Reform Schools

Reform Schools - Historical Perspective

For the first half of the 19th Century, children were treated as simply smaller versions of adults when it came to arrest, trial, conviction and incarceration.  For young and old, conviction and sentencing meant confinement in “penitentiaries” with brutal and mind-numbing conditions, ranging from harsh physical labor, to beatings, to enforced silence whose violation was severely punished.  Gradually, reformers, elected officials and judges began a form of nullification, refusing to convict or sentence youthful offenders to incarceration due to the appalling conditions they would experience in confinement.

In the mid-1800’s states began to create separate but similar facilities for youthful offenders to imprison them apart from adults. In 1886, the Lyman School for Boys opened in Lyman, Massachusetts, the first in what would become a nationwide experiment with placing troubled youth into prison-like facilities to achieve their reformation. 

Unfortunately, this perceived solution to the problem of what to do with juvenile offenders has not played out the way 19th advocates had hoped. Increasingly sophisticated studies have found that placement in congregate care facilities like reform schools may expose youth to more intensely delinquent or disturbed youth, increase recidivism, destabilize the mental health of young people and place them at greater risk of suicide, and retard employment and educational prospects. In 2006, Justice Policy Institute researchers took a critical look at the impact of the reform school setting on delinquent youth.

Careful studies of youth in Arkansas’ juvenile justice system found that, controlling for other factors, juvenile delinquents who’d spent time in a congregate care facility were much more likely to reoffend. The chances of being recommitted to the Arkansas Department of Youth Services increased 13-fold for youth with prior commitments.  Repeatedly, researchers have shown that delinquent behavior, even serious delinquency, is normative behavior for teenage males, and that incarceration can slow the natural process of maturing out of delinquency. Thus, a more effective alternative such as: therapeutic boarding schools; residential treatment centers and wilderness programs have replaced the antiquated reform school model.

Reform Schools in America

Lyman School for Boys. Established 1846 in Westborough, Massachusetts; reorganized 1886. A large working farm of 500 acres that the residents maintained was able to finance most of the school’s operations until 1955.

Oregon State Training School. Established 1891 in Salem, Oregon. Students were required to spend four hours a day on class work and four hours a day working on learning a skilled trade, or working in the school’s farm and orchard.

Waukesha Home of Refuge. Established 1860 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. This school emphasized the importance of agricultural—especially dairying—skills, and employed residents in the manufacture of brooms, baskets, and other household goods.

Dozier School for Boys. Established in 1900 in Mariana, Florida. Became notorious over the course of several decades for harsh conditions, beatings, and repeated escape attempts made by residents.

Alternative Boarding Schools

A Boarding School is an academically, accredited school where students live on-campus throughout a school year along with other teachers and staff. Typically, students in these environments have better access to resources, technology and instruction. Learning in a boarding school environment is often times more meaningful and productive. In addition to the traditional boarding school, there are three primary types of alternative boarding schools that are recognized in the education world: college-preparatory boarding schools, junior boarding schools and therapeutic boarding schools.

College-preparatory boarding schools main functions are to prepare students for college life and to assist in the transition to from primary education to secondary education. Within the realm of college preparatory schools there are many specialized categories that include: Christian boarding schools, all boys or girls boarding schools, military boarding schools and arts boarding schools.

Junior boarding schools typically accommodate students that range in grades k-8. It is a great alternative to the public school setting and is a good option for parents wanting to provide their child with a much more enhanced learning opportunity. These schools are private, and costs range between $40,000.00 - $55,000.00 per year. However, most of these schools do not have the resources or focus to adequately address students with emotional issues, behavioral problems and learning disabilities.

Therapeutic Boarding Schools are the best alternative to traditional boarding schools and generally accommodate students between the ages of 12-18.  These schools are generally designated as special purpose schools whose primary focuses are more tailored to behavioral/emotional growth; working with students with learning disabilities and other mental disorders; and with adolescents who suffer from substance abuse.  These schools range in cost from $200.00 -$700.00 per day.  Often times, boarding schools require a minimum commitment of 12-18 months as the process of changing one’s life is an arduous task that requires a team of highly trained professionals.  One such, therapeutic boarding school that has evolved into a premier school for teens who are struggling in life, is Turning Winds Academic Institute (TWAI).  TWAI has been around for over ten years and has assisted thousands of parents and professionals of troubled teens to provide a meaningful treatment experience and successful outcomes.  For more information on how this effective, therapeutic school may be able to assist you in the process of determining whether this will be a good fit for your son or daughter, please call:  800-845-1380.