Gooned at 14 

I was home from inpatient for just twenty hours before I was awoken in the middle of the night by my mother abruptly turning on the lights in my bedroom. She looked worried. I asked her what was going on, as my eyes were adjusting to the harsh light. She said I needed to get up. She walked away with tears in her eyes, as three strangers marched into my room. 

I remember being annoyed that they had their dirty, black boots on my clean, carpeted floor. There was a short man, a tall man, and a tall woman. They told me I was all packed, and I was going to Missouri. I realized I was getting “gooned” again, still half asleep. I immediately broke down in confused tears. I had a sense of hope about getting better and was excited to be home with my mom and sister.

My mind spun as I tried to process that I was being forced to leave again. I packed a few things, like my ukulele and sketchbook, and walked downstairs with the strangers. My mother cried at the front door as the transport team escorted me to the car—one person on each side of me holding onto my arms and one behind in case I tried to take off on foot. All I could do was go willingly. I saw no point in fighting anymore. 

During our seemingly never-ending night drive, I was restless and sleep-deprived in the backseat. I kept track of street signs and landmarks to find my way back if I ran away. As we pulled off the main road, I saw a sign that displayed the name of the treatment center. 

“Being gooned” is an informal term for “involuntary enrollment.” Parents hire a third party or service- the “goons”- to come against their child’s wishes or knowledge, transport and commit them to various rehabilitation programs. 

Goons often arrive at night when a child is sleeping and place them into a vehicle. While each scenario is different, there can be little to no explanation as to what is happening. If they resist, the goons can use zip-ties, blindfolds, hoods, and often threats–”you can come the easy way or the hard way” is a phrase often used. Regardless of any struggle on the side of the child or restraints on the side of the goons, the end-result is the same: adolescents are taken against their will and placed, often further traumatized, into a program that is supposed to begin their “healing.”

Involuntary enrollment transportation programs can be used in various situations such as drug rehabilitation, residential treatment facilities, boot camps, or even conversion programs. Any minor can be gooned, even a celebrity like Paris Hilton who has recently shared her story of surviving the Troubled Teen Industry. It only requires their parents’ consent.

From the parents’ perspective there’s a variety of reasons to goon their child. They often feel like there is no other avenue to help them. A dire situation calls for a dire action. They may feel that their child, no matter how they frame it, will never voluntarily commit to a program. In a moment desperate for support, it seems like involuntary enrollment is the safest way to get their child the help they need. 

Goon services often bill themselves as transportation services, masquerading as a logical and safe next step for parents. These services often appear as a program that would be beneficial to both the parents and the child—they are safe, reliable, and “trained.” Despite the language transport companies use, for the teens being gooned, it’s the first leg of a traumatizing journey to an unheard-of place, perhaps hundreds of miles away from home. 

For me, being gooned changed the way I view the troubled teen industry. For several years, it made me feel untrusting of the system and my family. In hindsight, I know my mom was concerned for my safety–and my life–during the height of my mental health struggles. This felt like the right solution to get me to my next placement, ensuring I’d stay alive. 

Looking at the bigger picture and the troubled teen industry as a whole, there should be resources for parents that allow them to care for their children and teens in a safer way. 

It can be true that a child in need of help might benefit from a stay at an inpatient or even long term residential program. Sometimes having this conversation about treatment can feel difficult, but the solution isn’t necessarily gooning. Working with mental health professionals and other experts, it is possible to tailor a scenario to get someone the help they need without adding to their trauma. 

In some circles, gooning is referred to as a type of legal kidnapping. These teen transport businesses are currently only regulated in the state of Oregon, which prohibit the use of hoods, blindfolds, and handcuffs/zip-ties. Since 2021, states including Utah and Missouri have begun to introduce legislation regulating secure transport. While this is a step in the right direction, because many children are transported across states, federal involvement is necessary. 
To many people who don’t know about the issues in the troubled teen industry, this is a completely unknown practice—it can even sound fake, like something out of a movie or novel. Spreading awareness is the first step. The next is to support bills like the Accountability for Congregate Care Act, and groups like National Youth Rights Association. Together, we can end “gooning” and create better pathways to mental health without adding more trauma.