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Juvenile detention centers are supposed to house, protect, and rehabilitate young offenders or those awaiting trial. Unfortunately, hundreds of young people across Illinois suffered unimaginable abuse in these facilities.
If you were abused at an Illinois detention center when you were a child or young adult, you can seek justice. A juvenile detention center lawyer in Illinois can help.
Call The Goldwater Law Firm today to get started with a free consultation. We can connect you with one of our law firm partners in your area.
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What Is the Juvenile Detention Center Lawsuit?
In recent years, thousands of people have come forward about the abuse they suffered in juvenile detention centers across the country. As of July 22, 2025, more than 900 people have filed lawsuits alleging that they suffered the following in Illinois juvenile detention facilities over the past several decades:
- Forced sexual acts
- Rape
- Emotional abuse
- Battery
How a Lawyer Can Help You Seek Justice
You should be focused entirely on your recovery. Sexual abuse can affect every aspect of your life, from your relationships to your ability to work. You should not be focused on learning injury law and establishing an airtight case against your abuser and the center that allowed the abuse to occur.
That’s what our law firm partners are for. An Illinois juvenile detention center attorney can handle every aspect of your case, including:
- Determining Whether You Can File a Case: A lawyer can review whether you have a strong case and determine whether the case falls within the legal time limits (called the statute of limitations).
- Gather Evidence to Support Your Story: They’ll help pull together records, medical reports, prior complaints, or witness accounts that support your story. That might include speaking with former staff members or other individuals who were in the facility at the same time.
- File a Civil Lawsuit: Your lawyer can file a lawsuit against the facility, staff, or agencies involved.
- Hold the System Accountable: These cases don’t involve just one predator. They reflect systemic issues that your lawyer can help you shine a light on.
- Team Up with Other Survivors: In some situations, lawyers might bring a class action or mass tort lawsuit, or help connect with other former detainees who experienced similar abuse. That kind of coordination can have a greater impact on the case.
- Help Address the Long-Term Damage: Abuse in juvenile detention often has lasting effects. Lawyers can help show how it impacts your mental health, job opportunities, education, or relationships, and work that into the legal strategy.
Abused in a Juvenile Dentention Center?
Why Trust The Goldwater Law Firm With Your Case
Choosing The Goldwater Law Firm means partnering with a team that’s been the Gold Standard in Injury Law for over 20 years. We’ve built a reputation as one of the most respected firms in the country, not just for our results, but for the way we treat our clients every step of the way.
Survivors of abuse deserve more than just a lawyer; they deserve advocates who understand the pain, fear, and injustice they’ve experienced. At The Goldwater Law Firm, we never forget that behind every case is a person with a life, a family, and a future worth fighting for. That’s why we approach each case with:
- Deep empathy
- Sharp legal strategy
- Relentless dedication
We don’t shy away from powerful institutions. Whether facing corporations, insurance companies, or public systems, we pursue justice with the full weight of our national resources. Through partnerships with leading firms and a vast network of medical and legal experts, we’re equipped to tackle even the most challenging abuse cases, no matter where you are in the U.S.
Most importantly, we believe results matter. Our mission is to hold wrongdoers accountable and secure meaningful compensation for our clients because no one should suffer while those responsible walk away unscathed.
Let us stand with you.
Looking for a Juvenile Detention Center Lawyer?
Can I Afford Help from a Lawyer?
At The Goldwater Law Firm, we believe everyone deserves access to justice, regardless of their financial situation. That’s why our law firm partners work on a contingency fee basis. Simply put, you don’t pay your lawyer until they win your case.
There are no upfront costs, hourly rates, or surprise bills. Your legal team covers all the expenses needed to build a strong case, whether hiring expert witnesses, gathering medical records, or taking your case to trial. If they secure a settlement or verdict on your behalf, their fee is a percentage of the recovery.
This structure aligns our goals with yours: our co-counsels are fully invested in your success. It also gives you the freedom to pursue justice without financial pressure standing in the way.
You’ve been through enough. Let your legal team shoulder the legal burden while you focus on healing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Survivors of abuse often carry both visible and invisible wounds, and the law recognizes that. When you take legal action, you may qualify for compensation for the full scope of harm you’ve suffered, both past and ongoing.
Our co-counsels help survivors fight for justice and fair compensation, which may include:
- Medical Expenses: Reimbursement for hospital visits, therapy, medications, and any future medical or psychological treatment related to the abuse
- Pain and Suffering: Compensation for the emotional anguish, trauma, and loss of enjoyment of life that survivors often endure long after the abuse ends
- Lost Wages: Any wages you lost getting treatment, or any time you needed to take off due to the abuse you suffered
- Lost Earning Capacity: Any effect your abuse has on your ability to work in the future
- Other Economic and Non-Economic Losses: Relocation costs, diminished quality of life, or damage to relationships and personal identity
Every case is unique, and so is every survivor’s story. We’re here to help you pursue the justice and compensation you rightfully deserve.
The statute of limitations (the time frame for filing a lawsuit) depends on when the abuse occurred.
Illinois eliminated the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse in 2017. This means that, if the abuse occurred before your 18th birthday, there is no limit on the time you have to file a lawsuit. Lawmakers know that it can take decades before someone is ready to come forward about the abuse they suffered. Eliminating the statute of limitations allows child sex abuse survivors the time they need.
However, if the abuse occurred when you were 18 or older, there is a limit on how long you have to file a lawsuit:
- For private detention centers, the abuse must have occurred in 2015 or later.
- For publicly run centers, it should be within one year and 90 days.
We recommend you contact us as soon as you are ready so our law firm partners can protect your right to file a lawsuit.
Those who suffered abuse before the age of 22 in Illinois juvenile detention centers may qualify to file a lawsuit. We recommend that you call us if you know the name of the facility you were previously confined to and the name of your abuser. If you don’t know their name, but you can describe them, we may be able to move forward with that. We can help you explore your next steps.
You may qualify to file a lawsuit regardless of whether or not you reported the abuse that occurred.
As of July 22, 2025, at least 900 plaintiffs have filed lawsuits in Illinois. We can expect more to be filed in the coming weeks and months as, according to the team representing many of these plaintiffs, “Illinois has one of the nation’s worst problems with child sex abuse at juvenile detention centers.”
Many of these lawsuits have been filed against eight different Illinois Youth Centers in:
- Warrenville
- Valley View
- St. Charles
- Murphysboro
- Kewanee
- Joliet
- Harrisburg
- Chicago
Many more suits have been filed around the country.
Our Team Is Standing By, Waiting to Help With Your Juvenile Detention Center Case
If you’re living with the lasting pain of abuse, anger, fear, and unanswered questions, you don’t have to face it alone. The Goldwater Law Firm is here to listen, to fight, and to help you reclaim control. With compassion, experience, and relentless drive, we’re ready to pursue the justice and closure you deserve. We won’t stand by while centers tasked with keeping children safe allow them to suffer horrific abuse and get away scot-free.
Call us now to get started.