Reform School: A Cautionary Tale About Good Intentions

Some of us are of an age that we might have heard about something called reform school as a kid, even if we didn't understand exactly what they were.  We knew they were bad, and that we didn't want to go to them.  With any luck, that's where it started and ended.  Of course, reform schools were real, and thousands of kids were sent to them.  And, even though they're little discussed, a few still remain -- or did until now.  Their history is chronicled in this recent story about one of the last to close (Haven, horror at girls reformatory recalled).  Why bother remembering something so long gone?  Because reform schools were, like so many things being considered and tried today, begun with the best of intentions and with the clear goal to improve the lot of troubled children.