Midwest

More than 100 former Illinois youth inmates sue state over alleged sexual abuse in detention centers

Published

2 years ago

June 6, 2024

More than 100 former Illinois youth inmates sue state over alleged sexual abuse in detention centers

Dozens of former youth inmates have filed lawsuits seeking millions in damages for sexual abuse allegedly endured at Illinois detention centers.
Thirteen women and 95 men filed two lawsuits against the Illinois Department of Corrections and Department of Juvenile Justice.
The lawsuits contain allegations that employees at various juvenile detention centers sexually assaulted inmates between 1997 and 2013.

Dozens more former youth inmates filed lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages for sexual abuse they allegedly endured at Illinois detention centers dating back to the late 1990s.

Thirteen women and 95 men filed two separate lawsuits on Friday in the Illinois Court of Claims against the state Department of Corrections and the state Department of Juvenile Justice. Each plaintiff is seeking $2 million in damages, the most allowed under law.

The filings are packed with disturbing allegations that guards, teachers and counselors at multiple juvenile detention centers around the state sexually assaulted inmates between 1997 and 2013. Often the same perpetrators would assault the same children for months, sometimes offering to shorten their sentences or giving them snacks or extra free time in exchange for their silence, according to the lawsuits.

SURVIVORS OF ALLEGED CHILD SEX ABUSE IN ILLINOIS DETENTION CENTERS SPEAK UP

There was no immediate reply Monday morning to an email seeking comment from two state agencies.

The office building at 100 North Western Avenue is shown on May 6, 2024, in Chicago, where an office of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice is located. Dozens more former youth inmates filed lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages for sexual abuse they allegedly endured at Illinois detention centers dating back to the late 1990s. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

One female plaintiff alleged she was 15 years old when she was housed at a detention center in Warrenville in 2012. A guard groped her under her clothes and on another occasion attempted to rape her in a shower area. The guard said he would put her in solitary confinement if she told anyone. The woman went on to allege that another guard sexually assaulted her in a bathroom and then gave her a Butterfinger candy bar.

A male plaintiff alleged he was 13 years old when he was housed at a detention center in St. Charles in 1997. Two guards gave him food, extra time outside his cell and extra television time as a reward for engaging in sex with them, he alleged. When he reported the abuse, the guards locked him inside his cell as punishment, he said. The plaintiff said he was transferred to two other detention centers in Warrenville and Valley View. Guards at those centers groped him as well.

The lawsuits note that a 2013 U.S. Department of Justice survey of incarcerated youth found Illinois was among the four worst states nationwide for sexual abuse in detention facilities.

The former youth inmates’ attorneys have filed similar lawsuits around the country.

Last month, they sued on behalf of 95 other former youth inmates who allege they were sexually abused at Illinois juvenile detention centers between 1997 and 2017. Each of those plaintiffs is seeking $2 million as well. The state Department of Justice said in a statement in response to that lawsuit that those alleged incidents took place under former department leaders. The current administration takes youth safety seriously and all allegations of staff misconduct are investigated by other agencies, including the state police, the department said.

The three Illinois lawsuits bring the total number of plaintiffs to more than 200.

“It’s time for the State of Illinois to accept responsibility for the systemic sexual abuse of children at Illinois Youth Centers,” one of the former inmates’ attorneys, Jerome Block, said.

The inmates’ attorneys also filed an action in Pennsylvania in May alleging 66 people who are now adults were victimized by guards, nurses and supervisors in that state’s juvenile detention system. The Illinois and Pennsylvania lawsuits follow other actions in Maryland, Michigan and New York City.

Some cases have gone to trial or resulted in settlements but arrests have been infrequent.

In New Hampshire, more than 1,100 former residents of the state’s youth detention center have filed lawsuits since 2020 alleging physical or sexual abuse spanning six decades. The first lawsuit went to trial last month, and a jury awarded the plaintiff $38 million, though the amount remains disputed. Eleven former state workers have been arrested, and more than 100 more are named in the lawsuits.

Read the full article from Here

Iowa

2026 Iowa high school boys basketball state tournament brackets, schedule

Published

6 minutes ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

2026 Iowa high school boys basketball state tournament brackets, schedule

The Iowa high school boys state basketball tournament is just around the corner and the full field has now been set.

By March 13, four teams will be crowned state champions and there are plenty of worthy squads vying for the title. On Tuesday, the final brackets were released and we now have a clear picture of the eight teams in each class hoping to take home the trophy.

Here’s a look at the first-round pairings and the full state tournament schedule for next week’s IHSAA action.

Class 4A Iowa boys state basketball tournament schedule

State quarterfinals, Monday, March 9

No. 4 Dowling Catholic vs No. 5 Dubuque Senior, 5:30 p.m.
No. 1 Cedar Falls vs No. 8 Urbandale, 7:15 p.m.

Tuesday, March 10

No. 3 Waukee Northwest vs. No. 6 Johnston, 10:30 a.m.
No. 2 Waukee vs No. 7 Cedar Rapids Prairie, 12:15 p.m.

State semifinals, Thursday, March 12

TBD vs. TBD, 10:30 a.m.
TBD vs. TBD, 12:15 a.m.

State championship game, Friday, March 13

Class 3A Iowa boys state basketball tournament schedule

State quarterfinals: Monday, March 9

No. 1 Ballard vs. No. 8 Gilbert, 10:30 a.m.
No. 4 Pella vs. No. 5 Carroll, 12:15 p.m.
No. 2 ADM vs. No. 7 Xavier, 2 p.m.
No. 3 Storm Lake vs. No. 6 Solon, 3:45 p.m.

