Paramount+’s new documentary Born in Synanon delves into the cult Synanon, often described as one of “the most dangerous and violent cults” in America. Dexerto reports that the four-part docuseries is from the perspective of Cassidy Arkin. He was born into Synanon and later attempts to uncover the truth about the controversial group.
Charles Dederich, who was later deemed a controversial cult leader, founded Synanon in 1958. The group was originally known as Tender Loving Care and started as a revolutionary drug rehabilitation program. According to the New York Times, the California-based addiction recovery group turned excessively abusive after the founder plunged into violent paranoia and alcohol abuse.
Dederich died in March 1997 in Kaweah Delta Hospital in Visalia at the age of 83. His wife later confirmed the cause of death to be cardiorespiratory failure.
Synanon: Controversy around Charles Dederich and his cult explained
Times reported that Charles Dederich founded Synanon in 1958, and it eventually attracted thousands of drug addicts and dropouts. Law enforcement authorities have estimated that by 1980, the group had compiled assets of $30 million to $50 million. The organization even claimed credit for thousands of rehabilitation. However, Synanon soon turned into a wealthy, authoritarian cult from a renowned drug rehabilitation program.
Reportedly, there have been several accounts of violence as well as Dederich forcing vasectomies for men in Synanon and abortions mandatory for women. Moreover, the divorces of hundreds of its married couples, who were to switch to other partners, went through investigations, garnering unfavorable newspaper publicity.
Furthermore, in 1980, Dederich faced conspiracy to commit murder charges alongside two other members of his organization‘s security force. The charges were brought against them for allegedly placing a rattlesnake in the mailbox of a lawyer, Paul Morantz, who had sued the organization.
Morantz had sued Synanon, acting on behalf of former members and their relatives. These people claimed that the organization was holding them against their will. The snake incident ended with the lawyer getting hospitalized for six days due to a snake bite.
Dederich and his co-defendants pleaded no contest to the charges and received five years of probation. The court also fined him $5,000 and ordered him not to participate actively in running Synanon. As part of the plea deal, he gave up control of Synanon and served no jail time, as per the Washington Post.
In the mid-80s, the organization declared itself a religion. However, the government condemned them for a corporate policy of ”terror and violence.” Synanon’s influence and popularity declined after this.
Born in Synanon premiered on December 12, 2023, on Paramount+.
