More than 800 survivors of abuse at two state-run reform schools in Florida have applied for restitution after decades of harrowing stories emerged about the brutality endured by children at these institutions. The claims follow a formal apology by Florida lawmakers for the atrocities that took place over 50 years ago.
Decades of Abuse and Neglect at Dozier School for Boys
The Dozier School for Boys, located in Marianna, Florida, operated for over a century and housed up to 500 boys at its peak during the Jim Crow era. Many were sent there for minor offenses like truancy, petty theft, or running away. Others were orphans or abandoned children.
Survivors recount beatings, sexual assaults, deaths, and mysterious disappearances at the hands of school personnel. Nearly 100 boys are known to have died at the school between 1900 and 1973, with causes ranging from gunshot wounds to blunt force trauma. While some bodies were returned to families, others were buried in unmarked graves only recently discovered.
Restitution Applications Flood In
Ahead of a December 31 deadline, the state received more than 800 applications for restitution from survivors of Dozier and its sister school in Okeechobee. In 2023, Florida lawmakers allocated $20 million to be divided among the surviving victims.
Bryant Middleton, who spoke out publicly in 2017 when the state formally acknowledged the abuse, recalled his time at Dozier between 1959 and 1961. He endured brutal beatings for minor infractions, such as eating blackberries off a fence or mispronouncing a teacher’s name.
“I’ve seen a lot in my lifetime. A lot of brutality, a lot of horror, a lot of death,” said Middleton, a Vietnam veteran. “I would rather be sent back into the jungles of Vietnam than to spend one single day at the Florida School for Boys.”
A Legacy of Neglect and Injustice
Allegations of abuse have plagued Dozier since it opened in 1900. Reports detailed children being chained to walls in irons, inadequate facilities, and horrific living conditions. In 1968, then-Governor Claude Kirk visited the school, finding it in extreme disrepair with leaky ceilings, no heating, and buckets used as toilets.
“If one of your kids were kept in such circumstances,” Kirk said at the time, “you’d be up there with rifles.”
The state shut down Dozier in 2011 following investigations that confirmed decades of abuse and neglect.
Honoring Survivors Through Film and Literature
As survivors await restitution, their resilience and stories are being honored in the new film Nickel Boys, adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The book was inspired by the horrors of Dozier and seeks to ensure the victims’ experiences are not forgotten.
Whitehead has said he hopes the story raises awareness about the long shadow of institutional abuse, ensuring the victims’ voices continue to be heard.
A Step Toward Justice
For many survivors, the restitution represents an acknowledgment of the pain they endured and a step toward healing. While the monetary compensation cannot erase the past, it serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of justice and accountability.
