Youth Detention Center Sexual Abuse Lawyer
Widely accepted research reveals that as many as 12.3% of youth in juvenile detention facilities in the United States have reported sexual victimization in juvenile detention centers. The majority of these sexual abuse survivors are sexually abused over and over again. A youth detention center sexual abuse lawyer can help you get justice.
Childhood sexual abuse survivors from juvenile detention centers face significant long-term effects as a result of being sexually assaulted. This includes increased physical illnesses, suicidal ideation, and self-harm, disinhibited behavior, and poor school performance.
Many sexual abuse survivors misuse alcohol and substances, may have PTSD or other psychological trauma, and are at risk for criminal and/or violent behavior.
Injury Lawyer Team has experience helping victims of child sexual abuse in juvenile detention centers seek justice for what happened to them. We can help survivors who were sexually abused at these facilities recover financial compensation with a civil claim, including cases that involved misconduct.
Why Choose Injury Lawyer Team
When it comes to hiring a juvenile detention center sexual abuse attorney, it is important to choose a law firm that you can trust, that is knowledgeable about state and federal laws surrounding child sex abuse lawsuits.
Modern state laws continue to evolve to adapt to the complexities of sexual assault cases, especially cases involving minors. Having a well-informed attorney on your side can help you pursue justice and maximize your settlement size.
Compassionate and Dedicated Legal Team
Injury Lawyer Team has a compassionate and dedicated legal team available to help you with your civil claim. We are experts in the civil legal system and are here to help you take action against the juvenile detention facilities where the sexual abuse occurred and your abusers. A member of our team is available 24/7 to help you get started with a free consultation.
Nationwide Representation and Resources
Some law firms only practice in one jurisdiction. However, Injury Lawyer Team has experience with both federal and state-level sexual abuse suits. We continue to operate and provide legal services nationwide. Our team has the resources available to build a strong case to recover financial compensation on your behalf in juvenile detention center sexual abuse lawsuits.
Committed to Confidentiality and Sensitivity
Our experienced legal team understands the deep and long-term impacts child sexual abuse survivors face, especially when it comes to juvenile detention center sexual abuse lawsuits. We are committed to confidentiality and sensitivity throughout the civil lawsuit process.
Understanding Juvenile Detention Center Sexual Abuse
Vulnerable youth living in youth detention centers are at an increased risk of sexual abuse.
Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed in 2024 against youth detention facilities in Illinois, New York, Maryland, and New Jersey. In these juvenile detention center sexual abuse lawsuits, victims allege similar accounts of how they were raped, inappropriately touched, or forced to perform oral sex by employees.
Sometimes, sexually abused victims in juvenile detention centers were rewarded with snacks or extra recreation time for complying. In other cases, survivors describe being punished for refusing. The sexual predators were those individuals tasked with keeping them safe, such as counselors, correctional officers, doctors, nurses, and teachers at the detention center. Instead, these trusted adults often groomed them and sexually assaulted them.
Vulnerable youth in juvenile detention centers often have no way to defend themselves against sexual victimization, especially when the people who hurt them are in charge of providing care for them. They cannot consent and may not even realize what is happening to them.
What Types of Physical and Sexual Abuse Are Common in Juvenile Detention Centers?
Unfortunately, there are many different forms of abuse claims listed in juvenile detention center sexual abuse lawsuits. These include:
- Rape – Rape includes sexual acts between youth and juvenile detention center staff members, even if juvenile detainees do not raise objections. Sexual contact between staff and youth is always considered non-consensual and is a form of sexual assault.
- Inappropriate touching – When staff of juvenile detention centers inappropriately touch youth, whether it is touching their thigh or buttocks or during sexual molestation, it is a form of childhood sexual abuse.
- Indecent exposure – If detainees are left inappropriately dressed or exposed to staff or other inmates to degrade or humiliate them, this can count as a form of sex abuse.
- Staff sexual misconduct – Most sexual abuse committed within a juvenile correctional facility is sexual misconduct by staff. This can include forced sexual activity and sexual assault from staff members.
