Because the Beehive State is home to nearly a quarter of the residential treatment programs in the country, Utahns pay particular attention to accounts of abuse or neglect that occurs to teens while enrolled in them.

While some parents credit these programs for rescuing their self-destructive teenagers, there are also documented reports of youths who have died. Some were not given prescribed medications or provided emergency medical care. Others, who have led sedentary lifestyles, have been forced to take part in long hikes and other physically taxing activity. Some have died while they were disciplined. Still others have been denied water and sufficient amounts of food.

A new federal Government Accountability Office investigation reveals even more horrific abuses of teenagers at the hands of people who are supposed to be providing therapeutic experiences. What therapeutic benefit could possibly come from a pit bull who is trained to bite students in the groin? What positive outcome would result from placing bags over troubled teens' heads and then slipping nooses around their necks?

By the time parents decide that they will enroll their out-of-control teen in a behavior modification program, some may be desperate for help. They can be vulnerable to the types of deceptive marketing practices that the GAO investigators uncovered during their probe. In one case, a Texas wilderness program representative misled investigators about whether a trade group inspected the facility and whether the program was covered by health insurance.

It is despicable to prey on parents who need help with a child who may have a mental illness, substance abuse issues, are delinquent or a combination of the three. The only thing worse is to offer "treatment" programs that are poorly managed, rely upon untrained staff or employ practices that can result in abuse or deaths.

Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., has introduced federal legislation to boost oversight of boot camps, including unannounced visits by the Department of Health and Human Services regulators at least once every two years.

In most cases, regulatory functions are best left to state agencies closest to the programs, businesses or professionals. When it comes to protecting already damaged children from potential abuse in treatment programs, it makes sense to have another layer of protection. The bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., also would allow civil penalties up to $50,000 per violation and allow parents to sue in federal court if programs violate the law. We hope such provisions would help weed out unscrupulous operators or discourage unqualified operators from establishing treatment programs in the first place.