Table of Contents
Juvenile detention centers are places where minors accused or convicted of crimes are held. These centers are supposed to both hold the offender accountable for their behavior, keep them safe, and help them rehabilitate and make better decisions later in life.
Unfortunately, children sent to these detention centers often suffer abuse at the hands of staff members. If you or your child suffered sexual abuse at an Illinois juvenile detention center, you may be able to hold them liable. Hundreds of people in Illinois and even more nationwide have already taken action.
An attorney can help you file a Illinois juvenile detention center lawsuit. Call The Goldwater Law Firm today to get started. We can connect you with a juvenile detention center abuse attorney near you.
Getting Help is Easy
Call Us Anytime. Nights And Weekends, We’re Available.
A Trusted, Experienced Partner
Fill out the form on the top of the page and a case specialist will reach out to you.
No Fees Unless We Win
No Win, No Fee. You Don’t Pay A Penny Unless We Win Your Case.
What Are Juvenile Detention Centers?
Typically, minors are held in juvenile detention centers after they have been arrested but before they have been adjudicated for the crime they allegedly committed. Minors may also be held in these centers after they have been convicted, before or after sentencing.
According to the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender, the courts use a point system to determine whether the juvenile goes to a detention center. The severity of the charge and the minor’s criminal history are factors in the point system. For example, a minor arrested for murder, rape, sexual assault, or another violent crime will likely remain in a detention center until they go to trial.
These centers are used for several reasons, including:
- Ensuring the minor is held accountable for their actions
- Keeping them safe
- Rehabilitating the juvenile
What Is the Juvenile Detention Center Lawsuit?
Illinois attorneys are taking cases against juvenile detention centers that enabled sexual abuse or allowed it to occur.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) found that child sexual abuse is a pervasive problem in youth detention facilities. A DOJ investigation into the Texas juvenile court system found “reasonable cause” to believe that the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The report stated that the TJJD failed to protect these children from harm, specifically excessive physical and chemical force, sexual abuse, forced isolation, and inadequate mental healthcare.
Abused in a Juvenile Dentention Center?
Lawsuits in Illinois
The serious problem with juvenile detention centers is not limited to Texas. According to NPR Illinois, hundreds of men and women who spent time in juvenile detention centers have sued the state of Illinois and the Illinois Department of Corrections and Department of Juvenile Justice, claiming that it knew for decades that abuse was occurring and “nonetheless neglected to protect its confined youth from sexual abuse and failed to implement policies necessary to ensure such protection.”
Several of the offenders listed in the lawsuits have previously been convicted of sex crimes. One offender is still an employee of the juvenile justice system. One lawsuit claims that at least one dozen of the offenders abused more than one child.
According to the lawsuit, one offender in particular (a chaplain) threatened to keep a child in the center until they turned 21 if they resisted the abuse. Several plaintiffs allege abuse by this chaplain. Other abusers threatened solitary confinement or disciplinary action against children who resisted the abuse.
One of the lawsuits demands $2 million in damages per plaintiff. Another demands more than $100,000 in damages for each plaintiff. Lawsuits have been filed against several centers across the state.
Nationwide Juvenile Detention Center Lawsuit Updates
July 6, 2025
A counselor at a juvenile detention center in New York pleaded guilty to using her position to sexually abuse teenage boys, according to SILive. She was arrested on 65 counts of rape and criminal sexual acts.
June 28, 2025
Survivors of sexual abuse at New Hampshire’s Sununu Youth Services Center, formerly known as the Youth Development Center, sued the state to prevent changes to the settlement fund established in 2022. The changes would give the governor and Executive Council the power to choose the fund’s administrator.
June 27, 2025
FOX45News in Baltimore reported the terms of a federal lawsuit that alleges rampant sexual abuse in juvenile detention facilities across Maryland. The lawsuit, which alleges that sexual abuse was used as punishment or coercion within these facilities, seeks $300 million. An AP News article on the same lawsuit states that thousands of people have filed lawsuits against the State of Maryland. The state could face liability of $3 billion or $4 billion.
Book Your Free Case Review
June 23, 2025
A man sued the County of Sacramento, alleging that he suffered sexual abuse beginning at age 11 while in the juvenile detention system, according to KXAN.
