Researchers identify over 1,000 children buried at youth detention sites

The short version

• Researchers with Georgetown University's Center for Youth Justice found graves of more than 1,000 children who died at youth reform facilities across 29 states.[NPR]
• The largest discovered site is in Cheltenham, Maryland, where over 230 Black boys were buried near a 19th-century reform institution.[NPR]
• Historical records cite severe labor exploitation and physical punishment at the Maryland facility, which held children as young as five.[NPR]
• Maryland lawmakers formed a state commission this year to identify every child buried at Cheltenham and evaluate potential amends.[NPR]

Key facts

• The Forgotten Children Initiative at Georgetown University identified graves belonging to over 1,000 children who died at reformatories across 29 states.[NPR]
• More than 230 Black boys were found buried in woods across from Maryland's House of Reformation site.[NPR]
• The House of Reformation was founded in 1870 as the first Southern juvenile facility dedicated to Black youth to divert them from adult penitentiaries.[NPR]
• Children as young as five years old were held at the Maryland facility for non-criminal circumstances, including homelessness and poverty.[NPR]
• Maryland state records indicate boys at the institution faced physical beatings, food deprivation, and forced work in local fields and a hazardous broom factory.[NPR]
• Maryland established a state commission within the attorney general's office to identify Cheltenham remains and recommend restorative measures.[NPR]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Over 1,000 children are buried at juvenile detention centers nationwideNPR - Top News