Jump to content

Turn-About Ranch

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Turn-About Ranch
Location
Map
280 N 300 E

Escalante
,
Garfield
,
Utah
84726

United States

37°46′28.08″N 111°35′38.42″W / 37.7744667°N 111.5940056°W / 37.7744667; -111.5940056
Information
Established1989
NCES School ID
A0702319[1]

Turn-About Ranch is a residential treatment program and working cattle ranch in Escalante, Utah, United States, that enrolls adolescents. The program has been the subject of news coverage, lawsuits and multiple allegations by former participants and families.[2]

History

[edit]

Turn-About Ranch was established in 1989 in Escalante, Utah.[3] The program is marketed as a residential treatment program that combines therapy, academic schooling, and ranch work. The facility has appeared in television coverage and public discussions of U.S. "troubled teen" programs.[4]

In December 2016 a staff member, James "Jimmy" Woolsey, died whilst trying to stop an escape attempt at Turn-About Ranch; a 17-year-old resident was arrested in connection with the incident and later faced criminal charges. The event was widely reported in national and local media, Garfield County Sheriff James Perkins stated to the media Participants of the program have tried to run away before.[5][6]

Program

[edit]

According to the program's website and promotional materials, Turn-About Ranch offers a residential environment with structured chores, counseling, and accredited schooling for adolescents. The program describes its combination of therapeutic services and a working ranch environment as aimed at behavioral and academic improvement.[2]

[edit]

Turn-About Ranch has been the subject of allegations and litigation over the years. Former participants and some news reports have alleged that the program subjected adolescents to torture, including hours of stress positions, threats of violence, sexual assaults, exposure to animal abuse, public humiliation, sleep and food deprivation, forced labor, forcefeeding and verbal abuse. Some of these allegations were raised in lawsuits filed against the facility or its operators.[7] Other reporting and advocacy groups have documented survivor accounts and complaints about treatment practices.[8]

In 2021, former resident Hannah Archuleta sued Turn-About Ranch for an alleged sexual assault by a staff member that occurred in 2019.[9] She alleged that after reporting the incident, she was punished with forced labor in below-freezing temperatures and being made to sleep on a wooden plank with no pillow, sit at a desk facing the wall for hours, and walk in circles around a horse corral. However, her lawsuit was dismissed based on procedural issues.[10] She then sued Dr. Phil for allegedly pressuring her parents into sending her to the clinic without informing them about incidents that occurred on the ranch, including the death of Jimmy Woolsey.[11] Her case against Dr. Phil was dismissed in 2022 due to California's Anti-SLAPP laws.[12] Phil McGraw and CBS then proceeded to file a motion for $359,901 in Attorney fees and $42,065 in costs.[13]

In 2021, Danielle "Bhad Bhabie" Bregoli uploaded a video to YouTube that recounted her experiences at Turn-About Ranch in 2016.[14] She alleged that she was handcuffed by two "transporters" in the middle of the night and taken to the ranch. She also alleged that she was forced to sit in a tipi for three days upon arrival, being forbidden from sleeping, showering, or lying down. She claimed that residents were deprived of beds, warmth, and good food, that she witnessed other residents get restrained by staff, and that letters were intercepted. She criticized Dr. Phil for sending her to the ranch.

Media coverage

[edit]

Turn-About Ranch has been covered in international and national media, including Channel 4's programing on "Brat Camp"-style facilities and subsequent press coverage in newspapers and news outlets discussing the troubled-teen industry and specific incidents at the ranch.[4]

The 2005 TV Show Brat Camp (Season 2) showing Turn-About Ranch, also showcases many of the allegations, from forcing teens to sleep on wooden bed boards with no mattress or pillow, to being forced to sit in a rock-circle for days on end.[15]

Turn-About Ranch has also featured on the Dr. Phil show many times over years, with the host Phil McGraw recommending several guests attend their program.

Reception and responses

[edit]

Family members, advocacy groups and some former program participants have criticized Turn-About Ranch and similar facilities in the "troubled teen" industry, citing alleged mistreatment and calling for greater oversight and reform. The program and its operators have, in turn, emphasized their therapeutic mission and point to accreditation and program descriptions on their official materials.[2]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Turn About Ranch". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Turn-About Ranch". Turn-About Ranch | Real Help for Troubled Teens. Turn-About Ranch. Archived from the original on August 26, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Watching HBO's 'Teen Torture, Inc.'? Here are the Utah ..." The Salt Lake Tribune. July 16, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Turning British brats into Utah saints". The Guardian. February 15, 2005. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Archived from the original on September 17, 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  5. ↑ Mettler, Katie (December 8, 2016). "Tragedy at Turn-About Ranch: A teen came for rehab, then killed a staffer to escape, police say". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 2269358. Archived from the original on August 24, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Youth rehab worker killed by teen attempting to run away, sheriff says". CBS News. December 7, 2016. Archived from the original on December 5, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  7. ↑ Bonner, Jonny (June 27, 2012). "Torture Alleged at Utah Treatment Center". Courthouse News. Archived from the original on August 22, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025. During her stay Elizabeth was subjected to sleep deprivation, denied food, and yet forced to eat and prepare meat, which was abhorrent to her as a vegetarian. The ranch threatened her with restraint and force-feeding with a tube if she did not comply. The ranch forced physical labor and excessive exercise in extreme temperatures.
  8. ↑ "Turn-About Ranch". Breaking Codes Silence. March 13, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  9. ↑ Miller Schreifels, Jessica (February 26, 2021). "Woman says she was punished at Turn-About Ranch after reporting a sexual assault". The Salt Lake Tribune. ISSN 0746-3502. LCCN sn83021452. OCLC 10170203. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  10. ↑ Knox, Annie (June 16, 2021). "Woman suing Utah ranch for troubled teens hits legal roadblock in court". Retrieved November 24, 2025. Rooney argued that part of Archuleta's alleged punishment was "additional reflection time" that included forced walks and labor at the ranch, tying into the therapeutic activities at the ranch.
  11. ↑ Siemaszko, Corky; Dasrath, Diana (October 21, 2021). "Dr. Phil pressured parents to send teen to clinic where she was groped, lawsuit says". Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  12. ↑ James, Meg (October 18, 2022). "Dr. Phil, CBS seek attorney fees from 20-year-old who alleged assault at Utah ranch". Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  13. ↑ James, Meg (October 18, 2022). "Dr. Phil, CBS seek attorney fees from 20-year-old who alleged assault at Utah ranch". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 25, 2025. In a motion filed Monday, CBS' and McGraw's legal team said they are entitled to $359,901 in attorneys fees and $42,065 in costs.
  14. ↑ "BHAD BHABIE - Breaking Code Silence - Turn About Ranch abuse Dr. Phil on YouTube
  15. ↑ Unfiltered (December 22, 2025). Seven Out-of-Control UK Teens Face Cowboy Justice in Utah! | Season 2 Episode 1 | Brat Camp. Retrieved June 4, 2026 – via YouTube.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Turn-About_Ranch&oldid=1376002891"