Fashioning the Body: Versions of the Citizen, the Self, and the Subject

Ronald Reagan started a franchise of drug rehabilitation centers called "The Seed" in  the 1970s.  It employed various brainwashing tactics during as well as solitary confinement in an attempt to rehabilitate drug addicts.  The seed was shut down after many law suits involving sexual and psycological abuse claims were filled against it. Shortly after, a new set of drug rehabilitation centers were opened called "Straight Incorporated" which employed a simnilar set of abusive methods.  Here is a link to a web site built by the victims of this corporation, which was also shut down due to law suits against it. 

http://www.thestraights.com/index.htm

 A friend of mine was housed in a similar facility, although she has never used drugs.  Somehow her parents were convinced to send her to this place to keep her from going down the wrong path.  She said that the women there were not allowed direct contact wit their families other than letters, and letters were carefully monitored.  they were only allowed to eat a certain amount of food each day.  Their schedules were heavily regimented and they were not allowed to leave.  They were allowed  half an hour to an hour outside each day, and were not allowed to look outside of the fence for more than 3 seconds.  She was sent there at the age of 14, and stayed there until she was 17.  Sometimes when people ask her age, she tells them 14, because that's how she feels.  We've known each other since we were 12, and she is the same height as she was when we were 14.  Not only did this facility stunt her emotional and psychological growth, it stunted her physical growth.  She used to refer to this place as rehab, but i knew that she had never used drugs, apparently her parents sent her there because she was too rebellious, they wanted her to go somewhere that would fashion her into a model citizen.  Well, it didn't work out too well.