Chicago-area man is among 95 people alleging sexual abuse in juvenile halls in Illinois

CHICAGO (CBS) — A Maywood man says he is one of 95 people alleging decades of sexual abuse in juvenile correctional facilities in Illinois.

Those 95 people filed a lawsuit Monday describing a culture of sexual abuse by juvenile corrections staff as pervasive and shrouded in secrecy.

One of those people, Jeffery Christian, said he was about 13 years old when he was arrested on drug charges.

“If you’re with the wrong friends, you end up doing the wrong things,” Christian said.

He was sent to Pere Marquette, a state juvenile center north of St. Louis run by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice.

Christian said he still remembers the number he was assigned at the facility – D39792. He said the D stood for “delinquents.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget it,” he said. “It’s like you can suppress pain when you’re confronted with it – but it keeps coming back to the forefront.”

Decades later, that pain is still alive for Christian. He said he was repeatedly harassed and sexually abused by staff at two state youth centers while in prison.

He said his first perpetrator was a guard.

“It started with rubbing and touching until she started playing with my private parts,” he said. “She would always come and talk to me, which led to her buying me little things.”

Christian said the guard told him, “You’re cute and I could see… I wish you were my husband.”

Years later, Christian said the sexual abuse continued when he was just 15 or 16 years old. He said it was both verbal and nonverbal in nature and occurred through an assigned counselor at the Chicago Juvenile Youth Center.

DeMar: “Do you think the state has failed you?

Christian: “I know the state has failed me.”

Christian joined 94 other former juvenile offenders who said they too were sexually abused in juvenile centers in Illinois.

“The cases are filed under the Illinois Child Sexual Abuse Act,” said attorney Jerry Block.

Block is representing Christian and the other alleged victims of sexual abuse in a new trial.

“We’re dealing with kids in this case who came into the system already struggling and really needed help,” Block said, “and what happened to them was that they were traumatized — in the worst possible way .”

According to the complaint, the abuse occurred between 1996 and 2017. More than a third of the alleged victims said they were sexually abused by staff at the St. Charles Youth Center, now known as the Peace Center at St. Charles.

“I think what struck me in these cases is just the culture of secrecy — the culture that has normalized and enabled sexual abuse,” Block said.

CBS 2 asked Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker about the lawsuit on Monday.

“I just heard about it. “I don’t want to comment too much on this because it’s ongoing litigation,” Pritzker said, “but I understand that this is a matter that involves not only a prior administration of DJJ, but also the prior administration of DJJ includes “Governorship.”

Christian said his childhood was destroyed by the abuse.

De Mar: “Do Do you think your childhood was somehow taken away from you?”

Christian: “Yes, it was taken away from me early on. I never had the chance to really be a child – an innocent child.”

Christian, 36, said he was using his pain for a purpose.

“I want the world to know what happened while I was in this system,” he said. “Since it happened to me, I don’t want it to happen to the next teenager.”

The Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice sent the following statement:

“The Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) is aware of the recent lawsuit filed in the Illinois Court of Claims related to allegations under previous administrations. Although the department is unable to comment on active litigation, IDJJ takes seriously the safety of youth under the department’s care. All allegations of employee misconduct are promptly and thoroughly investigated in collaboration with the Department of Corrections, Illinois State Police and the Department of Children and Family Services.

“IDJJ has policies and protocols in place to ensure the safety of youth and staff and to identify possible cases of abuse or misconduct. IDJJ protocols comply with both state and federal safety standards and IDJJ conducts ongoing policy and protocol assessments. All employees working in IDJJ facilities undergo background checks and training and participate in ongoing professional development.