Bonus – Docuseries – The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping

Title: The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping

My Rating: 👍

Released: 2024

Genre: Documentary, True Crime

Number of Seasons: Docuseries – 3 Episodes

Director: Katherine Kubler

Cast: Katherine Kubler, Alexa Brand, Dominick Bolella, Allison Chee, Diana Nowak, Janja Lalich, Maia Szalavitz, Thomas Houlahan

Setting: 2024, video evidence from early 2000’s

Where to watch: Netflix

Plot: Years after being sent to a disciplinary school, a woman who is haunted by her experiences decides to expose the corruption and abuse of the troubled teen industry.

My Opinion:

I love true crime anything and this was on my watch list as soon as it came on Netflix. It’s always hard to watch documentaries regarding the abuse of children/teens and this was no exception.

It tells the stories of Katherine Kubler and her fellow “classmates” as they are kidnapped and taken to this institution for troubled teens. However, like most of these types of places it was rampant with physical, mental, and sexual abuse. Absolutely disgusting for these adults to have even participated and work for a place in which this was happening. They didn’t even question their job roles and the disciplinary actions being used on these children. Makes me question their moral compass, don’t you think? What’s even worse is that the parents were brainwashed enough to believe in this program.

This isn’t the worst video evidence I’ve watched in a documentary related to child abuse, but it certainly hits you like a ton of bricks, especially when the victims recount their experiences themselves. It’s heartbreaking to watch and listen to.

But this sheds light on a larger problem and the fact that these institutions and “programs” geared to help troubled youth are not regulated and aren’t really thoroughly looked into. It’s scary to think there is an entire umbrella company that is still in full operation. It’s the long con to reap as much money from these poor unsuspecting parents, ultimately using cult techniques to turn the parents first then the children.

It’s incredible the amount of people they re-encounter through this process of discovery, attempt at healing and so forth. Even some of their abusers in which they attempt to speak with was revolting to listen to/watch. Some had remorse, while others did not.

There was a light at the end of all this darkness, it seems that they are attempting to pass bills in the U.S. to have these institutions regulated and so forth. Sadly, the bills keep being met with resistance and road blocks. What will it take? Teens have died due to abuse in these programs/institutions.

Ultimately, I feel like this documentary only scratched the very dark surface of the topic at hand and the organization of these institutions. You can sense the trauma that these individuals are STILL going through. The joking and laughing is clearly their coping mechanism for what they all endured, which those watching this can only imagine unless you lived it yourself.

This was hauntingly good and definitely recommend watching it, especially if you enjoy true crime. But be warned, it may be difficult to watch, I know I had to watch the episodes in intervals.

My only dilemma with this documentary is the title, they kept referencing work the program so I feel that would have been a fitting. Though I can understand why this title was chosen.

Otherwise…

Thumbs up!