The latest episode of Fox Nation's "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" examines allegations of abuse at the Provo Canyon School for troubled teens in Utah made by Paris Hilton and others.
Former student Jeremy Whiteley tells host Nancy Grace that students couldn't speak out about the alleged abuse and if they did, they "got in a lot of trouble for it."
Whiteley recalls that he was sent to Provo Canyon at the age of 15.
"I wasn't getting along with my parents, they sent me to a therapist and a therapist suggested I go to this boarding school ...," he explains. "It looked like tons of fun and I could do all this fun stuff in Utah, all the outdoor recreation, and so I wanted to go. I asked my parents to send me there."
PARIS HILTON DETAILS ALLEGED ABUSE AT UTAH BOARDING SCHOOL FOR THE FIRST TIME: 'CONTINUOUS TORTURE'
When Whiteley arrived at the school, he found that "it wa nothing like these brochures described it."
"I mean, there was so much abuse," says Whiteley, who adds that he described what happened in letters to his parents, but only to learn recently those letters never reached them.
"There is no way for any of us students there to reach out to law enforcement, to social workers or to anyone to tell them to talk about the abuse that we witnessed," Whiteley explains. "It was very frustrating and we couldn't speak out and if we did speak out, we got in a lot of trouble for it so we just kept our silence."
In her YouTube documentary "This is Paris," Hilton claimed she was verbally, emotionally and physically abused during her nearly one-year stay at Provo Canyon, alleging the treatment was so "traumatizing" that she suffered nightmares and insomnia for years.
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In October, Hilton held a protest in Utah to call for the closure of the school which drew several hundred supporters.
Summer de Almedia tells Grace she was 13 when she sent to Provo Canyon because she was "having some behavioral issues."
"It looked like a boarding school where you were getting therapy and doing outdoor activities and going to this great school ..." she recalls. "I learned very, very fast that that was not going to be how this is going to go."
When she arrived to the school, de Almedia says she was told was that she would be "strip-searched." She recalls being brought into a room with about five or six female staffers who told her to remove all her clothing and examined her body.
"They asked me to do very strange things while I was naked," she says, adding that "the staff members laughed and made jokes."
In a statement to Fox News, Provo Canyon CEO Dr. Adam McLain said the school "was sold by its previous ownership in August 2000. We therefore cannot comment on the operations or patient experience prior to this time."
"We cannot comment on individual patient treatment, care or allegations due to HIPAA privacy laws," he continued, adding that "thousands of youth with behavioral health issues have been helped over the years at Provo Canyon School."
"We work with extremely complex individuals who often present a danger to themselves and others," McLain added. "Provo Canyon School is committed to the safety of our patients and staff."
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He also noted that "Provo Canyon School is highly regulated by multiple agencies and organizations, including the Utah Department of Human Services, Office of Licensing and various state, federal and national credentialing organizations and agencies" and that "on average, our facility will receive 20-30 independent on-site, audits annually by highly qualified, professional auditors."
McLain also said, "We do not condone or promote any form of abuse" and that "any and all alleged/suspected abuse is reported immediately to our state regulatory authorities, law enforcement and Child Protective Services, as required."
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Fox News’ Melissa Roberto and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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