CHICAGO – The number of former juvenile inmates who allege they were sexually abused at the hands of staff at juvenile detention facilities across Illinois has grown to more than 900, according to their attorneys.
“This was not rare. This was systemic,” said attorney Kristen Feden during a news conference Wednesday in Chicago’s Loop to announce 16 additional lawsuits against the state and Cook County, respectively.
The latest lawsuits involve an additional 107 people who claim that suffered abuse while in either state or county-run juvenile detention facilities. The attorneys said that most of the incidents occurred between 1995 and 2022 and involved hundreds of youths and staff who worked inside these facilities.
The additional lawsuits filed this week in Illinois come on top of similar litigation filed by Chicago attorney Jerry Block and other law firms in states like New York, New Jersey and Maryland.
One of the more recent lawsuits filed against the state of Illinois alleges that they “allowed or failed to prevent” the sexual abuse from happening inside these facilities.
Charles Graves, now 39, said he spent time in both Illinois Youth Centers in Joliet and downstate Harrisburg.
“I was sexually assaulted by three officers during my time in the juvenile correction system and the state of Illinois. The abuse caused me mental and emotional trauma for years I had nightmares about the abuse,” Graves said.
Another former juvenile inmate, who asked only to be identified using her first name Kate-Lynn, said she entered the Illinois Youth Center in Warrenville when she was just 14 years old.
She told reporters who gathered that she spent time in solitary confinement, and that when she refused orders from guards, they forced her to remove her clothes and one pinned her down.
“Throughout the incident, he inappropriately touched me in places I would rather not discuss in this setting,” she said.
She did not name the staff member.
Attorneys Jerry Block and Kristen Feden did identify in their news conference and legal complaints one of the former staff members from the Illinois Youth Center in Harrisburg they allege was involved – Rocky James – who the lawsuits note has been accused in separate lawsuits but has not been criminally charged. Since retiring from his job with the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, James has served as the mayor of Eldorado, Illinois.
The attorneys referenced in their lawsuit that James has been accused of sexually abusing multiple juveniles while they were in detention.
James did not respond Wednesday to an emailed message seeking comment, or a Facebook message or a phone message left with a woman who answered the phone at city hall. An NBC 5 Investigates reporter attempted to call a number listed for him three times, but it was not working.
When reached about the allegations contained in separate lawsuits, he told the Associated Press last year “there’s absolutely no truth to it.”
The three former juvenile inmates who spoke during Wednesday’s news conference are among a growing group of more than 900 survivors of alleged sexual abuse here in Illinois, who have now filed legal claims against the state of Illinois or in other cases Cook County.
And their attorneys criticized the Illinois Attorney General’s Office with trying to dismiss some claims by arguing the former youth inmates missed their window of time – that they should’ve filed their legal cases years ago.
“None of these sexual assaults of our clients’s bodies were accidents. So don’t take a callous legal position and say that these people should’ve come forward before age 19. Don’t do that,” attorney Jerry Block said.
Block criticized the state for what he alleged was inaction – saying unlike the Catholic Church abuse scandal – he says he’s found no evidence the state has done a deep dive to investigate the allegations involving now 900 former juvenile inmates.
NBC 5 Investigates left messages for both the Illinois Attorney General and Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office. We have not heard back.
The state department of juvenile justice issued a statement, saying they are aware of the lawsuits and can’t comment on pending litigation, but that “all allegations of staff misconduct are immediately and thoroughly investigated internally…” and that staff undergo training and background checks.
FULL STATEMENT FROM IDJJ:
The Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) is aware of the lawsuits recently filed in the Illinois Court of Claims. Although the Department is unable to comment on active litigation,
IDJJ takes seriously the safety of youth in the care of the Department. All allegations of staff misconduct are immediately and thoroughly investigated internally and often in partnership with the Department of Corrections, the Illinois State Police and the Department of Children and Family Services.
IDJJ has enacted policies and protocols to ensure the safety of youth and staff and identify any possible instances of abuse or misconduct. IDJJ protocols comply with both state and federal safety standards and IDJJ completes ongoing policy and protocol evaluations.All staff working in IDJJ facilities undergo background checks and training, along with participating in ongoing professional development.”
One of the former inmates told NBC 5 Investigates he’d like to see an outside agency investigate.
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