Share Your Story: Straight, Inc. Survivors

Were you in Straight, Inc., or is someone in your family a survivor? Share your story privately with the Straight Springfield archive.

Pages

Home
Program — Phases, rules, 12-hour group days and host homes: how Straight, Inc.'s teen program ran in Springfield, Virginia, and why it was never treatment.
Mayflower Group — How Straight, Inc. used a circle of powerful D.C.-area parents to gain legitimacy, and a 1985 visit from Nancy Reagan and Princess Diana.
Spit Therapy — A survivor describes 'spit therapy' at Straight, Inc.: pinned to a wall while a line of teens screamed and spat in his face, then held to the floor all day.
Tactics — How Straight, Inc. targeted kids and families: the intake trap, peer confrontation, 'the Game' and the control methods survivors describe.
The Building — Floor plan of Straight, Inc.'s Springfield, Virginia facility: the rap room, intake rooms and carpet room where it happened, 1982–1991.
Abuse By Design — Restraint, 'motivating', spit therapy and humiliation at Straight, Inc. in Springfield, VA. How harm was built into the program, in survivors' words.
Survivor Voices — First-person accounts from survivors of Straight, Inc. in Springfield, Virginia and beyond. Read their stories or share your own.
Springfield Voices — The people behind Straight Springfield, a survivor-run archive documenting Straight, Inc.'s Springfield, Virginia program.
Paper Trail — Original Straight, Inc. documents: client and parent rules, phase handouts, the 1985 board letter, newsletters and promotional material.
Lineage — How confrontation methods passed from Synanon and The Seed to Straight, Inc., and on to the troubled teen industry that still operates today.
On The Record — Broadcast and documentary coverage of Straight, Inc., collected with survivor context.
Content Advisory — Content advisory for Straight Springfield, an archive documenting abuse of minors at Straight, Inc.
Accessibility Statement — Straight Springfield's commitment to an accessible archive, and how to report a barrier.
Privacy Policy — How Straight Springfield collects, uses and protects the information you share, including survivor story submissions.
Right To Use — Terms for quoting, sharing and reusing material from the Straight Springfield archive.