The film’s title, “The Last Stop,” alludes to the program’s frequently repeated mantra, “This is your last stop. Without Élan, it’s either jail or death.” Failure to assimilate could give rise to residents facing isolation for months, compulsory resident-on-resident boxing matches, being yelled at and degraded by dozens of peers simultaneously, the use of straightjackets, forced ditch digging, mandated donning of degrading costumes and signs, or the use of “electric sauce,” a mixture of garbage and feces poured over the heads of residents who needed discipline. These tactics and others were known as “attack therapy.” The concept was, “That which doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.” A philosophically sound concept, that went dangerously awry.

The instant you step foot on the former hunting grounds that was the Élan School, their rules and regulations come bearing down on you swiftly and mercilessly. Effective immediately, are rules like no speaking without permission, no entering rooms alone, no eye contact with the opposite sex, and mandated screaming at other residents on command. It was very “Lord of the Flies” – everything was managed and run by the kids.

We were delinquents, yet we were tasked with running the program, providing the therapy, restraining our peers, and surveilling one another. The staff members acted as checks and balances to make sure nothing got too out of hand. However, if we dial it back to what happened there in the ‘80s and ‘70s, that’s where things get really dicey. Many of the events that transpired over those two decades were unfathomable.

Élan was admittedly a different beast post-90s than in it’s preceding decades. Over time, the program made attempts to realign itself with better practices. What I went through was harsh and certainly not for the faint-hearted. There was lots of confrontation, but there was also an abundance of affirmation. I was helped by some of the program’s unconventional tactics, but I also know many others who were not and are still suffering lasting psychological harm from their experiences there.

There are masses who will credit Élan as the tour de force that saved them from a path of self-destruction, while the opposing majority equates it to hell on earth. George Posner, an educational consultant and a faculty member at Cornell University who is familiar with Élan, said such strongly conflicting claims about behavioral modification programs are not unusual. ''There isn't a place out there -- including prisons -- where you wouldn't get testimonials saying that the place saved their lives,'' he said. (John, “Skeletons in the Classroom”, The New York Times. June 02, 2002)

Todd Nilssen | Director "The Last Stop" | Élan Resident 2005 - 2007

Élan was the brainchild of Joseph Ricci, a recovering addict, a horse track owner and a two-time candidate for governor, whose antics kept the local news media busy for years. In many ways, Élan embodied the very contradictions of its founder. (John, “Skeletons in the Classroom”, The New York Times. June 02, 2002)

Although affiliated with the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs, Élan operated under loose state regulation, nonexistent federal regulation, and practiced a number of unorthodox behavior modification methodologies. Élan comprised of children from as young as 11 years of age, to adults as old as 25. Some were criminals, court mandated to Élan, whilst others were your run of the mill rebellious teenagers, who missed curfew, skipped out on classes, smoked the occasional joint or two, and disrespected authority.

Regardless of the circumstance that brought one to Élan, treatment methods involved screaming sessions and reprimands, intense work regiments, denials of civil liberties, short to long-term solitary confinements, public shaming, physical beatings, and highly restricted contact with the outside world. Several of the schools most controversial practices detailed previously were all justified as a means to behavior modification.

The harrowing testimonies from former residents, along with the alarmingly high rate of suicides and tragic deaths associated with program participants, seem like the stuff of horror movies, but they’re very much real accounts and irrefutable facts that cannot be ignored. And although Élan has since been shut down, the damage cannot be undone.

A brief rundown of some of the more notorious Élan scandals and media headlines can be found at the below links. Feel free to peruse them at your leisure.

• Recent New York Times and CNN coverage on Kennedy family member, Michael Skakel’s murder re-conviction of his 15-year-old neighbor. Skakel was initially sent to Élan for treatment of alcohol addiction, to avoid prosecution on drunk driving charges. Former Élan peers of Skakel have testified that he confessed to the crime whilst at Élan, which his attorney rebutted as a coerced confession induced through Élan’s various attack therapy methods.

New York Times - Michael Skakel Conviction Reinstated

CNN - Michael Skakel Fast Facts

• The New York Times’ initial report on the Élan School shortly after the highly publicized Skakel murder conviction. Élan continued to operate for an additional 9 years following this article

New York Times - Skeletons in the Classroom

• U.S. News reports on the cold case investigation into the death of 15-year-old Phil Williams, who died after being forced to fight in Élan’s boxing match in the ‘80s.

U.S. News - Police looking into 33-year-old death at Elan School

• The Department of Children and Family Services initially placed wards of the state of Illinois at Élan, only to subsequently order for their removal on allegations of child abuse.

Chicago Tribune - Child Abuse Row with State, Maine Center Gets Hot

• A TIME Inc. publication on the role that internet-activism played in the demise of Élan. More specifically, one Reddit blogger who attended Élan led a campaign against the school that has been credited with causing much of the school’s financial distress, which resulted in it’s closing.

TIME - Internet Activism Helps Shutter Abusive ‘Troubled Teen’ Boot Camps

Reddit - Even skimming this post once will blow your mind

Our goal is to promote awareness on the existence of adolescent treatment centers and to shed insight into an ill-regulated industry. Élan was a small but significant part of a multi billion dollar industry that still exists to this day.

By sharing our story, we hope to also bring some closure to past victimized residents, survivors of trauma, and to honor and remember the lives lost along the way.

After an arduous three years of researching, traveling, scouting, meeting with former staff members, collecting witness/survivor testimonials, interviewing, filming and editing, this film is at last in it’s final stages.

The documentary is basically done and has been featured across multiple platforms (Fandango, Sun Journal, Red Bar Radio, to name a few). It is scheduled to premier in April 2017. Between then and now, my target to raise $15,000 is needed for the following large-scale finishing touches before the film can be released publicly:

• Purchasing copyrights to archival footage

• Professional audio mixing

The bulk of the funding will go towards an audio post-production professional to fine-tune and enhance the final mix of the film. This is a very specific, complicated and costly process but it is integral to the final product. We already have an Emmy Award winning sound engineer on board and he is excited to help us complete this project.

Please help us spread the word by liking us on Facebook, sharing our story, and using INDIEGOGO’s share tools in the menu on the left. 

Financial contributions aside, I just want to thank everyone for all your help and support. This film has been a long time coming and it would never have been possible without you!