• Must have experienced sexual abuse or assault by a prison guard, corrections officer, parole officer or other staff
• Must have been under 18 at time of abuse
• Must not have a lawyer already
• Must have been born AFTER November 27,1989
• Free Confidential Case Evaluation is Available

The Delaware County Juvenile Justice Center was abruptly emptied over the weekend. This was after the county’s public defender sent a letter warning the county of credible and horrific claims of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse.

The most startling of those claims involves ignoring an active suicide attempt. They also include forcing a child to drink from a toilet and slamming a teen’s head into a window so hard it cracked the glass. Other reports included staff restraining a pregnant teen in a manner meant to induce miscarriage and locking kids in isolation for days or weeks on end. They covered it all by threatening teens and pressuring staff to stay silent.

List of Pennsylvania Juvenile Hall Facilities

Saint Gabriel Hall
Devereux School For Girls
Larchmont School for Girls
Chester County Youth Center
Danville center for adolescent females (DCAF)
Loysville Youth Development Center
New Castle Youth Detention Center
Glen Mills School
Philadelphia Youth Study Center
York County Youth Development Center
South Mountain Restoration Center
North Central Secure Treatment Unit
Youth Forestry Camp #2
Youth Forestry Camp #3
Lancaster County
Lackawanna County Juvenile Detention
Abraxas Youth Center
Delaware County
Beaver County
Erie County
Cambria County
Montgomery County Youth Center
Summit Academy
Lehigh County
Blair County
Shuman
Other

In addition to the abuse, the facility suffered insect and rodent infestations, winter periods without heat, and inadequate meals. Children were routinely threatened with physical assault or locked in a room.

One report said that a child with severe mental illness tried to asphyxiate herself by swallowing clothing. After the staff intervened and cleared the clothes, the girl was thirsty and asked for water. ‘Three staff members took her to a toilet, stuck her head in a bowl, and forced her to drink,’” according to a witness.

We believe all victims of Pennsylvania juvenile hall sex abuse should request a free, private review of their cases with the potential for compensation for pain and suffering.