Utah State Industrial School
Encyclopedia
Utah State Industrial School was a juvenile reform school
that operated in Ogden, Utah
from October 31, 1889 to 1983.
, to help juvenile delinquent
s by teaching new skills and improving habits. In May 1888, a committee researched schools around the United States
to determine which model would be best for the Utah Territory
.
The Utah Territorial Reform School opened in Ogden on October 31, 1889. Boys and girls lived in the same dormitories during the first ten years, but daily activities, were divided by gender. Discipline was an ongoing concern deemed necessary to keep children in line at the school. Punishment ranged from deprivation of meals and privileges, to solitary confinement
, whipping
, and the use of restraints. Youths were confined at the school by the order of juvenile court
judges.
On June 24, 1891, a fire destroyed most of the building, including the resident halls. The Ogden Military Academy
offered its vacant buildings to operate in while the school was to be rebuilt. In 1896, the school permanently took over the site of the old military academy. With Utah
becoming a state, the school was officially renamed the Utah State Industrial School.
. In October 1963, political pressure was brought upon the state after a rash of escapes by internees culminated in the shooting death of Detective Sergeant Marshall N. White. In 1973, the state considered closing the school because of overcrowding and a lack of adequate facilities. In 1977, it was renamed the Youth Development Center.
The Utah affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union
brought suit against the center in the 1980s, charging it with inhumane conditions of confinement. The center was finally closed in 1983 and replaced by two newer facilities in Ogden and Salt Lake City as Utah moved towards community-based treatment and rehabilitation instead of incarceration
of juvenile offenders. In 1984, the site became the present-day location of Ogden–Weber Applied Technology College.
Reform school
A reform school in the United States was a term used to define, often somewhat euphemistically, what was often essentially a penal institution for boys, generally teenagers.-History:...
that operated in Ogden, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
from October 31, 1889 to 1983.
History
In 1888, the Utah Territorial Assembly passed the Reform School bill, at the initiative of Salt Lake City attorney James MoyleJames Moyle
James Henry Moyle was a prominent politician in Utah.-Biography:Moyle was born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory to a Cornish American family. From about 1879-1881 Moyle served as a missionary in North Carolina for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, to help juvenile delinquent
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is participation in illegal behavior by minors who fall under a statutory age limit. Most legal systems prescribe specific procedures for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime, most if not...
s by teaching new skills and improving habits. In May 1888, a committee researched schools around the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to determine which model would be best for the Utah Territory
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
.
The Utah Territorial Reform School opened in Ogden on October 31, 1889. Boys and girls lived in the same dormitories during the first ten years, but daily activities, were divided by gender. Discipline was an ongoing concern deemed necessary to keep children in line at the school. Punishment ranged from deprivation of meals and privileges, to solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
, whipping
Flagellation
Flagellation or flogging is the act of methodically beating or whipping the human body. Specialised implements for it include rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails and the sjambok...
, and the use of restraints. Youths were confined at the school by the order of juvenile court
Juvenile court
A juvenile court is a tribunal having special authority to try and pass judgments for crimes committed by children or adolescents who have not attained the age of majority...
judges.
On June 24, 1891, a fire destroyed most of the building, including the resident halls. The Ogden Military Academy
Ogden Military Academy
The Ogden Military Academy was a private boarding school and military academy that operated in Ogden, Utah from 1889 to 1896.-History:The academy was opened on October 1, 1889 with 70 resident students and 50 cadets. The annual fee of $750 covered tuition, room and board...
offered its vacant buildings to operate in while the school was to be rebuilt. In 1896, the school permanently took over the site of the old military academy. With Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
becoming a state, the school was officially renamed the Utah State Industrial School.
Investigations
The school was placed under repeated scrutiny over the course of the 20th century. In 1909, it was investigated for graftGraft (politics)
In general graft is an unscrupulous use of one’s authority for personal gain. However, the gain may also end up in party coffers...
. In October 1963, political pressure was brought upon the state after a rash of escapes by internees culminated in the shooting death of Detective Sergeant Marshall N. White. In 1973, the state considered closing the school because of overcrowding and a lack of adequate facilities. In 1977, it was renamed the Youth Development Center.
The Utah affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
brought suit against the center in the 1980s, charging it with inhumane conditions of confinement. The center was finally closed in 1983 and replaced by two newer facilities in Ogden and Salt Lake City as Utah moved towards community-based treatment and rehabilitation instead of incarceration
Incarceration
Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime .People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictions have differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of...
of juvenile offenders. In 1984, the site became the present-day location of Ogden–Weber Applied Technology College.
Notable internees
- Jack AbbottJack AbbottJack Henry Abbott was an American criminal and author. He was released from prison in 1981 after gaining praise for his writing and being lauded by a number of high-profile literary critics, including author Norman Mailer...
- Author and career criminal who claimed he was scarred for life by the school guards. - Ronnie Lee GardnerRonnie Lee GardnerRonnie Lee Gardner was an American criminal who received the death penalty for murder in 1985, and was executed by firing squad by the state of Utah in 2010...
- Robber and double murderer who was later executed by firing squadExecution by firing squadExecution by firing squad, sometimes called fusillading , is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice...
.