Utah officials finally revoked another campus license Friday for the Provo Canyon School, a facility where Paris Hilton alleges she suffered abuse as a teenager. The Utah Department of Health and Human Services cited a multitude of noncompliance issues from 2026 at the Provo campus. These included failures to protect "a client from potential harm or acts of violence" and "using cruel and unnecessary practice on a child." More than a dozen such citations were formally noted on Friday, revealing a systemic failure of oversight.
State's Failure to Protect
Shannon Thoman-Black, director of the division of licensing and background checks at the health and human services department, issued a telling statement. "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," she said. This admission underscores the state's responsibility and its profound failure to uphold it. Earlier this month, the state had already revoked the license for the Provo Canyon School’s other campus in Utah. That decision also cited the school's inability to "provide applicable health and safety services for clients."
Paris Hilton, the media personality, spent nearly a year at the school in the late 1990s. She expressed a sense of "peace" following the latest announcement. "This horrific chapter of abuse, neglect, and trauma has finally come to an end," Hilton stated, highlighting the long-standing nature of the alleged issues. The school, described on its website as a psychiatric residential treatment facility, caters to youth aged 12 to 18. Its continued operation, despite such allegations, raises serious questions about institutional accountability.
The Cost to Our Youth
The Provo campus now has until August 15 to cease providing services. This deadline is less than one month away. Utah officials have pledged to monitor the facility at least once a week during this interim period. Staci Bradley, the school’s director of business development, indicated the institution's resistance. She stated they "do not agree with the state’s decision" and are "carefully reviewing all available legal and administrative avenues, including the appeals process." The facility has a mere 15 days to request a hearing before the department, signaling a potential prolonged legal battle.
Hilton's allegations paint a grim picture of the conditions within a state-authorized institution. She claims school staff members beat her, watched her shower, fed her unknown pills, and locked her in solitary confinement without clothing. These are not isolated incidents; Hilton has testified about her experiences in Congress and various state legislatures across the U.S. Her advocacy has been instrumental in passing laws designed to protect teens in Utah and more than a dozen other states. One month ago, in June 2026, Hilton returned to the Provo Canyon School to support two families. These families had filed lawsuits alleging mistreatment of their own children at the facility. The school is currently under new ownership, which claims it cannot comment on anything predating the change, including Hilton’s time there. This convenient detachment from past abuses does little to reassure the public about the safety of the nation's children.