- Staff harassment – Juvenile detention center staff harassment can cause significant psychological harm, whether or not the harassment is sexual in nature.
- Physical abuse – This is when detention facilities allow peers or staff members to cause physical injuries through hitting, kicking, or other forms of violence. This can also cause psychological trauma.
American youth detention facilities can often be held liable for youth-on-youth abuse because they are responsible for protecting detainees. They may be liable for not protecting a victim from physical harm after reporting abuse or for staff-on-inmate abuse if they failed to conduct proper background checks before hiring staff.
Who Can File a Youth Detention Center Sexual Abuse Claim?
Generally, two parties are eligible to file a juvenile detention center sexual abuse claim under the appropriate civil statute.
First, there is the victim of sexual assault or abuse themselves, who, with the help of their legal guardians, can file a civil lawsuit to seek financial compensation from juvenile detention centers while they are still minors. Depending on the state jurisdiction and the adolescent’s age, some older teens can file sex abuse lawsuits on their own.
Once the sexual abuse victim turns 18, they can file a lawsuit without parental or legal guardian consent. Many states have laws that toll the statute of limitations to allow victims who have been sexually abused to file a lawsuit after they reach the age of majority.
Parents and legal guardians of children and teens who have been sexually abused in juvenile detention centers can also file a civil case against detention facilities and the government entities and private companies operating them to hold these institutions accountable.
However, aside from civil cases filed by victims and their families against American juvenile detention centers, there have been numerous criminal cases, too.
In the past few years, sweeping investigations conducted by federal authorities looked into conditions at several juvenile halls after youth inmates reported abuse, including eight youth detention centers and a youth development center operated by the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice. There was also a recent settlement with the victims of the Broad River Road Complex in South Carolina.
States have settled numerous cases arising from juvenile justice detention facilities. There have also been criminal proceedings against staff members. In 2023, two supervisors at the Horizon Juvenile Center in the Bronx were charged with federal crimes after hurting a teen.
In 2024, a jury awarded $38 million to a former resident of Sununu Youth Services Center in New Hampshire for the abuse he suffered as a teen. One thousand one hundred other former residents of the youth development center have also filed claims.
A professional lawyer can help you learn more about pursuing legal action against a facility or staff member.
What Laws Govern Youth Detention Center Sexual Abuse Cases?
The statute of limitations refers to the amount of time that you have to file a claim for financial compensation after an injury or other event that causes you harm. This varies by state but can be as short as a year or two. Since most juvenile detainees are minors, filing a claim within this time frame can be one of the various legal barriers they face.
Fortunately, some things could potentially help. Some laws involve letting the statute of limitations be tolled until the victim reaches 18. This means that victims who were youth detainees can sue detention facilities once they become adults.
Other states have taken measures to give victims of child sexual abuse more time to file a claim by revising state laws. For example, a nationwide study revealed that the Backbone Mountain Youth Center in Maryland had the highest sexual victimization rate of the facilities studied.
In 2023, Maryland eliminated the civil statute of limitations for child sex abuse cases. This means that victims with previously time-barred claims can now take legal action against the sexual predators and detention facilities that have hurt them.
The type of crime can also dictate when a victim can file a claim. For example, if the sexual abuse involved misconduct, it may have a different statute of limitations than rape.
The Injury Lawyer Team stays up to date on laws across the nation. We can help you determine which statute of limitations applies to your juvenile detention center sexual abuse case.
How Can a Youth Detention Center Child Sexual Abuse Lawyer Help?
Injury Lawyer Team is here to help you seek justice after suffering from juvenile detention center sexual abuse. We help victims and their families file child sex abuse lawsuits against the juvenile detention center responsible and recover compensation in the civil court system.
Case Evaluation
The process begins with a free initial consultation with a member of our law firm to discuss your case. We will review what happened, which juvenile detention center the sexual abuse occurred in, and provide more information about your legal options moving forward, including what to expect.
