Betrayed By The State Author:John Bernadyn Imagine being forcefully taken from a sexually, physically, and emotionally abusive household by people who tell you that they will take care of you and keep you safe. That is exactly what happened to John Bernadyn at a very young age. I?m free, John thought. He later recalled that freedom often comes with a price. After being forcefully remo... more »ved from this childhood horror he spent a short amount of time in foster care. When that didn?t work out a children?s homeless shelter was the next stop. Then, when that didn?t work out a group home for boys was the next stop. As anyone can imagine this was quite traumatic. BUT, what happened next was the worst trauma of all. This is the trauma that he will live with for the rest of his life. It is a trauma that keeps him awake at night. It haunts him during the waking hours at unsuspecting times. And while he maintains that he has recovered a great deal, the trauma endured keeps him away from socially charged situations. The next stop was a children?s treatment center that housed a majority of their clientele from the state department of corrections. As a child, a terribly frightened child, he was forced to live amongst people that would cause him harm on almost a daily basis. This is the truth behind what happens to children that are taken away from their parents. The situations that these children live in are not the best. The situations that follow are often not much better. And, to make matters worse the social workers and other caretakers lack the understanding that these scenarios are playing out on a daily basis. How does one truly learn in a college classroom the pain that must be endured by these youth? This book is necessary for all who wish to know what truly happens to youth after they are placed in the care of the state custodial system. Perhaps someone may have the answer to fix the broken system. John Bernadyn is the managing partner of United Advocacy Group, Inc. and works closely with long-term care facilities taking care of people that can no longer take care of themselves. Although traveling a great deal for occupational reasons, he resides in Chicago with his long-time partner and their two dogs. This is his first book.« less