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February 11, 2005
New Attorney General sees
federal role in oversight of teen boot camps
Salt Lake Tribune
Robert Gehrke
 WASHINGTON
- President Bush's new attorney general says the Justice Department may
take a more active role in oversight of boot camp programs for troubled
teens.
The comments by Alberto Gonzales
(left) came in response to a question submitted by Rep. George Miller, D-Calif.,
the ranking Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee.
Miller has been pressing the Justice Department unsuccessfully to
investigate allegations of abuse at World Wide Association of Specialty
Programs (WWASP), a Utah-based chain of programs for at-risk teens.
“Mr. Gonzales' comments suggest he
will be more sensitive to this serious situation than the Justice
Department has been to this point,” Miller said in a statement. “I will be
watching carefully to ensure that he fulfills the commitments he has made
in response to these questions.”
In his written responses to questions
during his confirmation process, Gonzales said the Justice Department
would work to engage states and directors of private facilities to ensure
children are protected.
If cases
of inappropriate or abusive practices cannot be resolved, they may be
referred to the Civil Rights or Criminal divisions at the department for
action, Gonzales said.
Previously, former Attorney General
John Ashcroft had responded to Miller's inquiries by stating that the
department lacked the authority to investigate abuse allegations at
private facilities.
Ken Kay, president of WWASP, said he
has invited Miller's staff to visit the WWASP schools and would welcome
the attorney general if he wanted to visit, but “unnecessary
government intrusion is never the
answer.”
“I, and all our affiliates, maintain
that our No. 1 concern is always for the safety of our students and
children in general,” Kay said. “I would be more than willing to be part
of any fact finding committee with members of the [attorney general's]
staff.”
There are seven schools in the WWASP
network, including three in Utah.
One of WWASP's facilities, Majestic
Ranch in northern Utah, was investigated by state officials three times
last year, resulting in one conviction.
Others have been shut down, including
Casa By The Sea, which was closed by Mexican authorities last September.
Last week, a committee in the Utah
Legislature approved a bill sponsored by Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West
Jordan, that would toughen state regulation of the schools.
WWASP founder Robert Lichfield, his
family and business partners have given more than $1 million to
politicians in the last two election cycles, including hundreds of
thousands to Utah officeholders and candidates.
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