For Their Own Good
St. Petersburg Times

This newsbook offers an inside look at the shameful history of Florida's oldest reform school, where juvenile delinquents in the 1950s and '60s were beaten bloody by abusive guards in a dingy building called the White House. The school's 100-year history is rife with chaining, hogtying, and whipping, and a seemingly endless cycle of abuse and reform. Interviews with dozens of former inmates offer insight into the long-term effects of childhood trauma. Part One of this story was first published in the St. Petersburg Times Floridian section on April 19, 2009. Part Two was first published in the Times on October 11, 2009.

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