Over 1,000 children are buried at juvenile detention centers nationwide
Researchers have identified the graves of over 1,000 children who died while incarcerated in juvenile detention centers and reform schools across the United States. The initiative aims to document these forgotten burial sites and connect with the surviving families of the deceased.
Why it matters
This investigation sheds light on the historical mistreatment of marginalized youth in the American justice system and provides closure to affected families.
When Veronica Spears read the letter, she began to shake.
At the time, she said, she couldn't find the words to respond.
"The letter said they found out that my grandfather had a brother that was in a reformation institution," she later told NPR in an interview. "And he passed away at the age of 12. We never knew."
Spears' family is one of 16 that researchers with Georgetown University's Center for Youth Justice have linked to children who died at the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children in Cheltenham, Md. The center has been working since February to identify children who died at 40 reform schools and youth detention centers across the country, as well as any surviving family members, as part of its Forgotten Children Initiative .
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