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Hilton, 43, the great-granddaughter of Hilton Hotels founder
Conrad Hilton, has spoken publicly about the emotional and
physical abuse she endured when she was placed in residential
youth treatment facilities as a teen.
In remarks to the committee on Wednesday, she described being
taken from her bed in the middle of the night at age 16 and
transported across state lines to a residential facility where
she experienced physical and sexual abuse.
"This $23 billion industry sees this population (of vulnerable
children) as dollar signs and operates without meaningful
oversight," she said.
"There's no education in these places, there's mold and blood on
the walls," she added in response to lawmaker questions. "It's
horrifying what these places are like. They're worse than some
dog kennels."
Hilton said private equity firms that have taken a greater stake
in the industry in recent years focus on maximizing profits,
prompting them to hire unqualified workers.
"They're caring more about profit than the safety of children,"
she said.
Hilton first described her experience at a Utah facility - which
she said has left her with post-traumatic stress disorder that
she continues to suffer from - in 2021, and has been a vocal
advocate for greater oversight of the system.
"These programs promised 'healing, growth, and support,' but
instead did not allow me to speak, move freely, or even look out
of a window for two years," Hilton told the committee. "My
parents were completely deceived - lied to and manipulated by
this for-profit industry - so you can only imagine the
experience for youth who don't have anyone checking in on them."
Several lawmakers agreed that more federal oversight was
necessary.
"We must always be concerned about fraud and guard against Wall
Street vultures snatching public funds to line their pockets,"
Democratic Representative Bill Pascrell said. "We cannot allow
the private equity octopus to reach its tentacles into child
services."
(Reporting by Moira Warburton in Washington; Editing by Andy
Sullivan, Stephen Coates and Deepa Babington)
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