Children of Darkness

6/21/2025

Statistically, there are some seriously scary numbers quoted here as we spend an hour with some of the seven million American kids who have some sort of learning or behavioural difficulties. Initially, we visit Pennsylvania’s Eastern State School - the largest in the nation - that cares for over 150 young people with a budget of $13.5 million which roughly equates to just shy of $85,000 to feed, house and medicate each resident. It’s the lively Brian who is the poignant focus here, a lad whose behaviour vacillates from the friendly and charming to the violently temperamental and it’s that latter type of behaviour that illustrates that this establishment relies heavily on drugs to becalm and control those living here. There are other techniques employed elsewhere, and to Maine we head next