American Illustration 45 Winners

From ‘Troubled Teens’ To Traumatized Adults

Shoveling gravel in the Arizona heat. October 2025. The troubled-teen industry is a for-profit, multibillion-dollar network of facilities across the country that claim to treat behavioral issues in teens. The all-girls school in the Arizona desert promised parents therapy for their kids. The former students, now adults, tell a different story of mental, emotional, and physical abuse. The founder, who is not a licensed therapist, has been accused of using “cult-like” practices, and told HuffPost the women are making it up. HuffPost obtained dozens of police reports that show instances of teens running away or attempting suicide over the years. Although Spring Ridge closed in 2023, it’s an example of the spiderweb network of abusive facilities that continue to operate today and that rarely – if ever – face accountability. Spring Ride Academy was one such facility.

From ‘Troubled Teens’ To Traumatized Adults

Fleeing at dusk. October 2025. The troubled-teen industry is a for-profit, multibillion-dollar network of facilities across the country that claim to treat behavioral issues in teens. Countless stories of abuse have come out and in several cases kids have died in the care of unlicensed workers operating under little to no government oversight. Spring Ride Academy was one such facility. The all-girls school in the Arizona desert promised parents therapy for their kids. The former students, now adults, tell a different story of mental, emotional, and physical abuse. The founder, who is not a licensed therapist, has been accused of using “cult-like” practices, and told HuffPost the women are making it up. HuffPost obtained dozens of police reports that show instances of teens running away or attempting suicide over the years. Although Spring Ridge closed in 2023, it’s an example of the spiderweb network of abusive facilities that continue to operate today and that rarely – if ever – face accountability.