95 men, women sue state of Illinois alleging 'severe' sexual abuse at youth centers

A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of 95 men and women who claim they were sexually abused while housed at youth centers throughout Illinois.

The complaint accuses the state of Illinois, the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) of failing to protect the plaintiffs from adult employees sexually abusing them.

"The state of Illinois has caused and permitted a culture of sexual abuse to flourish unabated in its IYC facilities," the complaint says. "Upon information and belief, the State of Illinois is aware (and has for decades been aware) that the conditions identified above as connected to sexual abuse and conditions of juvenile detention facilities were and are endemic to all IYC facilities"

The 95 plaintiffs were housed at Illinois youth centers in Chicago, Murphysboro, Valley View, Joliet, Kewanee, Warrenville, St. Charles, Pere Marquette, and Harrisburg, according to the suit filed in the Illinois Court of Claims. The plaintiffs, who are now adults, all suffered the alleged sexual abuse from 1996 to 2017 when they were between the ages of 12 and 17 years old.

USA TODAY reached out to the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Illinois Attorney General's office for comment but did not receive a response.

Youth center staff sexually abused the plaintiffs, complaint says

The sexual abusers were correctional officers, counselors, supervisors, sergeants, nurses, therapists, a chaplain and other Illinois youth center staff, the complaint alleges. Multiple plaintiffs alleged "severe abuse" by the same abusers, the suit continued.

"The very people that were entrusted with keeping our clients safe when they were children at these youth centers, were the ones that were perpetrating the sexual abuse," Jerome Block, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told USA TODAY on Tuesday during an interview. "This is long-term institutionalized sexual abuse that took place for more than 20 years."

Block said many of his clients were raped and forced to perform oral sex and other sexual acts.

"All of our clients were sexually assaulted in one way or another," the attorney said. "Many of our clients reported the sexual abuse and nothing was done. Our clients were often threatened or incentivized with contraband, such as cigarettes or other privileges... Overall this shows that the Illinois juvenile justice system is broken."

In June 2013, the Department of Justice's National Survey of Youth in Custody reported Illinois "was among the four worst states in the nation for sexual abuse in juvenile detention facilities," according to the complaint.

Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice 'aware of the lawsuit'

In a statement emailed to USA TODAY, the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice said it is aware of the lawsuit "related to allegations under prior administrations."

"Although the Department is unable to comment on active litigation, IDJJ takes seriously the safety of youth in the care of the Department," the statement read.

"All allegations of staff misconduct are immediately and thoroughly investigated in partnership with the Department of Corrections, the Illinois State Police and the Department of Children and Family Services," the statement continued.

The IDJJ has also "enacted policies and protocols to ensure the safety of youth and staff and identify any possible instances of misconduct," according to the statement.

"IDJJ protocols comply with both state and federal safety standards and IDJJ completes ongoing policy and protocol evaluations," the statement said. "All staff working in IDJJ facilities undergo background checks and training, along with participating in ongoing professional development."

'They're able to stand together'

Block said he and his co-counsel are preparing for additional complaints as they represent hundreds of people who were sexually abused at Illinois youth centers. The 95 women and men are a part of the first complaint, but the attorney said additional groups of plaintiffs will be filing suits in the coming months.

"It's my privilege and honor to support our clients through this process," Block said. "Many of them have held this trauma inside all of their lives."

All the plaintiffs "feel empowered" since they're able to seek some form of accountability, according to Block.

"They're able to stand together with other people who suffered similar sexual abuse after really living alone with this much of their lives," the attorney said.

Each plaintiff is demanding individual judgments of $2 million, which is the "jurisdictional maximum," the complaint says.

Correction: The original photo previously attached to the story is of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Chicago, Illinois. This facility is not a part of the lawsuit filed by the 95 men and women accusing Illinois youth centers of not preventing sexual abuse.