March
CRUEL INSTRUCTION ORIGINAL FILM!
Camryn Manheim (The Practice, Law & Order) credits Paris Hilton for starting the conversation about the abuses occurring at teen residential treatment programs. You know, those programs that hype tough love by sending kids off to a wilderness-like camp to get rehabilitated. Hilton’s This Is Paris documentary exposed what happened to her as a teen and her resulting ongoing PTSD. Lifetime continues the conversation with Cruel Instruction, a drama inspired by a true story, which tells the harrowing efforts of two young women (played by Kelcey Mawema and Morgan Taylor Campbell) who were mentally and physically abused at a Utah-based teen treatment program. Manheim plays headmistress Miss Connie (who reminds us a bit of Aunt Lydia from The Handmaid’s Tale), who uses draconian methods like force-feeding medications, solitary confinement, and verbal and physical abuse to keep students in line. “I don’t think most of us have the history of what’s going on. It was pretty shocking to me,” Manheim says about researching for the role. “It hit me really hard. … It’s like institutionalized child abuse. When you look more into it and really see the overwhelming evidence and testimonies, you really are heartbroken for not just the kids but for the families [who believed these institutions were safe].” While clearly not every teen institution is corrupt, what Manheim found extremely shocking was that these facilities are not regulated by the government. “It’s mind-boggling that this is going on without being regulated,” Manheim adds. “[Viewers] cannot imagine the atrocities that are happening in these schools that are posing as treatment centers for our youth. I want to make it really clear that this is not every school, but this is many schools. And as a community of really concerned parents, we have been duped and told many lies about what these schools are accomplishing. “It’s a great thing that we have finally arrived at a place in our history where our young people’s experiences and thoughts and recollections matter, because now real change can happen.” – Barb Oates Premieres on Lifetime Saturday, March 12
Morgan Taylor Campbell, Camryn Manheim and Kelcey Mawema
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