Tranquility Bay

Tranquility Bay is a World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASP) facility located in Jamaica. It opened in 1997. The director is Jay Kay, a college dropout who has no training in child development [Decca Aitkenhead, [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,987172,00.html The Last Resort] , "Observer Magazine", June 29, 2003.] , and who is son of WWASP president Ken Kay. The cost for one child ranges from $25,000 to $40,000 a year. Tranquility Bay is generally acknowledged as the toughest of the WWASP schools. As with other WWASP facilities, Tranquility Bay has been the subject of much controversy, including allegations of torture, unsanitary living conditions, unqualified employees, and denial of medical care [ [http://www.tbfight.com/ TBFight.com: Tranquility Bay & WWASP] website] ; these claims have been the subject of multiple lawsuits from former Tranquility Bay residents. [http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2006-06-22/news/rough-love/full Rough Love]

Tranquility Bay states that it is dedicated to helping parents who are having difficulty with their children, whether they are doing drugs, breaking the law, or being disobedient or disrespectful. In 2003, Kay said "if I have kids, and they start giving me a problem, well, they are going straight in the program. If I had to, I'd pull the trigger without hesitation" [Decca Aitkenhead, [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,987172,00.html The Last Resort] , "Observer Magazine", June 29, 2003.] ; however, in 1999, Kay (who at that time was not working for WWASP) said that the Tranquility Bay staff were "untrained", without "credentials of any kind", and that Tranquility Bay "could be leading these kids to long-term problems that we don't have a clue about because we're not going about it in the proper way" [Tim Weiner, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE3D71238F934A25755C0A9659C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2 Parents Divided Over Jamaica Disciplinary Academy] , "The New York Times", June 17, 2003.]

Children as young as 12 have been admitted to Tranquility Bay, for reasons ranging from drug use to conflicts with a new stepmother.Fact|date=February 2007

References

External links

* [http://www.tranquilitybay.org/ Tranquility Bay Home Page]
* [http://www.antiwwasp.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=18 Tranquility Bay Survivor Forum]
* [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,987172,00.html The Last Resort] by Decca Aitkenhead, "Observer Magazine", June 29, 2003.
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE3D71238F934A25755C0A9659C8B63 Parents Divided Over Jamaica Disciplinary Academy] by Tim Weiner, "The New York Times", June 17, 2003
* [http://fornits.com/anonanon/docs/wwasp/ WWASP - Tranquility Bay Former Student Testimonies]
* [http://www.tbfight.com/ Tranquility Bay and WWASPS] Ex Students and Parents of Tranquility Bay share their experiences.
* [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,987168,00.html] part two of The Last Resort
* [http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2003/6/30/44110/2720] commentary on the Observer Aitkenhead article