Fred Collins Escapes Straight Inc.

In 1982, 19-year-old Fred Collins Jr. went to visit his brother at Straight Inc., a teen drug rehab program near St. Petersburg, Florida. When he was there, Fred was screened, and he admitted to using marijuana. The staff then kept him there against his will for about 10 months instead of letting him leave. He eventually escaped and returned to Virginia, then sued Straight for false imprisonment. A federal jury in Alexandria awarded him $220,000 in compensatory and punitive damages in 1983 for his illegal detention.

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