-profit residential treatment center for children and adolescents located in Provo and Springville, Utah. Since its founding in 1971, the facility has been the subject of extensive allegations, investigations, and litigation related to the treatment of residents, including claims of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, which have been reported by former students, journalists, and advocacy organizations.

History

In 1978, three students attempted to escape from the school, stealing a car and prompting a high-speed police chase.[7] That same year, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Juvenile Justice Advocacy Project filed a lawsuit alleging that students were subjected to cruel and unusual punishment and denied constitutional rights, including claims of mail censorship and the use of polygraph tests and solitary confinement.[8]

In April 1979, D. Eugene Thorne became the executive director of Provo Canyon School.[9]

In 1986, Provo Canyon School was bought by a company called Charter Behavioral Health Systems.[10] The company filed for bankruptcy in 2000, after which PCS was sold to Universal Health Services.[11]

In October 2020, a silent protest was held outside the school, attended by former students, including Paris Hilton.[12]

Between February and April 2023, several incidents at the school prompted police involvement. In February, authorities investigated a report that methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia had been found on campus, though the case was closed due to lack of evidence.[13] In March, a fight involving students resulted in injuries to three individuals, including staff member Dennis Torrens, who was seriously assaulted and later died; police opened an investigation to determine whether the assault contributed to his death.[13] In April, a sexual assault was reported to police following a referral from the Division of Child and Family Services.[13] Later that month, a riot in the school’s living quarters led to injuries to a staff member and the temporary detention of eight students, who were released back into the school’s care the following day.[13]

Education

PCS claims to offer year-round academics to all of its residents, as well as a variety of other educational programs to its students including career counseling, competitive sports, and special education. PCS is fully accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission.

Abuse

Since its inception, the school has been subject to a large number of individual and class-action lawsuits, particularly throughout the 1980s and 1990s. These lawsuits ranged from verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, medical negligence, to violating students' First Amendment rights and invasion of privacy, to false imprisonment and battery, to intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy, and loss of parental consortium.[14]

In September 2020, media personality and socialite Paris Hilton premiered her YouTube Originals documentary This Is Paris, in which she attributes her chronic insomnia to PTSD developed as a result of being sent to four different "troubled teen" industry programs: CEDU School in Running Springs, California, Ascent Wilderness Program in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, Cascade School in Whitmore, California, and Provo Canyon School. After escaping from the first three, she spent 11 months at PCS in the late 1990s. Hilton reported that she and other students were physically and psychologically abused.[15][16] Hilton alleged that she and other students were administered unknown medication without informed consent, subjected to physical restraint, and forcibly transported to the facility by a teen escort company, a practice commonly used within the troubled teen industry. She further stated that upon arrival she was subjected to a strip search and placed in a seclusion room for nearly twenty-four hours. Hilton later described Provo Canyon School as “the worst of the worst” among the youth residential programs she attended.[17][18][19]

In October 2020, tattoo artist and television personality Kat Von D alleged her parents sent her to the school for a three-week program, but was ultimately held there for six months. She claimed to witness students being force-fed medications, sedated, and isolated. Von D said that she left with "major PTSD and other traumas due to the unregulated, unethical and abusive protocols of this 'school'" and wrote that she could not "call them schools because they're not schools they're fucking lockdown facilities". Von D said that she was "spared of the sexual abuse and the physical abuse" but "definitely saw" it happen.[20]

On October 9, 2020, Hilton and a group of friends who attended PCS with her led a silent protest with hundreds of other protesters through the streets and neighborhoods of Provo, Utah to bring awareness about the facility.[21]

Notable staff

Robert Lichfield - Founder of World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools.[22]

D. Eugene Thorne - As head of Brigham Young University's psychology department, conducted electro-shock and vomiting aversion therapy experiments on gay and lesbian students.[23] He was also a psychologist and attorney for the Challenger Foundation.[24]

Robert Crist - One of the founders of Provo Canyon School. Crist later went on to open Logan River Academy in Logan, Utah in 2000 after PCS was acquired by Universal Health Services.[25][26][27]

