Utah revokes license of Provo Canyon School after Paris Hilton's abuse allegations
Utah health officials revoked the license of Provo Canyon School's girls' campus on Monday, citing years of abuse and neglect, after a campaign led by Paris Hilton, who says she was beaten and isolated there as a teen.
License revoked after years of violations
Utah's Department of Health and Human Services revoked the residential treatment license of Provo Canyon School's Springville campus on Monday, effective immediately. The girls' facility, which can house up to 120 adolescents aged 12 to 18, must terminate all services by 6 August. State regulators cited a pattern of noncompliance dating back to 2025, including unnecessary physical restraint, aggressive contact captured on video, neglect of care, and failure to maintain adequate staffing levels or verify employee backgrounds. The department said the school had "failed to provide applicable health and safety services for clients."
No child should be hurt in a program that is meant to protect them.
Paris Hilton's decades-long campaign
Paris Hilton, who spent nearly a year at the school in the late 1990s, has become the most visible survivor of the alleged abuse. She has testified before Congress and state legislatures, helping to pass protective laws in Utah and 15 other states. Hilton, now 45, says staff beat her, watched her shower, gave her unknown pills, and placed her in solitary confinement without clothing. After the license revocation, she said the state had confirmed what survivors knew all along.
For more than fifty years, children came forward with stories of abuse, neglect, and trauma. Today, the state confirmed what survivors have known all along: Provo Canyon School failed the children in its care. I was one of those children. I know what it feels like to cry for help and believe no one is coming. Today, children still inside that facility know someone is finally coming to protect them.
Broader failures and the boys' campus
The Springville campus is not the only one under scrutiny. In June, state officials imposed temporary restrictions on the school's boys' campus in Provo after a boy was knocked unconscious and staff failed to call emergency medical services. Instead, they used a nonmedical transport company, delaying treatment for severe head and facial injuries. Last month, Hilton visited Provo to support two families suing the school over delayed medical care for their children. She was joined by Utah legislator Mike McKell, who has authored bills tightening oversight of teen treatment centers.
School's response and next steps
Provo Canyon School, operated by Universal Health Services, disagrees with the decision. CEO Tim Marshall said the school is evaluating legal options, including an appeal, and that its priority remains providing safe, high-quality care. The school has 15 days to request a hearing. The campus must close by 6 August unless an appeal succeeds. The school is under new ownership, which has said it cannot comment on events predating the change, including Hilton's time there.
- Paris Hilton spends nearly a year at Provo Canyon School; later alleges beatings, forced medication, and solitary confinement.
- State regulators begin documenting noncompliance: unnecessary restraint, aggressive physical contact, neglect, and staffing failures.
- Temporary restrictions imposed after staff fail to seek immediate medical care for a seriously injured student.
- Restrictions placed on boys' campus after a boy is knocked unconscious and staff delay medical care; Hilton visits Provo to support families suing the school.
- Utah DHHS revokes Springville campus license, effective immediately; orders all services terminated by 6 August.
- Deadline for school to request a hearing to appeal the license revocation.
- Campus must cease all services and close.
