The Boy Scouts Abuse Scandal: When a Trusted Institution Kept Its Own Secret Files

The food files · Oct 4, 2026 · 2m · transcript

For generations, the Boy Scouts of America represented character, leadership, service, and childhood adventure. But behind that trusted image existed internal records documenting thousands of individuals suspected or accused of sexual abuse or other misconduct. These records, sometimes called the “perversion files” and later more formally described as ineligible volunteer files, became central to understanding what the organization knew and how it responded. The scandal raises disturbing questions about institutional secrecy, decentralized organizations, and what happens when internal systems…