Over 200 more men and women say they were sexually abused as children at Illinois juvenile detention centers, joining hundreds of others who previously joined in lawsuits. Three new lawsuits were filed Monday describing “a culture of sexual abuse” in Illinois juvenile detention centers between 1996 and 2021, the latest in a series of suits
The same New York law firm that filed Monday’s actions filed a similar lawsuit against the state of Illinois in May on behalf of 95 other former youth inmates who alleged they were sexually abused as well. The firm also has filed similar lawsuits alleging sexual abuse in juvenile detention centers in other states.
State audits point to troubling conditions in juvenile detention centers, but no agency has strong enough oversight to bring about change.
Advocates and correctional officials are calling on Illinois and other states across the country to release youth from juvenile detention facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. There are currently about 200 youth incarcerated in Illinois’ juvenile detention facilities. A recent report from the Children and Family Justice Center at Northwestern University found that more than 90%