Post by acptulsa on Nov 1, 2017 13:54:05 GMT -8
ktul.com/news/local/aclu-files-suit-against-oklahoma-arkansas-rehab-program-calling-it-an-unpaid-labor-camp
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (KTUL) -- The ACLU of Oklahoma has filed a class action lawsuit against a rehabilitation program with facilities in Tahlequah, Okla. and Decatur, Ark., alleging a human trafficking scheme and various labor violations.
Filed on behalf of seven past participants, the suit alleges the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Program (D.A.R.P.) ran an unpaid labor camp disguised as a rehab for the last decade, and the plaintiffs claim they were threatened with prison sentences if they didn't complete the program by performing countless hours of unpaid labor.
“At the time, going to D.A.R.P. seemed like my only option,” said Shane Norrid, one of the plaintiffs. “I was told I would avoid prison and that I would get treatment to help change my life, but I saw almost as soon as I got there that this program wasn’t what I expected treatment to be. The Drug Alcohol Recovery Program did not give me the help I needed.”
Businesses associated with the program are named as defendants: Hendren Plastics Inc., R&R Engineering Co. Inc., Simmons Foods Inc. and Western Alliance Inc.
The plaintiffs claim they were fed one bologna sandwich for lunch each day while working a 12-hour shift of manual labor. Participants at the Tahlequah facility say they were fed spoiled or unmarketable chicken from the program's processing plant five nights a week, and the men lived in cramped quarters with bed bugs that caused bleeding wounds.
The suit also says their pay was turned over to D.A.R.P. or the program's president, Raymond Jones.
The plaintiffs say they were promised help with addiction recovery but that the program provided no legitimate treatment other than an occasional AA meeting for Tahlequah participants and in-house meetings reading from a 12-step book for Decatur participants.
Filed on behalf of seven past participants, the suit alleges the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Program (D.A.R.P.) ran an unpaid labor camp disguised as a rehab for the last decade, and the plaintiffs claim they were threatened with prison sentences if they didn't complete the program by performing countless hours of unpaid labor.
“At the time, going to D.A.R.P. seemed like my only option,” said Shane Norrid, one of the plaintiffs. “I was told I would avoid prison and that I would get treatment to help change my life, but I saw almost as soon as I got there that this program wasn’t what I expected treatment to be. The Drug Alcohol Recovery Program did not give me the help I needed.”
Businesses associated with the program are named as defendants: Hendren Plastics Inc., R&R Engineering Co. Inc., Simmons Foods Inc. and Western Alliance Inc.
The plaintiffs claim they were fed one bologna sandwich for lunch each day while working a 12-hour shift of manual labor. Participants at the Tahlequah facility say they were fed spoiled or unmarketable chicken from the program's processing plant five nights a week, and the men lived in cramped quarters with bed bugs that caused bleeding wounds.
The suit also says their pay was turned over to D.A.R.P. or the program's president, Raymond Jones.
The plaintiffs say they were promised help with addiction recovery but that the program provided no legitimate treatment other than an occasional AA meeting for Tahlequah participants and in-house meetings reading from a 12-step book for Decatur participants.
