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.”
In the three lawsuits filed on Monday, 272 people alleged that they endured childhood sex abuse while in custody at the Illinois Youth Centers and the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center.
The Epoch Times contacted the state and Cook County for comment on these allegations.
A spokesperson for Cook County said the office does not comment on pending litigation.
Filed in the Illinois Court of Claims, the lawsuit is asking for $2 million in damages for each alleged victim, the maximum allowed under the Childhood Sexual Abuse Act, a law that “provides legal pathways” for victims to pursue damages, the firm said.
In May, Levy Konigsberg filed two lawsuits on behalf of dozens of former juvenile inmates alleging that they were sexually abused.
He alleged that when incarcerated, he was abused by a chaplain, “which led to decades of mental anguish and confusion.”
“Instead of being cared for, I felt more alone than ever,” he said. “I held my secret from the people I love out of fear and embarrassment. I had nights where I wanted to give up on life.”
The firm has filed lawsuits in numerous states alleging sexual abuse in juvenile facilities, but Illinois has seen the most complaints, Block said.
“Of all the states in which we’ve been litigating, we are seeing some of the worst and highest numbers of cases of staff [in Illinois] perpetrating sexual abuse compared to anywhere in the country,” Block said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
