The lawsuit alleges decades of widespread sexual abuse of children in juvenile detention centers in Illinois

CNN
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A group of 95 people filed a lawsuit in Illinois on Monday, alleging they were sexually abused as children for more than two decades in juvenile detention centers across the state.

The 186-page lawsuit, filed in the Illinois Court of Claims, accuses state employees of “sexually abusing plaintiffs and/or negligently permitting or omitting sexual abuse of plaintiffs when they were children in the legal and physical custody of the state of Illinois.” “, including at the Illinois Youth Centers in Chicago, Joliet and Harrisburg, between 1996 and 2017.

The case was filed by 95 adults born on or after July 24, 1983 were mistreated in state custody. Only three of the plaintiffs are fully named, while 92 used only their initials for protection their identities.

One of those plaintiffs, Jeffery Christian, was sexually abused as a teenager by two different employees at two juvenile detention centers, according to the lawsuit. He spoke at a news conference Tuesday alongside advocates and other survivors about the impact of that abuse.

“I wish I could have used my time in the system to grow and change and become a better person through the discipline and support of the staff around me. Instead, I was sexually abused and neglected,” Christian said.

“I have spent over two decades carrying the burden of abuse on my shoulders and trying to be the tough guy, pushing it down and pretending it doesn’t matter. But I won’t suppress it any further,” he said.

The lawsuit comes amid ongoing concerns about the sexual abuse of children in juvenile justice facilities. Young people in these facilities experience “higher rates of sexual victimization than adults in prisons or jails,” according to findings from the Justice Department’s National Survey of Youth in Custody. According to the survey, the overall proportion of youth reporting sexual victimization has fallen over time from 12.1% in 2008-09 to 9.5% in 2012 and to 7.1% in 2018.

The lawsuit filed Monday said that in some cases the sexual abuse of minors was carried out “through systematic and unconstitutional strip searches of juvenile inmates.” The searches provided an opportunity to abuse minors, the lawsuit says.

“The State of Illinois has allowed a culture of sexual abuse to flourish unchecked within its IYC facilities,” the lawsuit states.

The defendant is the State of Illinois, acting through its agencies, the Department of Corrections and/or the Department of Juvenile Justice. The lawsuit accuses the defendants of, among other things, negligence and sexual abuse. Each plaintiff seeks and seeks a maximum judgment of $2 million, the lawsuit says.

In a statement, the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice said it was aware of the lawsuit and that the allegations were made under previous administrations.

“Although the Department is unable to comment on active litigation, IDJJ takes the safety of youth in the Department’s care seriously. All allegations of employee misconduct will be promptly and thoroughly investigated in collaboration with the Department of Corrections, Illinois State Police and the Department of Children and Family Services,” the department said.

“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’s protocols meet both state and federal safety standards and IDJJ conducts ongoing policy and protocol evaluations. All employees working at IDJJ facilities undergo background checks and training and participate in ongoing professional development.”

The Illinois Department of Corrections did not respond to a CNN request for comment.

Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat who took office in 2019, said Monday the allegations concerned the previous governorship and declined further comment, according to CNN affiliate WLS.

Attorneys and several survivors of child sexual abuse held a news conference Tuesday to discuss the lawsuit and tell their stories.

“The abuse suffered by our clients, then minors entrusted to the care of the state of Illinois, caused great suffering and impacted their entire lives,” said D. Todd Mathews, managing attorney at the law firm of Bailey & Glasser LLP , who filed the lawsuit, said in a statement. “We salute their strength and are honored to fight for these survivors in court.”

Christian, one of the few named plaintiffs in the lawsuit, claimed he was about 13 or 14 years old in 2001 or 2002 when he was sexually abused by an adult female correctional officer at IYC-Pere Marquette. His mother reported the abuse, but no one followed up, the lawsuit says.

When he was about 15 or 16 years old and housed at IYC-Chicago, he was sexually abused by a female counselor, believed to be about 20 years old, who gave him commission money and wrote him love letters, the lawsuit says. When the warden found the letters, Christian was detained and later given a new counselor, the lawsuit says.

“At the time of the sexual abuse of Christian described above, his perpetrators and other associates were not adequately supervised, monitored or monitored by the State of Illinois and its respective agencies,” the lawsuit states. “According to information and belief, the State’s failure to monitor, discipline, remove and/or otherwise investigate Christian’s perpetrators and the employees who knew or should have known of the abuse directly caused the sexual abuse described above made possible.”

Christian said Tuesday that he feels comfortable with the group of other plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

“Once upon a time, as a child, I was afraid, afraid to speak my mind,” he said. “Seeing these other survivors with me today made me realize I wasn’t the only one.”

Another named victim, Calvin McDowell, claimed he was about 17 years old in 2004 and was at the IYC-St. Charles when he was sexually abused by a clergyman who was probably in his 60s. The lawsuit alleges that Illinois and its employees “knew or should have known that this employee was sexually abusing children… and that they negligently and/or willfully failed in their duty to use timely and reasonable efforts to prevent the abuse.” to stop the abuse and that they negligently and/or willfully failed in their duty to prevent the abuse.” report.”

In the press conference, McDowell said he made some mistakes as a child and believed the detention center would help him and point him in the right direction. He was wrong, he said.

“I was victimized and sexually abused, which led to decades of mental anguish and confusion,” he said. “Instead of being cared for, I felt lonelier than ever. Out of fear and embarrassment, I kept my secret from the people I loved. I had nights where I wanted to give up on life, nights where I constantly asked myself, “Why?” Why me? Why me?’

“I knew I had to answer this question myself, but I’ve never been able to find out the truth. Today I am not alone. Today I am taking my life back from the man who took advantage of me. Today I begin the road to recovery. “This lawsuit gives me the strength and hope I needed as a child,” he continued.

“The man who abused me can no longer abuse me, he can no longer exploit me mentally or emotionally. I won’t let myself be silenced. I am not a victim and I will no longer wonder why.”