Note: This story contains descriptions of sexual abuse. If you or someone you know may be a victim of sexual abuse, confidential support, information and advice are available at the National Sexual Assault Hotline by calling 800-656-4673. Text chat is also available online.
Another 10 men who were held in custody as children at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn are suing the state accusing the longtime pediatrician at the facility of sexually abusing them.
More than 20 men have now come forward accusing Dr. Edward Gary Edwards of widespread abuse and top officials at the youth facility of ignoring the abuse and allowing it to continue.
Edwards worked at the Oregon Youth Authority starting in 1977 and was later the chief medical officer at MacLaren. He worked at the facility for more than four decades. Edwards died in February, shortly before the first lawsuit was filed.
The abuse was so well-known, the lawsuit alleges, the doctor had a nickname: “Dr. Cold Fingers.” The latest allegations against the doctor date between 2001 and 2007.
The lawsuit was filed in Multnomah County. The men who say they were abused are seeking $51 million.
The administration building at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, Ore., seen in this undated provided photo.
Courtesy of Oregon Youth Authority
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the boys reported abuse while it was occurring; they spoke to guards, staff and nurses at the state facility, and their reports were often shrugged off and ignored.
The latest lawsuit follows a similar one filed last month that accuses Edwards of abuse. Minutes after the attorneys filed that first lawsuit, they started receiving phone calls, said lawyer Paul Galm.
Attorneys assumed more people would call to report misconduct when the lawsuit was publicized, Galm said, but he was still shocked by how the dozens who have reached out to report similar mistreatment.
Related: Former Oregon Youth Authority top doctor accused of widespread sexual abuse of boys in custody
“People have been holding on to these awful experiences for a long time because they were told in OYA, ‘You can tell someone, but who is going to believe you?’” he said.
The latest lawsuit is part of several allegations of misconduct against staff at the Oregon Youth Authority in recent months. The series of lawsuits come on the heels of revelations there was a backlog of complaints at the youth authority.
The OYA is part of the state’s juvenile justice system. It oversees and operates five youth correctional facilities and four transitional facilities, including MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility. The governor fired the head of the Oregon Youth Authority in March.
Children convicted of serious crimes before they are 18 serve sentences at Oregon Youth Authority facilities. Children as young as 12 can be incarcerated, and they can be held in state custody until they turn 24. Some are later transferred to the state’s prison system.
The state recently hired a youth and family advocate who is expected to be independent of the agency and help families field complaints and navigate the youth authority.
Although the latest lawsuit focuses on Edwards, staff that have worked at the youth authority more recently have also been accused. Emily Echtenkamp, a former mental health and drug treatment counselor at MacLaren, was convicted in March of sexually abusing a teenager she was supposed to be trying to help.
Will Howell, a spokesman for the youth authority, declined to comment on the lawsuit, but told OPB in April that sexual misconduct “runs completely against our values and commitments to our youth.” He said the agency is continuing to work to “swiftly investigate, and take decisive action when individuals undermine our work.”
Related: More allegations at Oregon youth detention center paint a picture of systemic abuse
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced it would no longer be funding the National Prison Rape Elimination Act Resource Center. The group helps train and certify prison assault auditors, including those who work within the Oregon Youth Authority and the state’s Department of Corrections.
Jana McLellan, the temporary head of the Oregon Youth Authority, recently sent an email to staff saying the youth authority’s annual audits would still continue.
“I want to clarify that our audits will proceed as originally planned, and reaffirm our commitments to safety, transparency, and external oversight,” McLellan wrote staff on May 1.
