Pointing to new evidence, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson asked for a U.S. Department of Justice probe into the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna as the federal investigation of prison deaths in Florida continues.
Nelson noted researchers from the University of South Florida (USF) have found more than 50 bodies buried on site. In 2013, two former students at the state reform school, which was open from 1900 until 1968, told Sunshine State News there were as many as 60 additional bodies not reported in a 2009 state report which found 31 bodies. Nelson has been active in calling for more investigation of Dozier, scene of what has been calledstate-sanctioned barbarism, including flogging, sexual assault and, possibly, murder.
Families of victims and victims themselves -- the "White House Boys," named for the building where they were taken to be disciplined -- produced a horrifying picture of life at the 159-acre institution, particularlybetween 1914 and 1952.
On Tuesday, Nelson sent his letter to outgoing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder calling for an investigation. Nelson also delivered the letter to Loretta Lynch, whom President Barack Obama has nominated to replace him.
I am writing to respectfully request that the U.S. Department of Justice examine new evidence about the deaths of youth at a now-defunct Florida reform school as part of the agencys ongoing probe of more recent inmate deaths in the states prison system, Nelson wrote. Given new information about wards of the shuttered reform school, and a long history of mistreatment allegations surrounding the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida, I believe the department is uniquely positioned to provide an outside and independent review.
Earlier this month, researchers at the University of South Florida (USF) reported they have found the remains of 51 individuals buried on the grounds of the reform school, Nelson continued. This contrasts with a 2009 Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) investigation concluding that 31 individuals were buried on the school grounds. Having brought USFs initial research to the Justice Departments attention in 2012, I remain troubled that university researchers have uncovered information not contained in the states 2009 report.
I am grateful for the assistance the department already has provided USF through a 2013 grant from the National Institute of Justice, which has helped fund the forensic research -- research that indicates children at Dozier suffered from nutritional deficiencies, lack of dental care, and underdevelopment, Nelson added. In one grave, officials discovered what they think may be a buckshot. Yet in 2012, when the FDLE was asked to comment on the universitys initial findings, officials characterized them as just an academic research study with a different standard and scope than a law enforcement investigation. Local law enforcement, meantime, has expressed no interest in investigating. Thus, a federal investigation may be the best alternative.
As the Justice Department works to provide answers and closure for the families of Florida prison inmates whose deaths may have stemmed from potential violations of their constitutional rights, I hope you will do the same for the families of these deceased young wards of the state. I am enclosing a copy of USFs 15-page report detailing its findings, Nelson wrote in conclusion.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
