The Program: What happened at Tranquility Bay?

The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping is a new true crime docuseries that explores the WWASP-affiliated Academy at Ivy Ridge. Now, attention has turned to another of WWASP’s programs, Tranquility Bay in Jamaica – here’s what happened there and if it still exists. 

Director Katherine Kubler knows first-hand how much damage is caused by the troubled teen industry – years ago, she was sent away to Ivy Ridge in upstate New York for 15 months. In her Netflix documentary, she and a group of her former classmates unpack what happened there, and it makes prison sound like a vacation. 

A lot’s happened amid the release of The Program, from Narvin Lichfield – the brother of WWASP founder Robert “Bob” Lichfield – sharing a lengthy response to the true crime series, to viewers calling for the parents to face retribution. 

But The Program isn’t the first doc to examine WWASP schools – in 2004, a BBC film titled Locked in Paradise explored the organization’s Tranquility Bay in Jamaica. Here’s what happened at the facility and whether it’s still in operation today. Warning: Some may find this content distressing.

The Program: What happened at Tranquility Bay?

Many of the allegations that surfaced from former students at Tranquility Bay are similar to those at Ivy Ridge, ranging from claims of torture and unqualified staff to unsanitary living conditions and denial of medical treatment. The WWASP-affiliated facility – located in Calabash Bay, Jamaica – was shut down in 2009. 

According to Tranquility Bay survivors, the school was the harshest of WWASP’s various institutions. Taking to Reddit, one former student said it was “one of the worst ones out of the WWASP because it was located outside the US so they could get away with more child abuse.”

They continued: “Tranquility Bay was crazy, I was there for almost two years from 2005-2007ish. We had a girl try to kill herself by jumping into the ceiling fan and they secretly took her to the hospital because they didn’t want any of us to know.

“I was in Intervention a few times and they made me lay down on a dirty blue mat face down for weeks and would find excuses to ‘restrain’ us. I was a 90-pound skinny Asian girl and there were two huge guards sitting on me and twisting my limbs into really painful positions that wouldn’t leave a mark.”

In Locked in Paradise, host Raphael Lowe spoke with ex-students at Tranquility Bay who described similar conditions, and similar tactics used on those at Ivy Ridge. Oliver Bucolo – who was there for three years – said the “poorly trained” staff shaved his head, stripped him of his possessions, and wouldn’t allow students to speak or even look off into the distance without permission. 

But perhaps the most troubling of all methods used at the teen correctional facility was Observational Placement, also known as OP. As per the WWASP Survivors website: “Children in OP lie silently on the floor in a guarded room until staff members decide they can leave. They eat, sleep, and exercise in the same room.”

Although Tranquility Bay director, Jay Kay – a college dropout with no training in child development – claimed the aim was to get students out of OP in 24 hours, ex-pupil Shannon Levy said she was held there for eight weeks straight. 

“They lined us up like sardines… there was no air, no ventilation. And if we had to go to the bathroom we had to leave the door open so they could sit there and watch us,” she said. 

Shannon also described being restrained by staff members, causing her to fall with all of her weight on her chin. “I immediately started gushing blood everywhere but that didn’t stop them,” she explained. 

For one student, the conditions were too much to bear – in 2001, Valerie Heron died by suicide by jumping off of the third story of the female facility building. Numerous former classmates have come forward over the years to share the traumatic experience of witnessing the incident.

L.W. – who spent two years at Tranquility Bay – wrote in her autobiography: “Immediately after the incident our staff informed us that if any of the girls discussed this we would be sent straight to staff watch.

“About a month after the incident, I was working in transitions with Karen and Sherry, cleaning out the supply closet (this closet held hygiene supplies for students as well as uniforms for new students) and I found four of Valerie’s uniforms, folded neatly, ready for a new girl to adopt.”

Elaborating on the conditions they were subjected to, L.W. added: “A few girls in my family had severe yeast infections from the climate and lack of air conditioning and malnourishment. She told my case manager several times in-group that she needed to see a doctor, and the response was, ‘Please, keep your nasty girl problems to yourself.’ In turn, nothing was done.”

Although parents weren’t fully aware of what was going on behind the scenes, since the release of The Program on Netflix, there’s been severe backlash to those who send their children to these facilities. 

Often, students would be kidnapped in the middle of the night, only to then have their communication cut off from the parents other than occasional letters or phone calls – all of which were closely monitored. 

Tranquility Bay ran from 1997 to 2009, when it was shut down following numerous lawsuits against WWASP and public testimonies, which saw allegations of child abuse come to light. Although WWASP and its various facilities have since been closed, as is explored in The Program, many similar troubled youth programs are still in operation today. 

Kubler hopes that by sharing her story alongside her classmates, they can raise awareness about this ongoing issue and put an end to the industry for good. 

Locked in Paradise is currently available to watch on YouTube via the link above, while The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping is streaming on Netflix – you can read our breakdown of the ending here, and check out all of the new true crime and documentaries heading to streaming this month.