“Juvenile Delinquents: There shall be separate buildings, not nearer than one fourth mile to each other, one for white boys and one for negro boys. White boys and negro boys shall not, in any manner, be associated together or worked together.”
Housing Black and white juveniles apart from each other led to the disparate treatment of Black youth, who were more often subjected to the harshest and most cruel punishments. For example, the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, a reform institution where many Black boys with disciplinary issues were assigned to, was akin to a “black site”— an off-the-books prison or detainment site — with sanctioned slavery. Opened in 1900, it took until 2011 for the state to shutter the school. Many unmarked graves have been found onsite, and experts have confirmed the remains to be of Black boys. The report stated that Black boys were three times more likely to die and be buried there. Presently, the treatment of Black boys in the juvenile system is still disproportionately harsh. They are still more likely to be sent to adult prison and more likely to be committed to secured detention.