took us to the back of the police station in a cell. And they handcuffed us – they started beating us. They hit us all the way to the body, you know? They didn't hit us in the face, where no one could see; they just hit us all in the stomach, back and legs. We were screaming and shouting. We thought they were going to kill us” (NPR.org) The boys were held in cells for six days until they could see their parents at their case hearing. The judge found the boys guilty of sexual assault and sentenced them to prison. reform school for African Americans with the possibility of being released before age 21 if they