3min chapter

Behind the Bastards cover image

Part Two: Synanon: The Drug Rehab Program That Built Its Own Army

Behind the Bastards

CHAPTER

The Punk Squad

The first violence, serious violence within Cinecom was done to children. Dederick couldn't handle that these kids weren't willing to listen to him or follow the cult. He put them into what he called his punk squad, which was a militaristic boot camp style unit dedicated to scaring still children straight through harsh discipline and horrific physical abuse. Children in the punk squad could be hit in the face, knocked down or beaten with objects and then run through the game.

00:00

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode