Nearly 300 former inmates sue L.A. County's juvenile detention system for alleged sexual abuse
Nearly 300 former inmates of Los Angeles County's juvenile detention system claim that they were sexually assaulted while serving their time, according to a lawsuit filed on December 20.
First reported by The Los Angeles Times, the 279 plaintiffs involved in the suit claim that they were subject to repeat assault by probation and detention officers, something that the attorney leading the lawsuit says happened over a number of decades.
"It's a lot. It's a lot to even process right now," said a former inmate known as "John SV Roe," who still struggles to cope with the rape and sexual abuse he suffered years ago. "A lot of physical abuse. Then there was times where I was knocked unconscious and taken advantage of."
Roe was held at Los Angeles County's Central Juvenile Hall for more than a year in the 1990s, a time of horrid abuse which led him to years of pain.
"Tried to hurt myself multiple times," he said. "Suicide attempts. Really questioned my sexuality for a while."
The plaintiffs are accusing both male and female officers.
Doug Rochen, the attorney representing the alleged victims, who works with ACTS Law Firm, said that the allegations date back to the 1970s, with several complaints being made as recently as 2018.
"In its purest form, it was a total exercise of control over children who had no ability to turn away, no ability to say no. And were being told if you didn't comply, that were gonna be punished," Rochen said. "Sent to the shoe, or you wouldn't get phone privileges. Or we're gonna prevent you from seeing your family members."
Roe says that the trauma he faced, and the fear of backlash for his safety and that of his loved ones, kept him from reporting the abuse over the years.
"If this ever came out, there would be retaliation," he said. "They would get us. Best thing to do is keep your mouth shut."
Rochen said he would be "dumbfounded" if some of the accused abusers weren't still working within the system.
The Los Angeles County Probation Department oversees three juvenile halls and eighteen juvenile camps. The lawsuit specifically mentions a number of those locations, including:
- Challenger Memorial Youth Center in Lancaster,
- Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey,
- Central Juvenile Hall in Eastlake,
- Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar,
- Camp Joseph Scott in Santa Clarita,
- Camp Kenyon Scudder in Santa Clarita
The L.A. County Probation Department was unavailable for comment.