Provo Canyon School
Former Utah youth treatment center
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Provo Canyon School (PCS) was a residential treatment center serving students from primary through secondary education in Utah, United States. Founded in 1971, the school provided residential treatment and educational services to children and adolescents with behavioral, emotional, and psychiatric needs. The institution operated campuses in Provo and Springville and was owned by Universal Health Services from 2000 until its closure in 2026.
| Provo Canyon School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
Boys' campus: 4501 North University Ave, Provo, Utah 84604 Girls' campus: 763 North 1650 West, Springville, Utah 84663-5066 Provo, Utah United States | |
| Information | |
| Funding type | Private |
Religious affiliation | Nonsectarian |
| Founded | 1971[1] |
| Founders | Robert H. Crist, and Jack Williams |
| Status | Closed |
| Closed | August 16, 2026 |
| Category | Residential Treatment Center[2] |
| CEEB code | 450320 |
NCES School ID | A0503514 [3] |
| Administrator | Dave Campbell (girls campus) |
| Grades | 3 to 12 |
| Gender | Males and females |
| Age | 8[4] to 17 |
| Capacity | 225 (combined) |
| Language | English |
Schedule type | Daily bell class rotation |
| Schedule | Monday to Friday |
Hours in school day | 5.5 |
| Campuses | 2 |
Campus type | Rural |
| Accreditations | The Joint Commission, The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and Cognia:
|
| Website | Official website |
In 2026, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services revoked the licenses of both campuses following investigations into the treatment and safety of residents. Due to its licenses being revoked, the facilities have shut down.[5]
History
Establishment
Provo Canyon School was established in 1971 by psychiatrist Robert H. Crist and Jack Williams and began operating in Mapleton, Utah as a residential treatment center for boys.
In 1973, residents and the Utah County Board of Adjustment revoked the facility's building permit, arguing that a residential treatment center utilizing physical restraint and locked doors constituted a correctional facility rather than a school. Founders Robert H. Crist and Jack L. Williams sued, and in Crist v. Bishop (1974), the Utah Supreme Court ruled in their favor, declaring that the facility met the generic definition of a "school" under zoning ordinances, allowing PCS to open.[6]
In 1986, PCS was bought by a company called Charter Behavioral Health Systems.[7] The company filed for bankruptcy in 2000, after which PCS was sold to Universal Health Services.[8]
In 1978, three students attempted to escape from the residential treatment center, stealing a car and prompting a police chase.[9] That same year, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Juvenile Justice Advocacy Project filed a lawsuit alleging that students had been subjected to cruel and unusual punishment and denied constitutional rights. The allegations included censorship of students' mail and the use of polygraph tests and solitary confinement.[10]
In February 2024, investigative filmmaker Robert Bliss posed as a mental health technician at PCS. He secretly recorded inside the facility using hidden camera glasses. UHS of Provo Canyon filed a federal lawsuit against Bliss for wiretapping and breach of confidentiality. Bliss invoked Utah's Anti-SLAPP laws (UPEPA), asserting a First Amendment right to report on matters of public concern.[11]
In June 2026, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services imposed restrictions on the Provo campus following an investigation into an incident involving a minor resident.[12][13] Investigators found that staff had failed to protect the resident during an assault, delayed emergency medical treatment, and failed to respond adequately to previous safety concerns.[14]The Springville campus was ordered to cease services by August 6, while the Provo campus was ordered to cease services by August 16.[15]
Allegations
Since its inception, the residential treatment center has been subject to a large number of individual and class action lawsuits, particularly throughout the 1980s and 1990s.[16] These lawsuits ranged from verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, medical negligence, to violating students' First Amendment rights and invasion of privacy, to false imprisonment and battery, to intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy, and loss of parental consortium.[16][17]
2020
In September 2020, Paris Hilton premiered her YouTube Originals documentary This Is Paris.[18] in which she attributes her chronic insomnia to post-traumatic stress disorder developed as a result of being sent to four different troubled teen industry programs: CEDU, Ascent Wilderness Program, Cascade school, and PCS. After escaping from the first three, she spent 11 months at PCS in the late 1990s.[19] Hilton reported that she and other students were physically and psychologically abused.[20][21] Hilton also alleged that students were administered medication without informed consent, subjected to physical restraint, transported to the facility by a youth transport firm, strip-searched upon arrival, and placed in a seclusion room.[22][23][24] On October 9, 2020, Hilton and other former students organized a silent protest outside the school.[25][26]
In October 2020, Kat Von D said that she had been sent to PCS as a teenager. She said that she had initially been expected to remain for three weeks but stayed for six months. Von D alleged that she witnessed students being forcibly medicated, sedated, isolated, and physically abused. Von D wrote that she could not "call them schools because they're not schools; they're fucking lockdown facilities". Von D said that she was "spared of the sexual abuse and the physical abuse" but "definitely saw" it happen.[27]
2023
In March, a student fight injured three people, including a staff member who later died; police investigated whether the assault contributed to his death. In April, police investigated a reported sexual assault following a referral from the Division of Child and Family Services.[28]
2026
On August 15, 2026, YouTuber Ben Schneider, known as Reckless Ben, published an undercover investigation of the residential treatment center. Schneider and a collaborator entered the Provo campus while posing as a prospective student and employee.[29] Schneider, who was 30, posed as a 17-year-old prospective student whose father wanted him admitted because of his purported "gay thoughts". He was accepted, and the facility sought approximately $49,400 in tuition for his first month.[30] According to Schneider, he alleges that staff were discussing physical restraints, verbal and physical treatment, isolation, inadequate education, and poor food conditions.[30] Schneider left the facility by climbing over a fence. Staff initially contacted his supposed father about outstanding tuition fees, later also reporting his disappearance.[30]
Governance
PCS was a private, for-profit residential treatment center. It was owned by Universal Health Services from 2000 until its closure in 2026.[8]
On July 6, 2026, Utah Department of Health and Human Services announced that they had revoked the license for the residential treatment center, citing failure to maintain the health and safety of clients, for engaging in unnecessary restraint and aggressive physical contact with clients, failure to report critical incident occurrences within one day, failure to ensure clients were treated equally and failure to adequately train staff. The Springville campus was subsequently ordered to terminate all services by August 6, 2026.[31]
On July 17, 2026, Utah's DHHS announced it was revoking the license for its primary campus in Provo.[32] This was due to the facility failing to protect students from harm and abuse, for depriving students from water and rest, and for physical abuse. The facility terminated all services on August 16, 2026.[33]
On July 27, 2026, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Universal Health Services, which operated PCS, had filed appeals.[34]
On August 16th, 2026, the PCS website began to display an "Open Letter to Our Community" detailing how they've ceased providing behavioral health services.[35][better source needed]
Admissions
Provo Canyon School admitted children and adolescents for residential treatment. The school used third-party youth transport companies to transport some students to its campuses.[36] Former students have reported being subjected to searches upon arrival, including strip searches.[37][38][39][40]
Curriculum
Provo Canyon School provided year-round academic instruction to its residents. Its educational programs included special education, career counseling, and competitive sports. The school was accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission.[41]
Notable alumni
- Paris Hilton – media personality and businesswoman; at age 16, she attended PCS for 11 months and was released in early 1999, around the time she turned 18.[42][43][44][45]
- Kat Von D – tattoo artist and television personality; at age 15, she attended PCS for six months in 1991.[46]
- Benjamin Schneider – YouTuber and investigative content creator; at age 30, he attended PCS for two days in 2026 while posing as a 17-year-old student.[47][48]
Notable staff
- Robert Lichfield – founder of the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools.[49]