A girls’ residential treatment school in Utah, where socialite Paris Hilton has long alleged she was abused as a teenager, has had its operating licence revoked following a state investigation into serious health and safety violations.
Utah regulators cited multiple cases of unnecessary restraint, aggressive physical contact and neglect at Provo Canyon School’s Springville campus, prompting the decision.
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said the facility failed to provide adequate care and protection for the children under its supervision.
According to the agency, the school:
- Used unnecessary physical restraints.
- Engaged in aggressive physical contact with residents.
- Recorded multiple instances of neglect.
- Failed to meet required health and safety standards.
In a letter to the school, regulators stated that it had “failed to provide applicable health and safety services for clients.”
As a result, the facility’s residential treatment licence has been cancelled, with all services at the Springville campus ordered to cease by August 6.
The school has 15 days to appeal the decision.
Hilton, who has spent years campaigning against alleged abuse in youth residential treatment centres, welcomed the decision.
In a statement, she said:
“For more than fifty years, children came forward with stories of abuse, neglect, and trauma.”
She added:
“Today, the state confirmed what survivors have known all along: Provo Canyon School failed the children in its care. I was one of those children.”
Reflecting on her own experience, Hilton said:
“I know what it feels like to cry for help and believe no-one is coming. Today, children still inside that facility know someone is finally coming to protect them.”
She also stressed that institutions must be held accountable.
“When survivors refuse to stay silent, change is possible.”
Hilton attended the Springville facility for nearly a year during the 1990s, when it operated under different ownership.
She first publicly detailed her experiences in her 2020 documentary, alleging she was:
- Physically assaulted.
- Forced to take medication.
- Placed in solitary confinement as part of behaviour modification programmes.
In 2021, she said:
“My parents were promised that tough love would fix me and that sending me across the country was the only way.”
She added that the experience continues to haunt her.
Provo Canyon School said it is considering challenging the state’s decision.
The Springville campus, which serves girls aged 12 to 18, is described on its website as an intensive psychiatric residential treatment centre.
Meanwhile, the school’s boys’ campus in Provo has also faced regulatory action. State health officials imposed temporary restrictions in June, preventing it from accepting new admissions while allowing it to continue caring for existing residents.
In recent years, Hilton has become one of the leading campaigners against what she describes as the “troubled teen industry.”
She has testified before the U.S. Congress and several state legislatures, advocating for stronger oversight of private residential treatment facilities and greater protections for vulnerable children.
The licence revocation marks one of the most significant regulatory actions taken against Provo Canyon School and follows years of complaints from former residents who alleged abuse and mistreatment at the facility.
