Second Chances In Southern Utah

Second Chances in Southern Utah
Location
591 N State St, La Verkin, UT 84745 Washington County , Utah United States
Information
School type	Private behavioral youth modification facility
Religious affiliation(s)	Christian (non-denominational)
Opened	Oct 09, 2014
Founder	Adam AhQuin
Status	Closed
Closed	2022
Grades	8-12
Gender	All-Girls

Second Chances in Southern Utah, also known as “SCINSU,” was a private, all-girls behavioral youth modification facility and part of the troubled teen industry. The facility was located in La Verkin, Utah, the program ceased operations in 2022 for reasons that have not been publicly disclosed.

History

Adam AhQuin, the founder and director of Second Chances in Southern Utah (SCINSU), previously served as a gymnastics coach and the principal of Mana Academy, a K-12 charter school. He was a co-founder and program director of the now-defunct Maximum Life Skills Academy, a behavioral modification center, whose license was revoked in 2004 after a 31-year-old aide was beaten to death by two 17-year-old residents. SINSU's registered start date is October 9, 2014. SCINSU, a residential treatment center, reportedly originated from a facility owned by Robert Lichfield called “Cross Creek Manor”. Before founding Second Chances, Adam AhQuin reportedly worked at other WWASP programs, such as Olympus Academy and Horizon Academy. Prior to founding SCINSU, AhQuin was involved with other WWASP programs, including Olympus Academy and Horizon Academy. Further tying the family to the industry, his brother Clayton AhQuin Jr. and their father, Clayton Sr., were also reportedly associated with SINSU.

The last publicly available licensing approval for Second Chances of Southern Utah was valid from May 1, 2021, to April 30, 2022. Conflicting information exists about the program's closure date. Most sources indicate it closed in 2022, but at least one source suggests it may have closed in 2023.

Program

According to the now-defunct website of Second Chances in Southern Utah, the program offered three treatment packages. The first package, called "Open Mind/Passion Interest Mapping/Add To Self Principles," lasted for three months. The second package, named "Hard Work & The Aloha Principles," extended for six months. The third package, "SCINSU Growing Principles! Positive Attitude/Integrity/Passion Interest Mapping Home & Beyond," was a comprehensive one-year program. Prior to closing, the last publicly available enrollment information listed a total of 20 students.

Although Adam AhQuin denied any affiliation with WWASP Programs, SCINSU reportedly adopted program structures similar to those of the controversial World Wide Association of Specialty Programs (WWASP). There is conflicting online sentiment about the actual nature of the programs structure and there is little publicly available information. Certain individuals claiming to be former residents online allege the program's structure was rife with abuse.

Controversy

Corrective Action Plan

Second Chances in Southern Utah was given a corrective action plan for multiple violations, as detailed by the Utah Department of Human Services' Office of Licensing in a letter dated September 10, 2019. The noted issues included a delayed report of a critical incident involving a staff member and five clients from May 5, 2019, which was not reported until August 26, 2019. Additionally, it was reported that during this incident, a staff member took five clients off-campus without proper authorization and provided at least four of them with a vape to smoke. Another violation noted was the inadequate staff-to-client ratio observed on September 4, 2019, which did not meet the required administrative standards. These infractions required the implementation of a formal corrective action plan to address and rectify the compliance failures.