Sexual Abuse in Illinois Youth Centers

Before its closure in 2013, IYC – Joliet was the only maximum-security facility for boys in Illinois. Rather than focusing on rehabilitation of youth, the facility was set up like an adult prison and known for being punitive and highly institutional. According to a 2013 report, IYC – Joliet had one of the highest rates of sexual victimization in facilities across the country, with 21% of youth who responded to the survey reporting abuse or misconduct by staff. 

Now, people who were abused while detained at the facility are speaking out against the correctional officers, supervisors, and other staff who assaulted and mistreated them. Lawsuits allege that reports of abuse at the time were ignored and covered up and that IYC – Joliet and the Illinois juvenile justice system failed to protect youth inmates. 

IYC – Kewanee was a mixed medium-maximum security facility for male youth. Closed in 2016, the facility was known for its isolated location. In recent lawsuits, plaintiffs have come forward with allegations that they were abused as children at the facility. This abuse often occurred under threat of physical violence, and any reporting was met with retaliation as the facility ignored the abuse. 

Also known as Southern Illinois’ Minimum Facility for Boys, IYC – Murphysboro operated under a boot camp model until 2010 and closed in 2013. The facility and its employees have been named in recent lawsuits alleging that children and youth detained at the facility were sexually abused by staff members. 

The smallest facility under the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, IYC – Pere Marquette is a minimum-security facility for male youth in Grafton, IL. The facility operates on an open campus model and is designed as a step-down facility to help youth reintegrate into the community. 

Despite its rehabilitative goals, plaintiffs allege that staff at IYC – Pere Marquette sexually abused children and youth in their care. In recent lawsuits, survivors state that the facility systematically failed to prevent abuse and brushed off reports by inmates and families. 

Located 50 miles west of Chicago, IYC – St. Charles initially opened in 1904 as a detention center for male youth over the age of 15. The facility relaunched as the Phoenix Emerging Adult Career & Education (PEACE) Center in January 2024 with the goal of providing vocational, career, and life skill development for high school graduates in custody. 

Lawsuits allege abuse at the facility spanning back decades and claim that the center failed to protect children and youth. Plaintiffs claim that reports of inappropriate conduct and sexual abuse of residents by correctional officers and staff were often ignored, with repeated abuse by the same perpetrators going unchecked for years. 

Opened in 1973, IYC – Warrenville is the only co-ed juvenile detention facility in Illinois. Multiple supervisors and staff at the facility have been convicted of sexually abusing residents, sometimes threatening inmates with violence or extended sentences if they didn’t comply. 

In recent lawsuits, plaintiffs allege that the facility failed to prevent or report abuse. The lack of oversight and accountability allowed security guards, correctional officers, shift supervisors, and other staff to continue to abuse the children and youth in their care.