June 23, 2025
Six men in New Jersey filed lawsuits alleging they suffered sexual abuse between 1992 and 2004 at Atlantic County’s juvenile detention facility, according to MSN.
June 17, 2025
Eleven adults sued for sexual abuse they suffered at the Camden County Juvenile Detention Center, according to an NJ.com article published on MSN. The abuse occurred between 1983 and 2009.
April 29, 2025
L.A. County approved the largest sex abuse settlement in history, paying $4 billion to almost 7,000 plaintiffs who suffered abuse in state-run juvenile confinement centers and foster homes, according to the Los Angeles Times.
March 2025
Ten men filed a lawsuit for abuse that occurred at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, Oregon, according to KTVZ21. The lawsuit is asking for $51 million.
February 10, 2025
One hundred and thirty-three new plaintiffs filed lawsuits against the State of Illinois and Cook County for sexual abuse. The total number of lawsuits now sits at 800, according to FOX32 Chicago.
January 28, 2025
Over 100 new plaintiffs filed suit against the City of New York for sexual abuse they suffered in several city-run youth detention facilities, including Crossroads Juvenile Center, Horizon Juvenile Center, Rikers Island, and Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, also known as Bridges Juvenile Detention Center. One of the abusers named in the lawsuit is a registered sex offender, according to AMNY. This brings the total number of lawsuits filed against the city to 539.
January 6, 2025
Four men sued for sexual abuse they suffered at a Cumberland County youth detention facility between 1986 and 2005, according to the Courier Post. Their attorney claimed there were inadequate ways to report abuse. Some plaintiffs stated that they were afraid to report the abuse, while others thought they wouldn’t be taken seriously.
November 2024
Eleven adults sued Cumberland, Passaic, Mercer, and Hudson counties for allowing “rampant” sexual abuse to occur for 30+ years in juvenile detention facilities, according to NJ.com.
September 25, 2024
Two more people sued Illinois for sexual abuse they suffered in juvenile detention facilities. These lawsuits bring the total number of plaintiffs to 667. The lawsuits allege rape, battery, and emotional abuse.
Want to Know If You Can File a Juvenile Detention Center Lawsuit?
September 22, 2024
Three people who spent time in Oregon Youth Authority correctional facilities have sued for sexual abuse, according to KOIN.
May 24, 2024
According to Public Radio Tulsa, 29 people filed lawsuits for abuse that took place at the Tulsa County Family Center for Juvenile Justice. A detention officer was charged with sexually abusing a teenager in custody approximately a month prior.
April 2024
According to News12 The Bronx, more than 150 people filed lawsuits alleging sexual abuse at Horizon Juvenile Center, Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, and Rikers Island. The accusations ranged from the 1970s to the 2010s. Some plaintiffs allege the abuse started when they were as young as 11 years old.
March 12, 2024
A man filed a civil rights lawsuit over sexual abuse at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, Oregon, according to KATU.
October 27, 2023
According to New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR), the state settled 29 sex abuse claims, with $13.4 million in total payouts. Over 1,000 people have filed lawsuits.
May 9, 2023
New Hampshire settled a claim for $1.5 million via its settlement fund, per NHPR. The $1.5 million settlement is the maximum amount allowable.
April 20, 2023
The court scheduled the first trials in the Sununu Youth Services Center/Youth Development Center for April 2024.
May 27, 2022
New Hampshire created a $100 million settlement fund for juvenile detention center sex abuse cases. The state created this fund to prevent the filing of lawsuits against the state.
January 12, 2020
More than 24 men and women filed a class action lawsuit for abuse they suffered as children at New Hampshire’s state-run youth detention center, according to an AP News article. The abuse occurred over 32 years. The lawsuit named several defendants, including the state, the detention center, the agencies overseeing it, and the two counselors accused of the abuse.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are many lawsuits spanning several states with different details. However, all allege sexual abuse at juvenile detention centers across the country. The hundreds of Illinois juvenile detention center lawsuits allege:
- Rape
- Forced sexual acts
- Battery
- Emotional abuse
They also allege that the state knew of the abuse and failed to protect the children in its custody by failing to create policies that would prevent it. They also allege that these institutions covered up the abuse instead of preventing or reporting it. These lawsuits name dozens of abusers, with several abusers facing accusations from more than one plaintiff. Several suits point to “systematic and unconstitutional strip searches” that allowed staff members to abuse the minors in their care.
