Hundreds of individuals claiming to have suffered physical and sexual abuse at two state-run reform schools in Florida are preparing to receive restitution, following a formal apology from state lawmakers for the abuses they endured over 50 years ago. The incidents date back to a time when the Dozier School for Boys, one of the notorious institutions, housed as many as 500 boys, primarily for minor infractions such as petty theft, truancy, and running away. Notably, many of the children sent there were orphaned or abandoned. The school, which operated for more than a century, has been a center of grave allegations regarding brutal treatment, including physical assaults and even deaths.

Recent reports indicate that nearly 100 boys died at Dozier from 1900 to 1973, with causes of death ranging from gunshot wounds to blunt force trauma. Some bodies were shipped back home, while others were buried in unmarked graves that were only recently discovered by researchers. As the December 31 deadline approached, Florida officials noted that they received over 800 applications for restitution from survivors of abuse at both Dozier and its sister institution located in Okeechobee.

In 2022, the state legislature allocated $20 million to be distributed among the surviving victims. Surviving victims, like Bryant Middleton, have come forward to share their traumatic experiences. Middleton, who was at Dozier from 1959 to 1961, recalled being beaten repeatedly for minor infractions. He expressed, “I’d rather be sent back into the jungles of Vietnam than to spend one single day at the Florida School for Boys.” Middleton served over two decades in the Army, including time in Vietnam, emphasizing the brutal contrasts between his military service and his experiences at Dozier.

The Dozier School has long been criticized, dating back to its inception, for systemic abuse that included reports of children chained to walls. A visit by then-Governor Claude Kirk in 1968 revealed the facility’s bleak conditions, stating, “If one of your kids were kept in such circumstances, you’d be up there with rifles.” The school was ultimately shut down in 2011 following extensive investigations into the maltreatment.

As victims await restitution, their stories are being immortalized in the new film “Nickel Boys,” based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, which draws heavily on the horrors experienced at Dozier. Whitehead hopes that the film will help keep the stories of the victims alive and ensure that their suffering is not forgotten. For more information, refer to the coverage from AP News and LA Times.