Hundreds of former Illinois juvenile inmates filed lawsuits on Monday alleging that they were sexually abused while in custody at detention centers.
The lawsuits describe decades-long systemic abuse, alleging that chaplains, correction officers, kitchen staff, and nurses periodically forced over 200 inmates into sexual acts from 1996 to 2021.
The filings follow others that put the number of alleged victims at 667, dating back to the 1990s—when they were ages 9 to 17—New York City-based law firm Levy Konigsberg said in a press release.
“The complaints we have filed on behalf of hundreds of survivors of childhood sexual abuse in Illinois juvenile facilities identify dozens of correctional officers and staff, some of whom sexually abused multiple victims,” said Levy Konigsberg Partner Jerome Block. “These juvenile detention center staff members systematically preyed upon children, forcing them to perform sexual acts and causing lifelong trauma and suffering. This is a growing scandal that points to the failure of the juvenile justice system in Illinois. Fortunately, the Illinois Childhood Sexual Abuse Act allows these courageous men and women to come forward now and seek justice and accountability.”…