Researchers Locate Over 1,000 Graves at Former Juvenile Detention Sites

Why it matters locally: Given the national scope of this research and Virginia's own history of juvenile correctional facilities, it is possible similar investigations could be warranted within the Commonwealth regarding former youth detention sites.

Researchers have identified over 1,000 children's graves adjacent to former juvenile detention facilities across 29 states. These discoveries resulted from investigations into historical youth detention practices. At one specific site in Maryland, investigators located the graves of 230 Black boys. This burial ground sits in a forested area next to the Maryland Veterans Cemetery, near what was historically the House of Reformation in Cheltenham, Maryland. The broader research effort has systematically documented these burial locations, providing a comprehensive view of previously unacknowledged graves at these institutions. The findings span multiple states, indicating a widespread pattern of such burial sites connected to former youth correctional facilities.