TAMPA, Fla. — Last month, the I-Team reported that the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice ended a five-year, $31.5 million contract with TrueCore Behavioral Solutions after a 17-year-old girl was found dead at Lake Academy in Tampa.
We are now digging into the company’s record and hearing from others who say the state should end all contracts to operate residential juvenile detention programs with TrueCore.
A video obtained by the I-Team shows how Lake Academy was left after the students, teachers, and staff moved out last month.
Mattresses covering the classroom floor weren’t supposed to be there.
The girls were supposed to be locked inside cinderblock cells with metal toilets and no sheets.
“I ended up with a concussion”
Former teachers we talked to said TrueCore employees often didn’t follow DJJ’s rules.
“There was a ratio requirement by the Department of Juvenile Justice of one adult to every five students,” said Barb Wishart-Harley, who taught at Lake Academy for a year.
She is an employee of Hillsborough County Public Schools, which had a contract to provide teachers at TrueCore facilities.
From July 1, children at DJJ’s long-term residential sites will be enrolled in Florida Virtual School.
“I had one TrueCore staff who verbally berated me and cursed me out in front of students not once, not twice, but three times,” Wishart-Harley said.
She said she quit after she was assaulted for the second time by a student, as TrueCore employees assigned to protect her looked on.
“Sucker-punched me right in the temple, and I ended up with a concussion and went down to the floor, and definitely immediately my vision went blurry. And off I went to the emergency room,” Wishart-Harley said. “I don’t remember specifically on that day if staff was coloring or doing crosswords.”
Last month, we interviewed two other former Lake Academy teachers who said they were assaulted by students.
A woman who doesn’t want to be identified was stabbed with her own car keys.
“It was just a complete downhill spiral the entire time,” she said.
Heather Cleveland said a student snuck up on her.
“I had my back to her. Never saw it coming. She jumped on me from behind,” Cleveland said.
Both said unprofessional TrueCore staff put teachers and students at risk.
In late May, a 15-year-old girl was found dead at the facility.
“I hope we find out what happened, why it happened and how on earth it happened in a facility where every door is locked, there’s windows, there’s cameras. Yet a youth died,” Whishart-Harley said.
“What happened at Lake Academy should never have happened”
Lydia Perkins and Timothy Huff say they worry the same thing could happen to their special needs son.
He wound up at a TrueCore facility after stealing a soft drink from a cooler in the back of a neighbor’s truck and then cutting off his ankle monitor while he was on probation.
“That's why I'm sitting here with you today. Because what happened at Lake Academy should never have happened. There's no reason for a child to die in these programs,” Perkins said.
The couple said their son was bullied and injured by kids more than twice his size at Polk Halfway House, operated by TrueCore.
“He had been restrained more than 20 times in that time frame. His body was pretty much covered in bruises. He wasn't being medicated properly,” Huff said.
A video obtained by the parents showed their 4-foot-7 son being restrained by a guard after asking to go to the bathroom.
“12 years old. He turned 13 in the program,” Perkins said.
The TrueCore employee called the police, and he was charged and convicted of felony battery of a law enforcement officer.
“You see the video. There was no battery,” Huff said.
Their son was transferred to another TrueCore facility next to Lake Academy, where he started his sentence over.
“I honestly believe that it's driven from a monetary standpoint, not so much as trying to help the child do the programs,” Huff said.
Riots, sexual assaults and other issues
Lake Academy isn’t the first Florida DJJ facility operated by a private contractor to face scrutiny.
In 2013, Highlands Youth Academy, then operated by G4S Youth Services, was ransacked as employees fled.
Seven kids wound up in the hospital.
“We're paying for this. We're paying for these kids to be abused! They need to come down and investigate it,” said Jill Elkington, whose son was enrolled in the program.
A grand jury report said, “Highlands Youth Academy is a failure of the DJJ Mission and is symptomatic of a much larger problem in our state.”
“A private enterprise made millions and millions of dollars off the state of Florida and the taxpayers while failing the juveniles they were supposed to be taking care of,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said when announcing the arrest of multiple employees who worked at the facility, who were charged with failing to report criminal activity.
A press release that same year announced, “Former G4S Youth Services LLC becomes TrueCore Behavioral Solutions”.
It notes that several members of management remain at the helm of the company, along with 2,000 associates.
The company was purchased for $56.5 million in 2017 by an investment fund.
Highlands Academy closed in 2019 when DJJ didn’t renew its contract.
The following year, DJJ didn’t renew a contract with TrueCore at Okeechobee Youth Development Center following a riot.
That same year, another riot broke out at Palmetto Youth Academy.
A TrueCore employee was arrested for sexual battery of a 16-year-old at the Central Pasco Girls Academy in Land O' Lakes, allegedly telling her she was going to have sex with him or be written up.
Also, a TrueCore guard at the Miami Girls’ Academy was arrested for having sex with a 15-year-old girl.
According to a police report, surveillance video corroborated the victim’s report.
“And they're still allowed to hold a contract, not just one, but several. And you have to stop and think and say, why is this still happening?” Perkins said. “It's the kids that suffer, and they continue to just profit over these children.”
TrueCore’s response
We contacted TrueCore to outline the concerns of the teachers and parents.
The company declined an on-camera interview, but a spokesperson provided the following statement:
The passing of this young lady is a tragedy for all involved. However, neither TrueCore nor its management or employees are in any way culpable for this saddening loss. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.
Because of federal statutes and other contractual and confidentiality limitations upon TrueCore, it is impossible for us to comment further on the circumstances leading to this young lady’s death. The privacy of those involved is more important than TrueCore’s interest in protecting its good name.
What we can say is that TrueCore has been a trusted partner with the State of Florida since 1997. We follow all rules and regulations regarding staffing, parent and guardian notification, safety protocols, and living conditions so we can provide effective treatment and rehabilitation to troubled young men and women in residential facilities. We have safely helped thousands of teens and their families with focused, compassionate therapy.
— TrueCore Behavioral Services
Department of Juvenile Justice Spokesperson Amanda Slama said there are “no additional updates” when asked whether DJJ plans to terminate or not renew other TrueCore contracts.
If you have a story you’d like the I-Team to investigate, email us at adam.walser@wfts.com.
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