The Lost Boys

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For a time The Florida School for Boys (or Arthur G.Dozier School for Boys)was the largest juvenile institution in the United States. It was open from 1900 until 2011 and gained a reputation for abuse including rape, torture, even murder. Families would receive letters that their child had mysteriously died. There were about 564 enrollments in the 111 years this facility was in operation. In a report done by the Department of Justice in 2010 it was reported that 11.3% of the boys at this facility were sexually abused by staff and, 2.2% reported being victimized by other inmates. Several other reports have been done investigating this reform school down through the years. It wasn't until 2011 that state authorities closed the school permanently. By 2012 they had identified 55 burials with most outside the cemetery. The state wanted to sell part of the 159 acres of land and it wasn't until a family member of one who had died there filed suit and was able to gain an injunction against the state being about to move forward with the sale. This so remains could be exhumed and identified. There have been seven DNA matches and 14 presumptive identifications have been made by 2016. A forensic anthropologist, Dr. Erin Kimmerle, is continuing to compile and identify DNA. The statute of limitations have made it impossible at this late date to bring staff to justice. The only crimes that doesn't have a statue of limitations concerned with this case is that of a rape of a child under twelve and murder. As well as bringing these staff members to justice there should also be an apology, in a big way, made for allowing adult men who worked there to sexually, mentally and physically abuse inmates under their care.