Harrowing Netflix documentary leaving viewers with 'jaw on the floor' is a 'must-see'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Netflix's latest true crime docuseries is so shocking it has left viewers with their jaws 'on the floor.' Titled The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnappings, the three-part series hears from Americans who were the victims of childhood abuse at a disciplinary school.

Ivy Ridge was described to desperate parents as a place to send their disruptive kids in a bid to improve their behaviour. However, despite the shiny brochure billing the academy as a relaxing location of "237 acres, with plenty of outdoor recreational space and nature trails," what the children were made to endure was sinister.

Families would pay up to £140,000 to have their children taken to the school in Ogdensburg, New York, between 2001 and 2009.

The documentary, directed by a former Ivy Ridge student, lays bare the harrowing experiences the teens were made to endure. READ MORE: 'Insanely enjoyable' award-winning film with near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score is coming to Disney+ Rules within the school meant students were forbidden from talking, smiling, going outside, or communicating freely with the outside world.