This was not a popular change in Tori Jane, and before long my grandparents decided the best way to reverse it was to ship my ass off to a camp for "troubled" teens in Montana. In short order I learned some terrifying truths about an industry dedicated to taking America's at-risk youth and fucking them up in the worst way possible.

When I was 14, I lived with my grandparents in a wealthy gated community and went to a very prestigious private school. This was the first time I had access to the Internet on a daily basis, and it changed my life forever. I discovered metal music and culture, which inspired me to learn the guitar. My yearbook ambitions quickly went from "become a judge like my grandfather" to "become a rock star."

6 Your Parents Can Hire People to Take You Away

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One night in August 2004, I awoke to a man and a woman in my room whom I had never seen before telling me that they were "escorts" and we were going to a place called "wilderness." I was not allowed to bring any belongings or tell anyone where I was going. I didn't know what "escorts" and "wilderness" were, and I was terrified. It was like being Liam Neeson's daughter in Taken, if it had turned out later that Liam Neeson arranged the whole thing.

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His very particular set of skills includes paranoia and child endangerment.

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The escorts drove me to an airport where the three of us got on a plane to Boise, Idaho. I didn't try to run, and running wouldn't have done me much good: Kids who resist have been pepper-sprayed and hog-tied. The actual snatching and transporting of kids destined for programs like the one I was headed to is handled by companies like Center for Safe Youth, which emphasizes the element of surprise on their FAQ page:

Should I tell my child in advance (even the night before)?

No. Prior knowledge will only serve to increase the child's anxiety, heighten defenses, and force the child into a bad decision, such as running away.

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Running away is bad. Children could wind up with strangers somewhere unfamiliar and scary.

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So what kind of crime does a kid have to commit to wind up subjected to this? Anything -- kids can be sent away for drug use, depression, eating disorders, really any behavioral issue you can dream up. Some were sent away for bad grades, or for not following the family religion, or for being gay. It is an industry that survives on parents' fear that their kid is "at risk."