Sexual abuse is a recurring problem in Maryland’s youth detention centers. With so many young and potentially vulnerable people under tight control by the state, there is an elevated chance that some of them will be sexually abused while in the facility.

Unfortunately, this seems to happen more often than previously thought, and addressing the issues in Maryland juvenile detention centers is something that can take a long time to resolve.

Thankfully, more victims are coming forward about being sexually abused in juvenile detention centers, and Injury Lawyer Team is here to help abuse survivors take action to hold their abusers accountable.

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WE ARE ONLY ACCEPTING SEXUAL ABUSE CASES INVOLVING INSTITUTIONS.

IF YOU HAVE A MATTER INVOLVING A RELATIVE OR ACQUAINTANCE, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL BAR ASSOCIATION

Why Choose Injury Lawyer Team

Injury Lawyer Team is a personal injury law firm that has a dedicated team of legal experts handling cases of sexual abuse in Maryland juvenile detention centers. Our focus is to help you get the biggest settlement possible so that you can use it to pay for the costs of your recovery.

Affording support resources like medical bills and therapy costs can be a burden for abuse survivors, which is why we work hard to make sure that your settlement can more than cover the costs of your recovery.

We have extensive experience helping child sexual abuse victims build cases and file claims. These sensitive cases require a level of compassion, discretion, and finesse that takes a long time to develop.

One of the factors that makes our law firm one of your best options is that we have nationwide representation available to help you. Even though you may have experienced abuse in Maryland, we can help you no matter where you are now.

Finally, confidentiality is one of the most important aspects of how we handle cases, and every case is treated with the personal attention and sensitivity that it deserves.

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Understanding Sexual Abuse in Maryland Juvenile Detention Centers

Juvenile detention facilities inherently put inmates at risk for sexual abuse because of the power dynamic between the staff and the victims. In such a facility, staff members have all of the control. Victims are isolated from outside authorities and are not likely to be believed when they try to report a problem.

All of these factors, alongside the inmates’ dependence on staff, mean that some staff members can try to abuse victims with a limited chance of being caught.

In some cases, abusers are protected by the correctional facility they work in, which is interested in protecting its reputation and maintaining control. In other cases, staff members are not monitored thoroughly, making it easier to commit sexual abuse with little fear of being caught.

We handle cases in all Maryland youth center facilities under the jurisdiction of the Department of Juvenile Services:

Alfred D. Noyes Children’s Center

9925 Blackwell Rd

Rockville, MD 20850

301-762-7800

Backbone Mountain Youth Center

124 Camp 4 Rd

Swanton, MD 21561

301-359-9190

Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center

300 N Gay St

Baltimore, MD 21202

443-263-8706

Charles H. Hickey, Jr. School

9700 Old Harford Rd

Baltimore, MD 21234

410-663-7601

Cheltenham Youth Detention Center

11003 Frank Tippett Rd

Cheltenham, MD 20623

301-782-2400

Garrett Children’s Center

164 Freedom Lane

Lonaconing, MD 21539

301-463-2244

Green Ridge Youth Center

15 Mile Creek Rd

Flintstone, MD 21530

301-478-2930

Lower Eastern Shore Children’s Center

405 W Naylor Mill Rd

Salisbury, MD 21801

410-548-4850

Victor Cullen Center

6000 Cullen Drive

Sabillasville, MD 21780

301-739-8122

Western Maryland Children’s Center

18420 Roxbury Rd

Hagerstown, MD 21740

301-745-6021

A Maryland youth detention center sexual abuse lawyer from our team can also help with cases related to county juvenile hall centers, such as:

Meadow Mountain Youth Center (Garrett County)

234 Recovery Rd

Grantsville, MD 21536

301-895-5669

Savage Mountain Youth Center (Garrett County)

164 Freedom Ln

Lonaconing, MD 21539

301-463-2244

J. DeWeese Carter Youth Facility (Kent County)

300 Scheeler Road PO Box 229

Chestertown, MD 21620

410-778-6444

Thomas J. S. Waxter Center (Anne Arundel County)

375 Red Clay Rd

Laurel, MD 20724

301-362-6160

Common Forms of Juvenile Detention Center Abuse

One of the difficulties of handling sexual abuse cases is dealing with the different types of misconduct in juvenile detention facilities. Abuse can take several forms and is always intended to be secret.

Rape

Rape is forcing sexual intercourse with inmates against their will in juvenile detention facilities. The combination of isolation and staff members being in a position of power can lead to opportunities for rape without being caught. Some youths can even be raped by other detainees if they are not receiving the right level of supervision.

Sexual Abuse

The age of legal consent in Maryland is 16. However, juvenile offenders in detention facilities cannot provide legal consent. Any sexual contact is considered sexual abuse.

Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is forcing juvenile detention facility inmates to participate in sexual activity against their will. This can include a variety of physical and sexual acts that are both nonconsensual and unwanted. Sexual assault is used as a means of hurting victims, which can be used as retaliation, a form of control, or to force silence about illegal actions.

Sexual Victimization

Juvenile detention center inmates can be exposed to a variety of acts of a sexual nature, which makes them victims. When this happens repeatedly as a means of intimidation, mental abuse, or control, it becomes sexual victimization.