Depending on the state, how long ago you were sexually assaulted, and the specific juvenile detention facility involved, your options could look different. Our civil sex abuse lawsuit attorneys will discuss various aspects of the sexual victimization reported, such as when the abuse occurred, to determine what your options are.
Investigation
If you decide to move forward with a civil case, we will begin the process of investigating your sex abuse case. This starts by collecting evidence against the juvenile detention center. While this often includes the victim’s testimony, other types of evidence might be available to support your sexual abuse case.
This could include witness testimony, surveillance footage, and past legal cases. There have been certain juvenile detention facilities that have been repeatedly identified as where many other sexual assaults have taken place. If you were sexually abused in a juvenile detention facility with a high rate of sexual victimization, these past cases can help to prove what happened.
Filing Civil Lawsuits
After collecting evidence and building a strong legal case, your juvenile detention center sex abuse attorney will file your case with the appropriate court. Depending on the jurisdiction and the operator of the juvenile detention center, the exact process may vary. Just know that your attorney will take care of this process for you.
Settlement Negotiations
In many sexual abuse civil lawsuits, claims against juvenile detention facilities are resolved outside court. Your lawyer will negotiate with the defendant’s legal team and their insurance providers to reach the maximum settlement possible. If a fair settlement cannot be reached outside of court, your lawyer will lead the process of taking your case to trial.
What Kind of Compensation Can Youth Detention Center Sexual and Physical Abuse Victims Receive?
There are different types of compensation available for victims who have been sexually abused at juvenile detention centers.
Economic Damages
Economic damages relate to tangible financial losses that survivors in facilities have experienced as a result of sexual abuse. This includes medical treatment costs, lost wages, property damage, and therapy expenses.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages do not relate to tangible financial losses. Rather, these are subjective and intangible costs, such as emotional trauma, as well as pain and suffering. Judges often calculate these based on a formula. In some civil legal filings, the amount that you receive in non-economic damages is more than the economic damages.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are ruled in sex abuse cases where the action was especially egregious or horrific. It is intended to deter similar behavior from recurring. This is common in juvenile facilities with a high rate of sexual victimization.
Sexual abuse civil lawsuits against juvenile detention centers could be prime candidates for punitive damages, as their prevalence is evidence that states and juvenile detention centers are not taking the steps they need to stop sexual abuse from happening.
Youth do not have a say in going to juvenile facilities, and the least that the state can do is to prevent sexual abuse and provide a safe environment for detainees by punishing the responsible parties.
What Factors Influence Compensation?
It’s impossible for your legal team to accurately predict how much compensation your sexual abuse against a juvenile detention center will settle for. However, some factors are known to influence the amount of compensation awarded in sex abuse claims. These include the:
- The severity of sexual victimization
- Impact of the sexual assault or sexual molestation on the victim’s life
- Financial losses
- Future mental health expenses
- Psychological harm (lost income due to mental harm)
- State and federal laws regarding the juvenile justice system
- How long you’ve been suffering emotional anguish
- What the institution did when you reported the abuse allegations
Child victims who suffer horrific abuse, including emotional abuse, can suffer for years. That’s why we help child victims seek justice and take legal action.
Seek Justice for Sex Abuse in Juvenile Camps
If you or a loved one suffered sexual abuse or sexual assault while under the care of detention centers, Injury Lawyer Team can help hold these institutions accountable through the civil court system. Our team works on a contingency fee basis, so you do not need to pay anything up front or out of pocket for our services. If we don’t win, you won’t owe us anything.
We have helped our clients secure millions; let us do the same for you. Contact us via our contact form or call toll-free at 866-757-6452 for a free consultation with a compassionate sexual abuse lawyer. A member of our team is available 24 hours a day to take your call.
Related Practice Areas
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Michigan Juvenile Detention Center Sexual Abuse Lawyer
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Specific Cases We Handle
Resources: [1] Bureau of Justice Statistics, [2] Just Detention International, [3] Bravehearts, [4] NPR, [5] US Department of Justice, [6] Southern District of New York, [7] AP News, [8] Cumberland Times-News, [9] Zero Abuse Project
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.