‘Perversion files’ kept by the Boy Scouts released to the public

A group of Portland, Ore., attorneys who represent victims in lawsuits against the Boy Scouts of America today released confidential files the organization had kept on scouting leaders and volunteers they suspected of molesting children, CNN reported.

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The 1,247 files name more than 1,000 people banned from scouting because they were accused of inappropriate conduct with boys, according to CNN.

The files, which a court ordered the Boy Scouts to release, span the years 1959 to 1985, Fox News reported.

According to Fox News:

The Scouts began keeping the files shortly after their creation in 1910, when pedophilia was largely a crime dealt with privately.

It’s the first time the public has been able to see the organization’s notes from 1959 to 1971, Fox News reported.

"The stories in those files are real little boys and real stories of abuse," Attorney Kelly Clark told the Seattle Times, according to Fox News. "And when the public sees these stories in black and white, I think the level of understanding and frustration about sexual abuse in Scouting is going to be significantly elevated."

In a press conference today, the lawyers said they are asking Congress to audit the Boy Scouts’ current child abuse policy to see if it’s appropriate and effective, CNN reported.

“We have always cooperated fully with any requests from law enforcement and welcome any additional examination by authorities of Scouting policies, training, and files to learn from our longstanding Youth Protection efforts,” the Boy Scouts of America said in a statement following the documents’ release, CNN reported.

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