I don't even know if this is an appropriate place to put this, but I am not sure where else to ask about it. I'm hoping someone here at least knows of someone who would be able to help me.

My nephew is currently at a John Volken Academy. It purports to be an addiction recovery center. However, for a lot of reasons, I don't trust what they are saying in any of that at all.

First, My nephew paid $7000 dollars to go there. He is supposed to be there for two years. He has incredibly little contact with anyone outside. Currently as far as I'm aware his only contact has been through someone claiming to be his roommate saying he is doing well and loving it.

Second, there is incredibly little information on this "campus" available. What is there is vague enough for me to question every word. One thing they are clear about is that there are no therapists on site. They say they don't need any clinical staff on site because they have a good enough program that they are unnecessary, but do not elaborate on that program or give any details regarding how that is supposed to work.

Third, and probably most significantly to me, he made an agreement that if he didn't contact his brother by July, the brother would come get him. Obviously that deadline has passed and we haven't heard a word. The brother and I just today learned the name of the ranch (previously their parents were keeping it secret).

I don't trust that my brother (the parent I have spoken to about the situation) is telling the truth when he says my nephew chose to go. At least not 100%. Because he has been so glib with everything regarding the situation and has refused to answer why he ignores the awful reviews and reports of abuse at the facility.

If anyone knows anything about how to contact people inside these facilities, please let me know. If my nephew did know about the risks and chose to go of his own volition without coercion from his parents, I will accept that. But I need to hear it from him and not from a second hand phone-call someone made claiming to be his roommate. And if he at all wants out, I want to be able to help him.