According to CNN, the lawsuits allege, “the State of Illinois has caused and permitted a culture of sexual abuse to flourish unabated in its IYC facilities.”
In fact, Illinois was one of the four states with the highest rates of abuse in juvenile detention centers across the nation, according to the BJS 2013 National Survey of Youth in Custody.
Call our team if the following apply to you. We want to hear your story and see how we can help.
- You suffered some sort of sexual misconduct (e.g., rape, groping, unwanted touching, exposure of sexual organs, filming of child sexual abuse material [child pornography], or other sexual abuse) while in an Illinois juvenile detention center.
- You were previously detained in one of these centers before you turned 22.
- Your abuser was affiliated in some way with the center (e.g., a teacher, chaplain, correctional officer, or another member of staff). (A lawyer can also help if your abuser was not a member of staff, if they can prove you reported the abuse.)
We urge you to call even if you aren’t sure you meet these criteria.
Yes. While there have been no settlements in Illinois as of July 2025, some states and facilities have settled with accusers.
- In April 2025, L.A. County settled approximately 7,000 cases for $4 billion.
- In May 2022, New Hampshire created the Youth Development Center $100 million settlement fund. Several settlements have been awarded from this fund, and the administrators have added millions to the fund to keep up with the awards.
- A New Hampshire jury awarded $38 million to a man who alleged sexual abuse at a juvenile detention facility. Per the state’s damage cap, the award was reduced to $475,000. The plaintiff appealed the decision, but a judge upheld the cap.
- New Hampshire settled with an abuse survivor for $10 million, according to WBUR.
How long you have to act depends on the specifics of your situation. If you suffered abuse before you turned 18, you have as much time as you need to act. The statute of limitations (i.e., time limit) was eliminated in 2017.
If the abuse happened between the ages of 18 and 22, you do have a limited time to act. How long you have to act depends on whether the center was publicly or privately run. For abuse at publicly run facilities, the abuse must have happened within one year and 90 days of the day you file your lawsuit. If the facility is privately run, the abuse must have occurred after 2015.
Even if you think the statute of limitations has expired in your case, we urge you to call us anyway. We can help you determine how much time you have to act and whether you qualify to file a lawsuit.
Several detention centers across the state are facing sexual abuse lawsuits, including:
- Illinois Youth Center – Warrenville
- Illinois Youth Center – St. Charles
- Illinois Youth Center – Harrisburg
- Illinois Youth Center – Chicago
- Illinois Youth Center – Joliet
- Illinois Youth Center – Kewanee
- Illinois Youth Center – Murphysboro
- Illinois Youth Center – Valley View
Several of these detention centers have closed, but that does not mean you cannot sue the center for the harm you suffered.
If you suffered abuse at another Illinois Youth Center or one that is or was privately owned, you can still qualify to file a lawsuit.
If you’re pursuing a juvenile sex abuse claim, a lawyer can be your strongest ally. They’ll guide you through every step of the legal process, from gathering evidence to filing your claim, all while handling sensitive details with care and confidentiality.
An experienced attorney understands how to deal with institutions like schools, churches, or youth organizations and will fight to hold the responsible parties accountable. You won’t have to face the system alone with a lawyer by your side. They’ll work to secure fair compensation for you, so you can focus on healing and reclaiming your sense of safety.
Remember, the attorneys from our law firm partners handle cases on a contingency basis, so you get an ally and advocate at no upfront cost.
We know you may be concerned about your name being in the courts or the news. You have the option to file anonymously. If you wish to do so, discuss that with your lawyer, who will discuss your options for protecting your identity.
Get Help With Your Juvenile Detention Center Lawsuit
Coming forward about the abuse you suffered is never easy. You may be feeling overwhelmed, afraid, or uncertain about what steps to take next. The legal system can seem confusing and intimidating, especially when you’re already carrying the emotional weight of trauma. But you don’t have to face it alone.
A compassionate, experienced lawyer can be your advocate, guiding you through the process with respect, care, and determination. They’ll help you understand your rights, build a strong case, and seek the justice and accountability you deserve. Let a trusted legal ally stand beside you because your voice matters, and healing starts with being heard.
Call The Goldwater Law Firm today. We can connect you with an attorney near you.