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The Hell Camp documentary is about Steve Cartisano's controversial outdoor wilderness therapy boot camp, The Challenger Foundation. It was established in 1988. Due to the notorious nature of the camp, Steve Cartisano faced significant controversy and legal troubles following the events.
According to High Court News, after a 16-year-old's death in 1990, Cartisano and the organization were charged with negligent homicide and child abuse. However, he was acquitted of these charges. Despite his acquittal, the Challenger Foundation faced numerous civil lawsuits and eventually filed for bankruptcy, reportedly.
Hell Camp: What happened to the career of Steve Cartisano?
Cartisano's career continued to be marked by controversy. In the documentary, it is shown that he worked as a supervisor of a dormitory for American Indian students on a reservation in Oklahoma but was fired from this position. According to the Radio Times, Cartisano was banned from operating child treatment centers in Utah and later in Hawaii.
Despite the ban, he reportedly continued to open various illegal therapy camps across the United States. As depicted in the documentary, after the Challenger Foundation, Cartisano continued with similar ventures. These included a program called HealthCare America that aimed to take teens on a ship across the Caribbean and build their settlements.
As informed in the Hell Camp documentary, these ventures were also characterized by harsh treatment and allegations of abuse. Despite these controversies, Cartisano was never found legally responsible for non-tax or non-licensing criminal wrongdoing.
Hell Camp documentary: Did Steve Cartisano's personal life face challenges?
As per the Hell Camp documentary, Steve Cartisano's personal life also faced challenges. His son, David, struggled with drug addiction and legal troubles. On the other hand, his daughter Catherine also dealt with drug addiction before turning her life around to become a mental health therapist. His other children, Jennifer and Daniel, have largely stayed out of the public eye.
Later, Cartisano passed away on May 4, 2019, at the age of 63, in his home in Durant, Oklahoma. He had been battling stage four colon cancer for several years before dying from a heart attack. In his final years, he focused on his role as a grandfather and was an active member of the Choctaw Tribe and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Hell Camp documentary: What was Steve Cartisano's The Challenger Foundation about?
The Challenger Foundation was a wilderness therapy camp established by Steve Cartisano in Utah. The camp's primary aim was to help troubled teens by immersing them in a challenging outdoor environment. The idea behind the foundation was to use rigorous outdoor programs as a form of therapy for character building.
As disclosed in the Hell Camp documentary, the camp's approach involved putting the teens in survival situations where they had to earn necessities like food and water. This was done with the belief that it would help them overcome their problems and build resilience. However, the Challenger Foundation became controversial and infamous for its extreme methods and alleged abusive practices.
Reports and testimonies from former campers indicated that the camp involved mental and physical abuse, neglect, and, in some cases, extreme disciplinary measures that were considered harmful and dangerous.
According to the documentary, the controversy peaked when 16-year-old camper Kristen Chase passed away during a hike expedition. Consequently, it led to charges of negligent homicide against Steve Cartisano. However, he was later acquitted. However, Chase’s parents filed a federal lawsuit against Cartisano and the organization, which was settled for $260,000 in 1994.
Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare is available to stream on Netflix now.
