Boy Scouts "Perversion" Files Being Released
COSTELLO: An attorney in Portland plans to release 20,000 pages from the Boy Scouts of America's so-called "perversion" files. They document what some call the Boy Scouts history of hiding evidence of sexual abuse from scout leaders from the public and law enforcement. Boy Scouts say they have changed their policies, but attorney suing the organization say secrecy has allowed thousands of child molesters to roam free. Here is Casey Wian.</s>CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Eighteen-year-old Keith Early joined the Boy Scouts at 12, recruited by assistant scout master Nick Price Miller, a married father of three and volunteer firefighter, who led scout meetings in this Washington state church.</s>KEITH EARLY, ABUSED FORMER BOY SCOUT: He was building a Boy Scout -- like a big huge Boy Scout camp because he had a 42-acre ranch. He asked me if I would want to help him build it. I loved it. It was awesome. I don't know. And, I mean -- I didn't think anything bad could happen out there.</s>WIAN: Then came the sexual molestation that has Miller in prison for 10 years to life, convicted of abusing Early and another boy.</s>EARLY: I felt like I was all alone. Just thinking about it makes me angry, because how could you do that to somebody? How could -- how could you bring yourself to do that to somebody that is so innocent and, you know, has done nothing wrong.</s>WIAN: In Oregon, under court order and over the objections of the Boy Scouts of America, boxes containing 20,000 pages from the Boy Scouts ineligible volunteer or so-called "perversion" files are being released to the public. Victims' attorney Kelly Clark has spent months redacting the files to remove names of victims and witness witnesses. He says they document the cases of more than 1,200 leaders and volunteers dismissed by the Boy Scouts, largely for sexual abuse, from 1965 through 1985.</s>KELLY CLARK, ABUSED SCOUTS' LAWYER: They are sociopathic geniuses. They fool everybody. And then they are able to coerce, convince or threaten these kids to stay silent. You see that play out over and over again in the files.</s>WIAN: For decades, the Boy Scouts have kept the files contents secret, arguing confidentiality was needed to protect victims' privacy and encouraged the reporting of suspected abuse. But in some cases, the Boy Scouts failed to report abuse to law enforcement.</s>TIM HALE, ABUSED SCOUTS' LAWYER: We're talking about hundreds if not thousands of unidentified men who should be registered sex offenders, who are roaming free in society, free to volunteer with other youth organizations, to work at schools and that sort of thing.</s>WIAN: Hale himself a former scout is one of several suing to unseal all of the files. (on camera): The effort to force the Boy Scouts to open its ineligible files is bogged down in courts like this one in Ventura, California. The appeals court is examining thousands of cases of alleged abuse by scout leaders since 1991 and is expected to rule soon on the effort to make them public. (voice-over): The Boy Scouts released a video statement, apologizing for sexual abuse and detailing recent policy changes.</s>BOB MAZUCCA, FORMER BSA CHIEF SCOUT EXECUTIVE: This policy includes ensuring at least two adults are present at all activities, preventing one-on-one contact between an adult and youth member, requiring every scouting activity be opened to observation by parents and mandating that suspicions of abuse be reported to the proper local authorities and scouting leadership.</s>WIAN: Boy Scouts also has hired a former police detective to review the files and report abuse to law enforcement.</s>EARLY: It's such a loosely run outfit that I just wouldn't feel comfortable letting my kid into it.</s>WIAN: Early's attorney is skeptical about the changes.</s>TIM KOSNOFF, KEITH EARLY'S LAWYER: It just allows the Boy Scouts of America to claim that Boy Scouts is safer when there's not an iota of evidence that they've produced to suggest that it is any safer than it was during the time period when these files were kept.</s>WIAN: That evidence or the lack thereof is likely in the more recent "perversion" files the Boy Scouts of America is still fighting to keep secret. Casey Wian, CNN, Tacoma, Washington.</s>COSTELLO: Today's talk back question, is the phrase "binders full of women" overblown? Facebook.com/CarolCNN.