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Institutions for Girls in the US
In 1933 most US states had at least one state-run institution for girls; in addition to many privately-run institutions. The New York State Training School for Girls is our pilot site for research and testimonies. We are currently investigating the six state-run institutions below.


Source*
New York State Training School for Girls
Hudson, New York
1904-1975

1933

In 1904, when the New York House of Refuge for Women in Hudson, NY closed, the New York State Training School for Girls took its place to establish a separate place of confinement for “incorrigible” girls between the ages of 12 and 16 who had previously been housed with boys on Randall’s Island in New York City or at the State Industrial School in Rochester. At one point the Hudson Training School held as many as 500 girls but the population declined significantly as it neared closure in 1975. Ella Fitzgerald, world famous jazz singer, spent almost a year at the reformatory. According to the logbook she arrived in April, 1933. She was 15 years old.

Sources: The Prison Public Memory Project and Ella the Ungovernable by Russ Immarigeon
prisonpublicmemory.us/york-state-training-school-girls/
prisonpublicmemory.us/ungovernable-ella-fitzgerald/
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  • State Home for Girls
    Trenton, New Jersey
    1871- Late 1900s

    Ages 8 to 17

    The State Home for Girls was a correctional center for girls between the ages of eight and seventeen who were committed to it by the courts.

    Source: Wikipedia
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  • Home School for Girls
    Sauk Center, Minnesota
    1907–1999

    160 girls

    The Center facility included an administration building, hospital, chapel, pumping plant, farm building, and cottages to house 160 girls (in 1911) declared ‘delinquent’.

    Source: libguides.mnhs.org
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  • The Lancaster Industrial School for Girls
    Lancaster, Massachusetts
    1856–1975

    1856

    The Lancaster Industrial School for Girls was a reform school on Old Common Road in Lancaster, Massachusetts. It was the country's first state reform school for girls, opening on August 26, 1856.

    Source: Wikipedia
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  • Girls Training School
    Gainesville, Texas
    1913–1988

    364 girls

    By the mid-1960s 364 girls attended the Gainesville institution, and in the early 1970s 390 girls were enrolled. In 1991 the Gainesville State School for Girls housed 257 students.

    Source: www.russellsage.org
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  • Ventura School for Girls
    Ventura, California
    1916–1962

    1916

    Under the leadership of superintendent Fred C. Nelles, the newly founded Ventura School for Girls, fulfilled his goal for a separate institution for girls and embodied Nelles’ Cottage System.

    Source: fredcnelles.com
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  • Alabama State Training School Girls
    Chalkville, Alabama
    1909–2012

    2012

    The campus in Chalkville was used for over 100 years, from its conception in 1909 until a tornado destroyed 11 of the buildings in 2012. In 2011, there were 23 girls at Chalkville. Most had multiple placements.

    Source: Wikipedia, adap.ua.edu
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Source*: Osborne Society 1933 report
Juvenile delinquents received from courts by sex, color, or race, and age, with numbers present at end of year, by institutions: 1933

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