This is often used as a means of exerting power over victims either to force compliance or to keep them quiet about any other illegal actions that are happening in the juvenile detention facility.

Inappropriate Sexual Contact

Touching or physical contact that is sexual in nature is considered inappropriate. This is especially true given that the majority of victims are underage, making it a form of child sexual abuse. Unfortunately, inappropriate sexual contact can happen quickly and go largely unnoticed in juvenile detention facilities with a lot of people and limited oversight by outside authorities.

Physical Abuse

Guards and other inmates can use physical violence as a means of intimidation and control. It is not uncommon to find cases of sexual abuse that also include physical violence.

Let’s discuss the specifics of your case

Eligibility to File a Maryland Juvenile Detention Center Sexual Abuse Claim

Anyone who was incarcerated in a juvenile detention center and was sexually abused while in that center can file a claim.

In many cases, this means that the abuse was committed by a staff member of the facility, another inmate, or even auxiliary staff not related to the facility, such as outside therapists brought in to treat patients on-site. As long as the abuse occurred while you were in the facility, you can seek justice through legal means.

Generally, victims can file a claim once they turn 18 years old and reach the age of majority under Maryland law. However, parents and legal guardians are able to file a sexual abuse lawsuit on behalf of their children when they are still minors.

The Statute of Limitations for Filing a Lawsuit in Maryland

In 2023, the eliminated the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse cases with the passage of the Maryland Child Victims Act [1].

Prior to this, victims could only file claims within three years of being abused or within three years of becoming an adult in cases involving minors. This often created problems for victims as most former inmates take a very long time to come forward about their abuse and would miss their opportunity to file sex abuse lawsuits.

In response, Maryland changed the law so that the statute of limitations no longer applies to victims of child sexual abuse. Under the Maryland Child Victims Act, victims can come forward and take civil legal action at any time, which raises their chances to come forward when they get older and can overcome the trauma enough to make a decision on what they want to do legally.

Maryland’s Child Victims Act is similar to other state and federal laws that were passed when allegations of widespread abuse by the Catholic Church were proven accurate. Many states, including Maryland, passed laws to extend or eliminate the statute of limitations on sexual assault and sexual abuse entirely for the child victims of the Church.

In both types of cases, sexual abuse survivors are given a more appropriate window of opportunity to take legal action based on what is known about childhood abuse, trauma, and recovery.

Explore your legal options

How Our Maryland Juvenile Detention Center Abuse Lawyers Can Help

The team at Injury Lawyer Team is prepared to help you pursue legal action against the Maryland juvenile detention center responsible for your sexual assault.

Free Consultation

The first step to file lawsuits as a way to pursue justice for sexual abuse in a juvenile hall facility is by scheduling a completely confidential case evaluation with our legal team. We will discuss what happened and your potential sexual abuse case to provide you with information about your legal options for moving forward with civil claims for a fair settlement.

Gathering Evidence

To move forward with filing your lawsuit, we will need to gather evidence and build your case. The more time that passes between your sexual abuse and when you file a civil lawsuit, the more challenging it can be to find evidence. It’s important that we’re able to preserve anything we can find, from witness testimonies to video surveillance footage.

Filing a Lawsuit

We help our clients file civil lawsuits based on negligence and duty of care. Unlike criminal proceedings, which are tried by state or federal prosecutors, we aren’t seeking jail time. We are seeking compensation for what happened to you.

There can be a civil lawsuit and a criminal lawsuit against the same person or entity at the same time. Our legal team will take care of filing your civil lawsuit on your behalf. We will keep you informed of the entire process as it unfolds.

Negotiating a Settlement

In many cases, we can negotiate a settlement with the other party without going to court. If this is possible, we often prioritize this approach as it can save time and money. It takes time to get onto the court schedule and court fees are more expensive. Settling outside of court is also good in preventing the victim from having to testify to their experiences of sexual abuse.

Going to Trial

If negotiating a settlement isn’t possible, our team is prepared to take your case to trial, where we will continue fighting for your legal rights.

Take legal action today

Compensation for Youth Detention Facility Sexual Abuse Victims

Different types of damages can be requested in sexual abuse claims. These include:

Medical treatment costs
Therapy costs
Property damage
Pain and suffering
Emotional distress

Factors Affecting Settlement Amounts

Some factors can influence the size of your settlement. This includes how long the sexual abuse occurred, the severity of the abuse, and how it has impacted your life over the long term. Generally, the more severe and devastating the effects of sexual abuse, the more financial compensation you can expect to receive.

Contact Our Maryland Youth Detention Center Abuse Attorneys Today!

Jonathan Rosenfeld, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer

Injury Lawyer Team are dedicated to representing survivors of juvenile detention center sexual abuse in civil lawsuits under Maryland Law. Let us help you file a lawsuit to seek justice and recover financial compensation from the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. By taking action now, you can help protect other children by exposing what happened.

Contact our experienced attorneys by filling out our contact form or calling toll-free at (888) 424-5757. A member of our legal team is available 24 hours a day to schedule your appointment. Our office works on a contingency fee basis, so you don’t have to pay anything out of pocket for our services.

Related Practice Areas

Resources: [1] CBS News

All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.