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Rows of cinderblocks mark where an unknown number of boys are buried near the Cheltenham Youth Detention Center, formally known as the House of Reformation for Colored Boys, where an estimated 300 boys died. (Mira Beinart/Capital News Service)
Cheltenham investigation bill moves forward with little opposition
Listen to this articleThe state-led investigation into the Cheltenham Youth Detention Center in Prince George’s County is continuing to push through the Maryland legislature, with a revised bill advancing through the House of Delegates.
The Senate bill, introduced by Sen. William C. Smith Jr. (D-Montgomery County), received little pushback Thursday during a hearing by the Government, Labor, and Elections Committee.
“[We are] making an attempt to reunify families with that tragic history, to understand exactly what happened, to hold this history up as an example of what happens when we lose touch with our values,” Smith said.
The bill “is a very important step to understand our history and to understand who we are and how we can do better,” Smith said.
Smith’s bill, which passed the Senate 45-0 in March, is similar to a measure sponsored by Del. Jeffrie E. Long Jr., D-Calvert and Prince George’s, which passed the House 129-1. Passing the bills is a priority for the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. Both bills are making their way through committee hearings in the opposite chambers.
Last year, a Capital News Service investigation found that over 200 boys died in state custody at the Cheltenham institution in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Many of the boys were buried in unmarked graves in a wooded area near the facility.
The bills would create a commission, chaired by the Maryland Attorney General‘s Office, to lead an independent investigation to “put together a narrative to understand what happened,” Smith said. The commission will work with experts from a variety of fields to conduct genealogical, historical, legal and records research.
The Office of the Attorney General said it has started laying the groundwork to stand up the commission. “If enacted as expected, we anticipate the Commission will be fully constituted and holding its organizational meeting this fall, with substantive work underway before the end of 2026,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement.
Alex Taylor contributed to this article. Mira Beinart reports for Capital News Service.
