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.
Lawsuits filed on Thursday accuse three more former Oregon Youth Authority staff members of sexually abusing juvenile prisoners. It is the latest in a series of lawsuits that assert there was a culture of indifference toward child sexual abuse within the state’s youth detention centers.
The latest allegations allege abuse of teenagers by a group life coordinator, a former correctional officer and a pediatrician inside facilities employed by the state’s youth authority.
The attorney bringing the latest lawsuits, Peter Janci, said this wasn’t about a few “bad apples,” but rather a larger system that “protected predators” while silencing victims.
The administration building at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, seen in this undated provided photo.
Courtesy of Oregon Youth Authority
Three female victims accuse a correctional officer at Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility of sexually abusing them between 1999 and 2008 when they were teenage girls as young as 15 years old. They allege he groped them and masturbated while watching them in the shower.
Another woman accused an Oak Creek group life coordinator of sexually abusing her starting when she was 16. Janci said she reported the coordinator to the Oregon State Police in 2011. An additional lawsuit alleges that a former Hillcrest staffer abused a boy. The lawsuit states that when the boy tried to tell someone, he was told he would need to withdraw his complaint or he wouldn’t be able to have family visits.
An additional lawsuit filed Thursday includes more accusations against pediatrician Edward Gary Edwards. Edwards, a longtime pediatrician for the state, died in February. The total number of victims with pending lawsuits against him is now 51 people with claims topping $250 million.
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 that there was a backlog of complaints at the youth authority that were not followed up on and included complaints from youth in custody.
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 agency 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 adult prison system.
The state recently hired a youth and family advocate who is expected to be independent of the agency to help families bring complaints and navigate the youth authority.
Will Howell, a spokesman for the youth authority, said in a statement that in the past six years, “The conduct alleged is abhorrent, and Oregonians can count on OYA to act swiftly and decisively when individuals undermine our work. Youth safety is paramount.”
