I just wanted the public to know that this is bigger than me.
This is all about the survivors and anyone who wants to share their truth, she tells me.
This was not the original plan for the documentary.
Courtesy of YouTube Originals / Clara Hendler
I still have nightmares ofmy time there; Hilton has similar nightmares.
And they know that it’s their shame and not ours, Hilton affirms.
Survivors of the troubled teen industry, including Hilton, all share a collective trauma.
Theres an understanding, a kinship, yet each persons experience and how wemetabolize it is unique.
So we simply absorb the shock, and the kinetic emotional energy has nowhere to go.
It does something to you, especially being a teenager where you don’t even have an identity yet.
In the aforementionedSeptember 17 statement, PCS noted it DOES NOT use solitary confinement as a form of intervention.
We therefore cannot comment on the operations or patient experience prior to that time.
However, it has not dissuaded Hilton from fighting.
This is what Robison says happened to her.
I was there 2003 to 2005 with a little break in the middle there, she says.
She was home for about eight months before getting sent back.
Those who do choose to speak out arent alone.
I want all of the other survivors to know that they’re not alone.
But reopening these wounds can also be difficult, even if its important.
When youre dealing with things like PTSD, its common to haverepressed memoriescome to light.
For some, its impossible.
As adults, they do suffer from trauma and so many are not okay.
Mellinger says these legislators are leading the pack, and hopes others follow suit soon.
These schools still exist all over the country, despite decades of complaints against them.
Its true that theres a lot of momentum right now, but it may be a long battle.
We want to ban restraints and seclusion, we want to focus on youth rights that are taken away.
We need to verify the employees are certified and educated on appropriate responses to various behaviors.
I’m just going to keep fighting for more and more and I will not stop, she tellsAllure.
The support of other survivors has fueled her for the fight.
Now, they finally are going to be, and that is the best feeling in the world.
I want this to be my legacy, she says.
