Accusers Tell Of Abuse At Juvenile Detention Centers

A group of nearly 70 people allege they were sexually abused as children while housed in detention centers in Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs filed suit in state or federal court Wednesday against 10 different juvenile facilities across Pennsylvania, three of them state-operated. Some of the plaintiffs said they were repeatedly raped by staff members and threatened with harm if they reported it. Others said their reports of sexual abuse were ignored. Their lawyers say none of the facilities protected the children in their care. The litigation adds to earlier lawsuits targeting what the accusers’ lawyers say is Pennsylvania’s broken juvenile justice system.