Beyond Britney: Abuse, Exploitation, And Death Inside America’s Guardianship Industry
For people under guardianship, the system can be dehumanizing, dangerous, and even deadly. For the professionals — who can control hundreds of people at a time — it can be very profitable. A BuzzFeed News investigation. By Heidi Blake and Katie J.M. Baker Posted on September 17, 2021, at 1:02 p.m. ET Beyond Britney This is part 1 of a BuzzFeed News investigation Part 2: They Both Fought To Break Free From Guardianship. Only One Escaped. Part 3: “My Human Rights Are Being Violated”: Fighting A Family Conservatorship They can isolate you: A teenager with cerebral palsy was snatched from the school gates and hidden from his parents. They can bleed you dry: A successful rheumatologist was declared incapacitated after a bout of depression and lost her million-dollar waterfront home. And they can leave you to die: A 46-year-old man died under a do-not-resuscitate order that went against the desperate pleas of his wife. All three nightmares share a common cause: These people had been placed under the care — and control — of legal guardians. America’s guardianship system was designed as a last resort to be used only in the rare and drastic event that someone is totally incapacitated by mental or physical disability. In those cases, conscientious guardians can provide vital support, often in complex and distressing circumstances. But an investigation by BuzzFeed News has found that the system has grown into a vast, lucrative, and poorly regulated industry that has subsumed more than a million people, many of whom insist they are capable of making their own decisions, and placed them at risk of abuse, theft, and even death. The #FreeBritney movement has drawn international attention to the case of Britney Spears, and wrongdoing by individual guardians… Read More
