‘Damaged, traumatized and broken by the system’: Former residents sue Pa. juvenile detention centers for institutionalized child abuse

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Scores of children experienced institutionalized sexual abuse at various juvenile detention and residential treatment facilities across Pennsylvania, according to a slew of connected lawsuits filed Wednesday morning.

Each of the 67 plaintiffs, all of whom are now adults, are seeking damages for the trauma they say staff inflicted upon them over two decades.

“What the juvenile system is supposed to provide is rehabilitation, education and it’s supposed to result in children coming out of the system more equipped to live a productive life,” said Jerome Block, an attorney with Levy Konigsberg. “Instead, our clients were damaged, traumatized and broken by the system and left the system far worse than they were when they entered.”

The complaints implicate the Carson Valley Children’s Aid, Delaware County Juvenile Detention Center, Devereux, Northwestern Academy, Presbyterian Children’s Village, St. Gabriel’s Hall and VisionQuest for what Block described as “systemic, institutionalized sexual abuse.”

“One of the things that stands out for me in these cases is the severity of the sexual abuse,” Block said. “Many of our clients were raped. Many of our clients were forced to perform oral sex or other sexual acts — and we’re talking here about children. So the adults at the facility, the ones that are supposed to be keeping the children safe, are perpetrating severe sexual abuse against children.”

Most of the operators of these centers did not immediately provide comment on Wednesday morning. A spokesperson for Delaware County said in an emailed statement that the county had not yet been formally served.

“While the County does not discuss allegations made in ongoing litigation, it is committed to changes being instituted for the juvenile justice system since Council created a Board of Managers of Juvenile Detention in 2021,” the spokesperson said.

The New York-based law firm also took aim at three state-run facilities — Loysville Youth Development Center, North Central Secure Treatment Unit and South Mountain Secure Treatment Unit. Twenty of the cases originate at these state-operated institutions.

A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services said they cannot comment on pending litigation. However, in an emailed statement, the agency said it “remains in compliance with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003.”

“DHS has zero-tolerance towards abuse and harassment, and we take seriously our responsibility to protect the health and safety of children at licensed facilities,” the spokesperson said. “Anyone who suspects a child is being sexually abused or sexually harassed at any facility is urged to contact ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313.”

In May, Levy Konigsberg attorneys filed suit on behalf of 66 people who said they were sexually abused at many of the same juvenile centers mentioned in the most recent complaints. The firm also sued Delco Juvenile Detention Center that same month on behalf of three individuals, alleging staff sexually abused them.

There has been a cyclical nature to abuse allegations in connection with youth placement facilities in the commonwealth.

From the DCJDC and the Glen Mills Schools to Devereux and the Luzerne County judges scandal known as “Kids for Cash,” these centers have been a magnet for negative attention for more than a decade. Block called on Gov. Josh Shapiro and Attorney General Michelle Henry to investigate.

“We see a culture of secrecy that is more focused on protecting the staff members who are perpetrating the sexual abuse then protecting children,” Block said. “I think what we also see in these cases is just a broken juvenile justice system.”

He likened the institutionalized abuse to the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal and said that state officials should update the law to allow for older cases to be filed.

Currently, Pennsylvania requires litigants to be born after November 1989. Block is calling for a two-year revival window so that older cases have a chance in court.