1,000 Cuts

In the shadows of British Columbia’s youth custody system, a chemical restraint known as RX-47 was used to enforce compliance under the guise of therapy. Years later, survivor Jamie Kovak is still living with the aftermath—conditioned obedience, fractured memory, and a voice in his head that isn’t always his own.
When investigative journalist Rebecca Chen uncovers evidence linking RX-47 to a broader web of institutional corruption, the past reignites. Injunctions are filed. Whistleblowers surface. Powerful figures move to contain the damage. As the truth edges toward exposure, Jamie must decide whether to retreat into silence or confront the system that shaped him—and risk everything again.
1,000 Cuts is a psychological thriller about coercive “treatment,” the machinery of institutional control, and the slow erosion of identity. At its core, it is a story of survival, agency, and the cost of refusing to comply.
Inspired by documented patterns of misconduct in youth facilities, all characters and events are fictionalized.
Content advisory: Psychological manipulation, institutional abuse, trauma symptoms, mental health crises, and violence. Intended for mature readers.