More than 900 now say they were abused at Illinois youth prisons

Attorneys say more than 900 survivors have now come forward alleging they suffered child sexual abuse at juvenile detention centers in Illinois between 1995 and 2022.

A new batch of complaints were filed Tuesday, and lawyers say they include 107 new cases of abuse. Plaintiffs claim they were raped, groped, and threatened—all while in the custody of an Illinois Youth Center or the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, formerly known as the Audy Home.

“These survivors want justice, and they want accountability and they want sexual abuse in the Illinois juvenile justice system to end,” said attorney Jerome Block.

At a press conference Wednesday, adult survivors shared stories of what they experienced as teenagers at youth detention facilities. One woman, who prefers to go by her first name Kate-Lynn, recounted an alleged incident at Illinois Youth Center Warrenville where at least five staff members entered her cell and took off her clothes. Then, she said, a male staff member sat on her naked body and touched her inappropriately.

“My life has been severely impacted by the trauma I experienced at the hands of these state employees at IYC Warrenville,” said Kate-Lynn.

Another speaker, Charles Graves, said he was sexually assaulted by three officers in Illinois. Graves also said he encountered one of his alleged abusers again while visiting his nephew in the juvenile system.

“She didn’t remember me, but I remembered her. And I talked to my nephew, and I asked him, are you okay?” said Graves. “…They need to understand what took place, and they need to do something to start helping prevent it.”

The alleged victims are represented by the law groups Bailey & Glasser, Levy Konigsberg, DiCello Levitt, and Anapol Weiss.

In a statement, the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice said it is aware of the recently filed lawsuits and cannot comment on active litigation.

“IDJJ has enacted policies and protocols to ensure the safety of youth and staff and identify any possible instances of abuse or misconduct,” spokesperson Dominique Newman wrote.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Cook County and the Illinois Department of Corrections are also named in the complaints; the Office of the Chief Judge in Cook County said it could not comment, and an IDOC spokesperson did not respond to WBEZ’s request.

Block said his clients deserve compensation, though there is “no amount of money that can fully make these survivors whole.”

“This is something that is going to be very expensive for the state, and it should be,” said Block. “Because these are horrific, horrific traumas and horrific injuries inflicted on these men and women when they were children.”