There is some troubling intersection here with broader issues in the so-called "troubled teen" industry. Adolescents living in conservative homes are often sent involuntarily to prison-like "camps," often in the wilderness. Frequently, their parents consider them to be "troubled" because they identify as transgender or gay. Or they refuse to go to church, because they don't believe what's being taught there. Or their parents don't like their romantic partner, etc.

I've written stories about how some of these teens are rousted from their bedrooms in the middle of the night, handcuffed in their pajamas, bundled into vans, and taken away for indefinite periods of time.

With parental permission, apparently some of these tactics are actually legal, which blows my mind, but there you have it.

The teens end up in very coercive, punitive situations, often forced into extreme exercise and isolated for days or weeks without being allowed to speak or otherwise communicate with anyone.

It's very rare for these camps to employ actual mental health professionals. When they do, the professionals usually only visit for brief periods, leaving daily supervision to untrained staff.

In many cases, the teens are only allowed to go home if they're able to convince camp staff that they have "reformed," that they have seen the error of their ways and will henceforth share their parents' religious values, which often means renouncing their identities as transgender or gay.

One such camp in Montana is facing a federal lawsuit now, filed by several women who were previous inmates who alleged that they were tortured, had food withheld, and were forced to sleep in freezing cold conditions without adequate clothing or blankets.

The camp shut its doors after the lawsuit was filed, but they admitted no liability.