The "Quiet Room" in KIDS of El Paso was about the size of a large household bathroom and was located along the back wall of the main group room of the building. The name of this room was ironic as times spent in this room were never quiet. Usually this room was used as a last resort to 'break' teens that were non-compliant or 'rebellious' and refused to participate in rap therapy with the rest of the group. If a teen was disruptive in group to the extent that the teen warranted removal, the teen was often taken to this room for confrontation.
Confrontation in the quiet room was very direct and often included a combination of up to 10 group and staff members that surrounded the teen that that caused the disturbance. Confrontation consisted of simultaneous yelling at the teen while in close proximity. Inevitably due to both the level of intensity and proximity, the accused would be pushed around and often would be spit upon. The goal of this session was often to prompt the accused teen to "get real" or "get honest" which would include acting out behaviorally. The controversy with acting out behaviorally in the quiet room was that often these behaviors were simply defensive and in response to the aforementioned level of intensity and proximity.
The quiet room was a secluded area where there were no witnesses to the sequence of events that took place between a noncompliant teen and other staff or group members. The honest story behind visits to the quiet room and what occurred there to different teens at different times continues to remain a mystery. Years after the program closed quiet room some stories began to emerge. There are several stories of humiliation such as forcing teens to wear soiled diapers that included both feces and menstrual blood. There were also stories of blatant physical abuse resulting in dislocated joints, detached muscles, and even broken bones. It was common for the group to continue daily activities during rap sessions while a group member screamed in pain from behind the quiet room's closed door.
