Paris Hilton backs California bill supporting youth living in state funded treatment centers
TODAY -- Pictured: Paris Hilton on Monday, November 27, 2023 -- (Photo by: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
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Paris Hilton joined California state lawmakers to push for legislation to protect teens and young people in youth treatment centers.
The proposed bill, dubbed the Accountability in Children’s Treatment Act, aims to advocate for youth living in short-term state residential facilities dealing with substance abuse and behavioral issues.
If passed, the bill will require centers to notify parents and the state any time they use restraints or seclusion rooms for minors, in an effort to promote transparency and fair treatment for the patients.
On Monday, Hilton testified in support of the bill, sharing the details of the abuse she faced as a teenager living in a Utah treatment facility.
"Our current system designed to reform, in some horrific instances, does the exact opposite," Hilton told lawmakers Monday. "It breaks spirits and instills fear, and it perpetuates a cycle of abuse. But today, we have the power to change that."
The socialite and Hilton hotel heiress said that while in custody at these facilities, she was subjected to isolation and denied "even the most basic rights."
The bipartisan bill, authored by Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove and Democratic state Sens. Aisha Wahab and Angelique Ashby, would provide programs with a level of oversight, accountability and protection not currently made available to minors living in these facilities.
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During her testimony, Hilton said she was subjected to abuse disguised as therapy. She said if she tried to tell her parents about the abuse, facility staff would rip the phone from her hand, restrain her, and force her into solitary confinement.
California is just the latest state in Hilton's efforts to strengthen laws over inspection and oversight of the "troubled teen" industry.
In 2020, Hilton released a documentary that chronicled her experience at Provo Canyon School in Provo, Utah. The documentary also follows her efforts in passing a similar bill in Utah. Advocates have already successfully passed related bills in Illinois, Missouri, Montana and Oregon.
"When I close my eyes at night, I still have nightmares about solitary confinement 20 years later," Hilton said. "The sounds of my peers screaming as they were physically restrained by numerous staff members and injected with sedatives will also never leave me."
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Last year, Hilton traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for the federal Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, which would establish practices and transparency in youth residential care programs. So far, national efforts have failed to pass recent proposals.
The Senate Human Services Committee passed the bill on a 5-0 vote. The bill now goes to the Appropriations Committee for further approval.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.