Forty Five Years of Illegal Flogging, 109 Years of Child Cruelty
The Florida School for Boys in Marianna, Fl.
Now Known as The Arthur G. Dozier School For Boys
This narrative is a true account of the most outrageous case of child cruelty at an institution, possibly in the entire
USA. Please pay attention to the part about "flogging" and the 1922 law that banned it. Flogging continued to be
used as a method of punishment for black and white children as young as ten in the Florida School for Boys in
Marianna Florida until 1967. That is 45yrs of flogging at this facility after the 1922 ban that was signed by Governor
Cary Hardee for adult men. We have been contacted by several men that were in this facility and suffered these
beatings as boys. You may read their accounts by clicking on the "Victim's Stories" tab above. Bear in mind, most of
the boys were between the ages of 10 to 14 years old at the time they were whipped with the same instrument of
punishment that was used on slaves in the 1800's and adult male prisoners in the early 1900's.
FLOGGING: FOR CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS TEN, IT IS A "SPANKING"
In Florida 1922: A man's death abolishes "flogging" of male prisoners. The Panama City Pilot detailed his story and
death on Feb. 2, 1922, headlining the article as "Florida's Disgrace." You must read this to fully grasp the
implications.
Martin Tabert's Death By Flogging
http://www.dc.state.fl.us/oth/timeline/1921.html
Link to Fl. Corrections Brutal History (Long:Slow to load)
http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-10252005-172103/unrestricted/Main_Dissertation.pdf
How ironic to think that this drew national outrage which stopped the flogging of adult prisoners in 1922 but did not
stop the same punishment for children? Note the "five foot leather strap" comment in the Martin Talbert story. Just
exactly what was the difference between that and what they used on children until 1967? A foot or foot and a half?
Think about it. This was NOT banned for children. This goes beyond "disgrace" this is Florida's most shameful
secret.
The Repercussions of Violence on Children:
In many articles, written by psychologists, all agree on one point: Brutal physical punishment of a child only results
in one thing; psychological trauma that is permanent and irreversible, and in most cases leads the subject to commit
acts of violence and abuse as adults on their own children and wives, and, acts of violence against the innocent
public.
The Outcome Spans Generations:
Details on a inspection of FSB taken from the Florida Correctional Archives: In 1903 in which they wrote "the
children were in irons as if common prisoners" and in 1911 "they were unnecessarily and brutally punished, the
instrument of punishment being a leather strap fastened to a wooden handle, thirty to forty lashes not uncommon"
Children that worked in the fields were expected to do a full grown man's work, and when they did not, were thrown
to the ground and beaten where they lay. Sick children were forced to work and often died from a combination of
their sickness, lack of nutrition and vicious beatings.
This only shows how long this facility has brutalized children. Because of these cruel beatings, how many of the boys
grew up to beat or commit sexual acts on their own children? How many wives were battered? How many of the men
resorted to assault and murder from the rage they carried in them? The victims must be in the thousands, and, even
though the beatings were stopped in 1967 the repercussions continue on today as each generation passes the
abuse on to the next. The abuse is happening as you read this narrative and will be happening years from now as a
result of the rage created in young and impressionable minds. The level of unjust, cruel and brutal punishment that
was committed at this institution is unequaled in any institution of its kind in America.
The Infamous "White House" Punishment Building
"The White House" pictured in the top left corner, was a punishment building where boys from 10-16yrs old were
whipped with a 4 inch wide by three and a half foot long leather strap with a sheet metal insert. Thirty to fifty lashes
for general infractions, one hundred lashes for attempted escape. There was a facility for black boys across the
street. We can only imagine what they may have suffered at that time in history.
This story will open a can of worms that will turn out to be the single worst occurrence of child cruelty at one location,
perhaps in the whole of the United States, numbering in the hundreds, if not thousands, considering it opened in
1900. There is no doubt that horrors of "The White House" will eventually be exposed nationwide.
We are actively searching for victims of this facility, both black and white and any information that might be useful.
We need exposure, and a way to reach these victims, so that when they see that someone is finally making a stand,
they will want to tell their story. This must never be allowed to happen again.