State semifinals, Wednesday, March 11

TBD vs. TBD, 5:30 p.m.
TBD vs. TBD, 7:15 p.m.

State championship game, Friday, March 13

Class 2A Iowa boys state basketball tournament schedule

State quarterfinals: Wednesday, March 11

No. 1 Kuemper Catholic vs. No. 8 Union Community, 10:30 a.m
No. 4 Treynor vs. No. 5 Grundy Center, 12:15 p.m
No. 2 Unity Christian vs. No. 7 Western Christian, 2 p.m.
No. 3 Regina Catholic vs. No. 6 Aplington-Parkersburg, 3:45 p.m.

State semifinals, Thursday, March 12

TBD vs. TBD, 5:30 p.m.
TBD vs TBD, 7:15 p.m.

State title game, Friday, March 13

Class 1A Iowa boys state basketball tournament schedule

State quarterfinals: Tuesday, March 10

No. 1 St. Edmond vs. No. 8 Woodbine, 2 p.m.
No. 4 Notre Dame vs. No. 5 Bellevue, 3:45 p.m.
No. 2 MMCRU vs. No. 7 Boyden-Hull, 5:30 p.m.
No. 3 Bishop Garrigan vs. No. 6 Marquette Catholic, 7:15 p.m.

State semifinals, Thursday, March 12

TBD vs TBD, 2 p.m.
TBD vs TBD, 3:45 p.m.

State title game, Friday, March 13

Source link

Kansas

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

Published

12 minutes ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

RESULTS: NE Kansas high schools to play Friday after Tuesday sub-state wins

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Below is a look at the results from Tuesday night’s high school basketball sub-state semifinals in Northeast Kansas.

Editor’s Note: This story will be updated with what schools are hosting when that information becomes readily available.

WIBW Scoreboard

BOYS

5A East Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

KC Washington 68, Highland Park 38
Shawnee Heights 49, De Soto 37 (will play Leavenworth Friday)

5A West Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Topeka West 55, Hutchinson 32 (will play Bishop Carroll Friday)
Emporia 61, Great Bend 41 (will play Maize South Friday)
Seaman 73, Valley Center 51 (will play Hays Friday)

3A West Franklin Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Burlington 60, Osage City 35 (will play Baxter Springs Friday)

3A Sabetha Boys: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Hiawatha 73, Oskaloosa 48 (will play Heritage Christian Friday)
Silver Lake 58, Sabetha 39 (will play Perry-Lecompton Friday 7:30 p.m.)

GIRLS

6A West Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Washburn Rural 60, Wichita South 32 (will play Derby)
Topeka High 69, Maize 45 (will play Liberal)
Manhattan 67, Free State 21 (will play Wichita East)

4A East Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rock Creek 71, Parsons 23 (will play Tonganoxie)
Wamego 54, Labette County 33 (will play Bishop Miege)
Hayden 2, Athison 0 (will play Baldwin)

2A Eskridge/Mission Valley Girls: Tuesday’s sub-state semifinal results

Rossville 71, KC Christian 49 (will play Maur Hill-Mount Academy)
Lyndon 61, Jeff. Co. North 31 (will play Valley Heights)
Valley Heights 65, Doniphan West 41 (will play Lyndon)

Source link

Michigan

Bills to end concealed carry permit requirement introduced in Michigan House

Published

42 minutes ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Bills to end concealed carry permit requirement introduced in Michigan House

LANSING, Mich. — A group of Republicans in the Michigan House say Michiganders’ second amendment rights are being infringed, as they introduce legislation to end requirements for concealed carry permits.

Right now, Michiganders must obtain a permit to carry a concealed gun, with a base fee of $100.

As part of the process, applicants must also receive training.

“The first thing they do is put you in a classroom, make sure you know all proper range and safety procedures, run you over what the law states about when and if you’re allowed to use your firearm,” Jonathan Hold, president of the Michigan chapter of Giffords Gun Owners for Safety and a firearms instructor, said. “It gives a really good grounding.”

Applicants must demonstrate four hours of range time as well.

The group of House Republicans feel this is an undue burden, noting many gun owners are already knowledgeable.

They also believe the current five-year felony for carrying without a permit is too steep.

“For the government of the state of Michigan to tell that that we have to be qualified under the guise of their rules in order to protect ourselves is a far cry from what the constitution provides for us,” Rep. Jay DeBoyer, (R- Clay) said.

The package of bills wouldn’t abolish permits, as they are necessary to take guns outside of the state, but it would institute what’s called “constitutional carry.”

That means Michiganders can carry a gun on them without a permit.

Twenty-nine other states already adopted such policies.

“When we exercise other first amendment rights like our right to speak, we do not have to get a permit or permission from the government to speak,” Rep. Jim DeSana (R- Carleton) said. “When we exercise our right to worship, we do not have to go get a permit or permission to go worship.”

Supporters say concealed guns are important for self-defense, and can also help stop crime.

“It’s going to encourage and increase safety for all,” Rep. Joseph Fox (R- Fremont) said. “It’s about protecting everybody because if there are guns in this situation, and people are worried for their lives, they’re gonna stay back away from evil and making bad choices.”

Gun control advocates like Gold, however, say it’s “ridiculous” not to have guardrails.

“We’re talking about the power of life and death at a distance,” Gold said. “To send an untrained user out into the world with a firearm is a mistake.”

He also takes issue with the constitution argument.

“The constitution says as part of a well regulated militia, if you read the second amendment, and we don’t have well regulated militias in this country,” Gold said. “At the very least, what we should have are trained firearms users.”

A similar effort to end concealed carry permits failed to gain traction last year in the Michigan Senate, and with the landscape unchanged, the bills likely have an uphill battle to become law.

Source link