Steve Cartisano
Stephen Anthony Cartisano | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 15, 1955[1] |
| Died | May 4, 2019 (aged 63)[1] Durant, Oklahoma, USA[1] |
| Burial place | Tishomingo City Cemetery[1] |
| Known for | Founding Challenger Foundation |
Stephen Cartisano was an American military veteran and the founder of multiple troubled teen programs programs during the 1980s and 1990s. He is best known for creating multiple programs which were part of the early "tough love" movement in behavior modification and outdoor therapy.
Background
[edit]Cartisano served in the United States Air Force and later worked in juvenile rehabilitation. Drawing on his military background, he founded wilderness-based behavioral programs that aimed to reform troubled adolescents through rigorous outdoor challenges and strict discipline.
Challenger Foundation
[edit]In 1988, Cartisano launched the Challenger Foundation, one of the first private wilderness therapy programs.[2][3] The program operated primarily in Utah and other parts of the American West. Challenger was marketed as a way for parents to intervene in the lives of at-risk teens through an immersive, outdoor behavioral boot camp.
On 27 June 1990, a sixteen-year-old girl named Kristen Chase collapsed during a hike in 90°F heat[4] on the Kaiparowits Plateau[5] after being enrolled in the challenger foundation by her mother without her father's knowledge.[6]
Stephen Cartisano and his field director Lance Jagger were charged with negligent homicide and multiple counts of child abuse.[7] Lance Jagger entered into a diversion agreement with Kane County Prosecutor Jim Scarth where he would testify for the prosecution against Cartisano.[8] Kane County Sheriff Max Jackson testified that there was not enough medical staff, and that it took two hours for a helicopter and nurse to reach Kirsten.[9] On 28 May 1992, Cartisano was acquitted on the charges including the negligent homicide charge.[4]
Hawaii
[edit]Challenger V was based in Hawaii on the island of Molokai.[10] Deputy Attorney General Thomas D. Farrell got a state court order to perform a raid on the camp due to multiple violations of Hawaii state laws such as mandatory school attendance where nine participants were taken by helicopter to the police station and examined by a doctor, but no serious injuries were found.[10][11]
HealthCare America
[edit]In the early 1990s, Cartisano set up HealthCare America in the U.S. Virgin Islands which was operating without a license.[11] Two boys tried to escape this program by swimming 1.5 miles from Hans Lollik to St. Thomas aided by fellow enrollee Winthrop Paul Rockefeller III who gave them his bank details and a watch.[12]
The American Heritage Center
[edit]In 1994, five boys were found with their hands tied and ropes round their necks, tied to a car which prompted an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and New York Human services officials.[13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Stephen Cartisano Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information". www.gordonfh.com. Retrieved Jun 18, 2025.
- ^ Mcentee, Peg (May 28, 1992). "Founder of Wilderness Survival Program Cleared in Teen's Death". AP News. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
The Challenger program was born in 1988
- ^ "YOUTH TESTIFIES THAT CARTISANO ABUSED, TRIED TO CHOKE HIM". Deseret News. 19 September 1991. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
Challenger founder Stephen Cartisano
- ^ a b "JURY ACQUITS CARTISANO OF ALL CHARGES". Deseret News. 1992-05-28. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "MOM OF TEEN WHO DIED GETS SETTLEMENT". Deseret News. 1995-08-16. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "WILDERNESS PROGRAM SETTLES WITH FATHER OF VICTIM". Deseret News. 1994-09-06. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "Survival program charged in death of Fla. teen-ager". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "EX-CHALLENGER AIDE AGREES TO TESTIFY AGAINST CARTISANO". Deseret News. 1990-09-13. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "Sheriff testifies about foundation director". Tampa Bay Times. 18 September 1991. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ a b "CARTISANO IS IN HAWAII TO DEFEND CHALLENGER V". Deseret News. 10 December 1990. Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ a b Janofsky, Michael (2001-08-09). "Boot Camps Proponent Becomes Focus of Critics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "Summer Camp for the Rich and Famous". Arkansas Business — Business News, Real Estate, Law, Construction. 1994-04-10. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
- ^ "CARTISANO'S LATEST PROJECT RUNS AFOUL IN PUERTO RICO". Deseret News. 1994-06-03. Retrieved 2025-06-14.