References

  1. ^ Caring for kids with special needs: Residential treatment programs for children and adolescents. Princeton, NJ: Peterson's. 1993. p. 446. ISBN 9781560791683.
  2. ^ "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Provo Canyon School". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  3. ^ Miller, Jessica (September 20, 2020). "Provo Canyon School's history of abuse accusations spans decades, far beyond Paris Hilton". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2024. Kayla Smith was 8 years old when her parents, in coordination with her California school district, sent her to Utah in 2010.
  4. ^ a b "Provo Canyon School-provo Campus Profile (2021–22) | Provo, UT". Private School Review. December 24, 2023. Archived from the original on September 15, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Explore Provo Canyon School – Provo Campus". Niche. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Explore Provo Canyon School – Orem Campus". Niche. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  7. ^ "3 Juveniles Apprehended After High Speed Chase". Daily Herald (Utah). September 26, 1978. ISSN 0891-2777. OCLC 52526615.
  8. ^ "Provo Canyon School 10/6/1981". The Los Angeles Times. October 6, 1981. p. 2. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  9. ^ "Dr Eugene Thorne joins Provo Canyon School as ED and co-owner". The Daily Herald. April 5, 1979. p. 42. ISSN 0891-2777. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  10. ^ "Provo Canyon School's history of abuse accusations spans decades, far beyond Paris Hilton". The Salt Lake Tribune. ISSN 0746-3502. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Story, Louise (August 17, 2005). "A Business Built on the Troubles of Teenagers". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  12. ^ Press, Brady Mccombs And Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated (October 10, 2020). "Paris Hilton protest calls for closure of Utah school". KSAT. Retrieved January 30, 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ a b c d Harkins, Paighten (May 16, 2024). "Provo Canyon School staffer died after campus assault — one of several recent police calls to Springville facility, records show". The Salt Lake Tribune. ISSN 0746-3502. Archived from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  14. ^ "The Cases Against Provo Canyon School". HEAL Online. Archived from the original on August 13, 2006. Retrieved January 6, 2007.
  15. ^ Yasharoff, Hannah. "After alleging abuse at her old school, Paris Hilton isn't backing down". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  16. ^ Nolan, Emma (January 19, 2022). "Paris Hilton Reveals 'Living Nightmare' of Provo Canyon School in Podcast". Newsweek. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  17. ^ Leasca, Stacey (August 22, 2020). "Paris Hilton Breaks Silence Over Abuse She Claims She Experienced at Boarding School". Yahoo Life. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  18. ^ Kaufman, Amy (September 25, 2020). "Surviving abuse bonded Paris Hilton and these four women for life". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 2165-1736. OCLC 3638237. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  19. ^ Dunphey, Kyle (May 12, 2022). "After championing teen treatment reform in Utah, Paris Hilton meets with Congress to push for national oversight". Deseret News. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  20. ^ Ushe, Naledi (October 6, 2020). "Kat Von D says she went to same 'tortuous' boarding school as Paris Hilton, suffered 'major PTSD'". Fox News. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  21. ^ Corinthios, Aurelie (October 9, 2020). "Paris Hilton Planning Peaceful Protest of Utah School with Survivors of Alleged Abuse". People. Archived from the original on October 10, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  22. ^ "Key to His School's Success? Its God, Founder Says". The Los Angeles Times. July 13, 2003. p. 21. ISSN 0458-3035. OCLC 3638237. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  23. ^ "Nothing to Hide? What it means to be gay at BYU". Salt Lake City Weekly. July 7, 2001. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  24. ^ "DEFENDANT IN CHALLENGER CASE LOSES A FEDERAL SUIT". Deseret News. February 12, 1990. Archived from the original on July 10, 2025. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  25. ^ "Part 2: Provo Canyon School's history of abuse accusations spans decades, far beyond Paris Hilton | USC Center for Health Journalism". centerforhealthjournalism.org. Retrieved July 21, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  26. ^ "How Utah became the nation's top place to send troubled teens". KUER. April 5, 2022. Archived from the original on January 22, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  27. ^ Miller Schreifels, Jessica. "Provo Canyon School's history of abuse accusations spans decades, far beyond Paris Hilton". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on July 22, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2025.

40°10′40″N 111°38′21″W / 40.17778°N 111.63917°W / 40.17778; -111.63917

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