More than 900 people now allege abuse at Illinois, Cook County juvenile detention facilities
More than 900 people have now come forward charging they were sexually abused at state-operated Illinois youth centers and the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center.
Attorneys on Wednesday announced that 107 additional names have been added to a class-action lawsuit. They say their clients were sexually abused while underage during a timespan that crosses several decades — from 1995 to 2022.
The victims have filed complaints against the state and county over how they've handled sexual abuse in their juvenile detention facilities. CBS News Chicago previously reported on hundreds of similar cases last year.
Several survivors spoke out about childhood sexual, mental, and physical abuse on Wednesday.
"From 1995 to 2022, these children — nearly all of them boys, many from the Black and brown and female communities — were preyed upon by state employees in government-run facilities," said attorney Kristen Feden.
One plaintiff, a 39-year-old Central Illinois man named Charles Graves, said he was facing criminal charges at the age of 13 with no father figure present in his life, and no one in his corner, when he was abused by officers in juvenile detention.
"They were only there for their own gain — the game of taking our innocence and manipulating our minds. With me never having known love or the security of family, the officers were able to bend my mind to their own will," Graves said. "I was sexually assaulted by three officers throughout my time in the juvenile correctional system in the state of Illinois."
Another plaintiff, a 26-year-old Central Illinois woman named Kate-Lynn, broke down as she told her story. She said her father passed away when she was in juvenile detention, and was told she was being put on suicide watch.
"At least five staff members came into my cell and stripped off all of my clothes. I remember a 300-pound male staff member sitting on top of my naked body, forcing me to lay on the ground," Kate-Lynn said. "Throughout the incident, he inappropriately touched me in placed I would rather not discuss in this setting. I was left bruised, naked shackled, handcuffed, and unable to move."
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a motion to dismiss the cases back in June, saying they were required to come forward before turning 19 years old.
Survivors and attorneys say under the Illinois Childhood Sexual Abuse Act have unlimited time to bring lawsuits.
