New York House of Refuge

The New York House of Refuge was a facility for young offenders with dormitories, classrooms, and workshops spread across multiple buildings for rehabilitation purposes. The compound operated as a closed community where education and vocational training structured daily life.

Founded in 1825, it was the first juvenile reformatory in the United States and operated continuously until closure in 1935. It represented a new approach to youth crime that emphasized rehabilitation over punishment.

Education in reading, writing, and arithmetic was part of daily life here, alongside training in printing, shoemaking, and other practical trades. This focus on skills meant young people left with abilities they could use to find work.

The location on Randalls Island made it remote and difficult to access, with limited transportation connections that restricted visitor traffic and escape attempts. This isolation served the rehabilitation model that required a separate environment for reshaping young lives.

In its early years, the facility mixed boys and girls together, but separated them in 1901 when female residents moved to the New York State Reformatory for Women. This split reflected thinking at the time about how genders should be managed in correctional settings.