Utah regulators revoked the operating license for Provo Canyon School's main campus on Friday, citing documented failures to protect children from violence and the use of "cruel and unnecessary practice on a child" — bringing closure to Paris Hilton's years-long campaign against the facility where she says she was abused as a teenager.
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services cited more than a dozen noncompliance violations at the Provo campus in 2026 alone, including failures to protect clients from potential harm or acts of violence. The state had already revoked the license for the school's other Utah campus earlier this month for failing to provide required health and safety services.
"No child should be hurt in a program that is meant to protect them; particularly programs that require the authorization of the state to operate," Shannon Thoman-Black, director of the division of licensing and background checks at the health and human services department, said in a statement.
A Survivor's Victory
Hilton, who spent almost a year at the school in the late 1990s, described the decision as bringing her a sense of "peace" after nearly three decades. "This horrific chapter of abuse, neglect, and trauma has finally come to an end," she said in a statement.
The media personality alleges that school staff members beat her, watched her shower, fed her unknown pills and locked her in solitary confinement without clothing. She's transformed her personal trauma into advocacy, testifying before Congress and state legislatures around the U.S. Her efforts have helped pass laws protecting teens in Utah and more than a dozen other states.
One month ago, Hilton returned to the Provo Canyon School to support two families who filed lawsuits alleging that their children were mistreated at the school.
What Happens Next
The school — described on its website as a psychiatric residential treatment facility for youth ages 12 to 18 — has until Aug. 15 to stop providing services at its Provo campus. Utah officials will monitor the facility at least once a week in the interim, according to the state's Department of Health and Human Services.
Staci Bradley, the school's director of business development, said in a statement that they don't agree with the state's decision and "are carefully reviewing all available legal and administrative avenues, including the appeals process." The facility has 15 days to request a hearing before the department.
The school is under new ownership, and the administration has said it can't comment on anything that came before the change, including Hilton's time there. That silence hasn't prevented state regulators from documenting ongoing violations affecting children in their care today.
Why This Matters:
The closure of both Provo Canyon School campuses demonstrates how survivor advocacy can force accountability in an industry that's operated for decades with minimal oversight. Hilton's willingness to speak publicly about her trauma helped expose systemic failures in residential treatment facilities that claim to help vulnerable youth while subjecting them to documented abuse. The state's decision to revoke licenses based on current violations — not just historical allegations — shows that regulatory agencies can protect children when they prioritize enforcement over industry interests. For families who've entrusted their children to facilities promising psychiatric care, the pattern of citations reveals how easily profit-driven institutions can exploit the lack of consistent standards and monitoring. The broader legislative changes Hilton helped pass in more than a dozen states suggest that protecting children in these settings requires both individual courage to break silence and collective action through democratic institutions.