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JRC graduate is thankful for group home experiences By Christina Wallace Krista Cormier began her second semester in college last month. She’s studying to be a juvenile probation officer at Massasoit Community College. It is a path she chose because she can bring a unique perspective to the job. It was not too long ago that Krista was considered a troubled teen. She was on the brink of suicide and in and out of mental hospitals. But her life was saved and she attributes that to the two years she spent at the Judge Rotenberg Center. "If I didn’t go there I don’t know where I’d be right now," said Krista, now 20 years-old. The Canton-based behavioral school treats both mentally retarded people and juveniles with behavioral problems, such as Krista. It has been under fire for years for administering shock treatment to its mentally retarded patients and for accepting juveniles with criminal pasts, aggressive behavior and inappropriate sexual behavior. The school has group homes throughout Canton and several surrounding towns. Six months after graduating with honors from the JRC, Krista and her mother Deb talked about a school far different than how critics have described it. "We’ve been to most every psychiatric hospital there is. The JRC was the only one who left the kids with any hope or safety," said Deb Cormier. Krista’s bouts with depression began at a young age caused by her learning disabilities. In elementary school she started refusing to go to school and was put on medications from her doctor to control her anxiety. She was first hospitalized when she was 12. From the age of 12 until 17 she was in and out of more than a dozen mental hospitals and juvenile group homes. At one institution she said a staff member tried to suffocate her with a pillow and at another group home she was thrown to the floor and dragged by a staff member. All the while she grew more reclusive and abusive to the people around her. She lashed out at her mother violently and once tried to commit suicide by slitting her wrists. "I was out of hand, I was out of control," said Krista. But the worse her condition grew the worse the treatment became at the mental institutions. Doctors put her on a myriad of drugs. She gained 50 lbs. in a matter of weeks due to the side affects of one the drugs, she said. The homes were filled with other juveniles, that abused her, defecated on floors and screamed obscenities. "She just became more frustrated. No one was catching what was wrong with her. She fell through the cracks," said Deb. She recalls times being wrapped in a safety coat, her arms secured with canvas straps, her body zipped up unable to move and her face placed down on the bed. Her mother believes the experiences in these "hell holes," only worsened her condition. "I had post traumatic stress disorder after it all," said Krista. But her mother couldn’t care for Krista herself. She was too violent and unpredictable. She would run away from home and physically abuse her. "There was a time you could look in her eyes and see nothing," said Deb. Finally, afraid of loosing her daughter forever, she decided to investigate the Judge Rotenberg Center because of its practice of accepting the most difficult to treat individuals. "We walked in and it was a really nice environment with warm pleasant people," said Deb. Krista said she felt safe in the JRC because there were cameras in every room that not only left the students accountable for their actions, but also the staff members. And for the first time she felt responsible for her own behavior. The JRC bases their therapy on rewards and punishments. Every student has a chart that maps their points for good behavior. Points are extracted for bad behavior. Once they accrue a certain number of points they are rewarded with outings, less restrictions and trips. Through this therapy Krista learned she controlled her own life. "There were incentives to be good. You had to be respectful or loose your rewards for being disrespectful," said Krista. Immediately she was taken off all medications, which is a strict JRC policy. "It was the first time in years I could think clearly," she said. She lived in one of the JRC’s group residences, which are set up like regular homes not institutions. They have televisions, Nintendo and plush bedrooms. During the 2 ½ years at JRC, Krista picked up the pieces of her life. She learned how to cook for herself, clean her clothes and do chores. "There was a normalcy to her life. She was living in a home and she felt safe," said Deb, who said that her daughter’s self esteem grew dramatically. During her stay at the JRC she learned to finally trust herself, she said. "I learned to be independent there and how to take things upon myself." She graduated from the JRC last spring and delivered a speech to an audience of over 100 people. "I have no second thoughts about it," said Deb. Now Krista is back living at home, taking classes and going to the movies with her friends. Deb choking back tears, said she believes her daughter wouldn’t have survived if she did not find the JRC. "They gave me my daughter back. She’s just starting her life." |
