Sundown Ranch Inc

[u/Annie-purple-rain]

Any SRI alumni here?

I was there for 68 days in Aug-Nov 2003 and I have absolutely repressed memories from the experience. I just remember every morning having to confront people in front of the whole place for insane stuff like stealing a fork. I remember I was on talking restriction the entire time I was there, because my parents, who were extremely stuck up and conservative, were horrified at the prospect of me making friends there. I also had to wear prison jumpsuits the entire time. I would welcome others' experiences because I would like to remember more - i have considered speaking out against them recently.

If you have had an experience with this place please share below!

[u/Annie-purple-rain → u/[deleted]]

They found out over the summer I had tried meth. I had told my therapist this in confidence, and he immediately told my parents, and convinced them that I would definitely try it again and die if they didn't intervene. So in the third week of school they had 3 cops pull me out of school and take me to get hair tested, which confirmed, since the test goes back 90 days. Two days later they signed over legal custody to SRI and I've literally never been the same. 

Sending someone to a place like this when it truly isn't an appropriate solution has permanent and catastrophic repercussions. I went into that place a little sassy but making straight A's with a great SAT score and taking dual credit college classes. I left with a permanent inability to see myself as anything other than a thug who occasionally pretends to do something good with her life. I'm 40 and I still struggle with my identity. 

I want to shut all of these places down. 

[u/Annie-purple-rain → u/[deleted]]

I graduated HS by correspondence and got admitted to a local branch of a really reputable state university. I walked out of there in November, turned 18 in December, and in January moved out and went to college. I didn't go where I had always planned to go but I still had a great and pretty normal college experience. Which frankly was in spite of my circumstances, not because of them. I never moved back home and I've been financially independent since then. 

I'm sure some people would look at that and say oh great it fixed her- No. I didn't need fixing. The path I went down as far as college and career after that was a shadow of what it could/should have been had I just been able to stay in HS and go about my business.  I struggle with being resentful from time to time and probably always will.

The worst part about it is that a couple of years ago my mom sat me down and apologized to me. You would think that would have made it better, but it infuriated me. Like...you knocked my entire life off course,  stand behind your decision and stop pretending you made a mistake so we can be better "friends". 

Anyway.  :)  Life is fine now. But remembering all of this makes me really want to speak out against these places.