Lawsuit alleges widespread child sexual abuse at Tulsa County juvenile detention center

TULSA, Oklahoma – A civil rights lawsuit filed against 20 minors and one adult alleges that staff at the Tulsa County Juvenile Detention Center not only sexually abused them, but also that supervisors knew about the abuse and did nothing to stop it.

2 News reported in early May that Jonathan Hines, an officer at the Tulsa County Juvenile Detention Center, was charged with sexually abusing a child at the facility.

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The new lawsuit, filed in federal court in Muskogee, suggests that several other employees did the same thing.

All 21 plaintiffs allege they were sexually assaulted, harassed and/or raped by prison guards or other staff.

Defendants in the lawsuit include several prison guards and employees, heads of juvenile authorities, the Tulsa Board of County Commissioners and the Tulsa County Juvenile Justice Department.

The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified actual damages in excess of $75,000 and unspecified punitive damages in excess of $75,000.

“Because these defendants knew of the security deficiencies at the juvenile detention center, where their actions were not monitored, and the ongoing understaffing, they had complete control over the juvenile inmates,” the lawsuit states.

Several prison guards are named for allegedly sexually abusing several children at the facility in 2023 and 2024. The lawsuit also alleges that several other staff members knew about the abuse and knowingly allowed it to occur.

The allegations of abuse include:

• Exchanging “vape pens” for sexual acts
• a nurse who prescribes “heat treatments” to get a victim to sexually abuse her alone
• longer periods of lockdown at any time of day and on weekends
• they are denied visiting rights because they have two books in their room
• Medicines are not distributed properly
• Employees who are intoxicated by illegal substances at work
• Employees distribute cannabis gummy bears

When concerns about abuse were raised, a staff member was accused of using threats to silence inmates.
The lawsuit lists several cases where concerns were raised but no action was ever taken.

Aside from Jonathan Hines, we are not aware of any charges against any of the other employees accused in the lawsuit.

Tulsa police said they do not have any police reports and that the victim must take the first step in the investigation.

2 News reached out to Tulsa County and the district attorney’s office for comment. Both said they could not comment on ongoing legal proceedings, but the district attorney’s office issued this statement.

2 News will follow further developments in this case.

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