APM Reports



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How 'inappropriate boundaries' for staff can lead to sexual abuse at Utah teen treatment centers

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When Meagan Crider began exchanging notes with a staffer at the Utah teen treatment center where she was staying in the early 2000s, the extra attention felt exciting.



Crider was 16 years old. The staff member was an adult several years older. “I remember we would write letters back and forth,” she said. “That’s how we would communicate. And I bet there was two boxes full of letters.”



They kept their notes a secret. But at one point — she can’t remember exactly when — Crider said the tone of the letters changed. “The letters were starting to get more and more crossing the line,” Crider said. “She knew she could get in trouble for this. That’s why we had to be so secretive.”



Inappropriate contact between children and staff members has happened with some frequency in Utah’s teen treatment programs. Between November 2018 and July 2021, state regulators investigated at least 20 reports of staff pushing the boundaries with children, sometimes amounting to sexual abuse. State records show that 13 people resigned or were fired from youth treatment facilities after allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior during that time, according to a data analysis from Sent Away journalists.



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