Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles Sexual Abuse Lawsuits
If you or a loved one experienced sexual abuse at Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles, you have legal rights and options for holding the responsible parties accountable.
Have you experienced sexual assault or abuse?
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Author: Kathryn Kosmides
Survivor Advocate
- The Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles was a juvenile detention facility in Illinois until 2024, when it was converted into a vocational school for incarcerated youths aged 17 through 20.
- Between 2024 and 2025, more than 900 survivors have filed lawsuits against the state of Illinois and the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice for allegedly allowing sexual abuse to run rampant on their watch.
- Survivors of sexual abuse at Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles and other Illinois juvenile detention centers have legal rights and options for seeking accountability and compensation.
Since the start of 2024, nearly 1,000 people have filed lawsuits against the state of Illinois for allegedly failing to protect them from childhood sexual abuse in state-run juvenile detention facilities.
The mass lawsuits began in May when 95 people filed a suit alleging decades of sexual abuse at nine Illinois Youth Centers, or IYCs, across the state, including IYC-St. Charles. More than a third of the alleged victims in the suit said they were sexually abused by staff at the St. Charles youth center.
About Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles
The Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles was one of nine Illinois Youth Centers, or IYCs, holding juvenile offenders across the state. In January 2024, the facility was rebranded as the Phoenix Emerging Adults Career & Education, or PEACE, Center, now focusing on high school graduates who wish to pursue higher education while incarcerated. PEACE young adults are high school graduates aged 17 through 20 who have been committed to secure custody by the state. All detainees under the age of 17 were transferred out of the facility when it rebranded.
- About Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles
- Reports of Sexual Abuse and Misconduct in Illinois Youth Centers
- Developments in Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles Sex Abuse Lawsuits
- Legal Options for Juvenile Detention Survivors in Illinois
- Frequently Asked Questions about Juvenile Detention Sex Abuse in Illinois
- Speak With an Experienced Sexual Abuse Attorney
Reports of Sexual Abuse and Misconduct in Illinois Youth Centers
The first major wave of sexual abuse lawsuits against Illinois Youth Centers came in May 2024 when 95 former detainees from nine Illinois Youth Center locations, including St. Charles, filed a lawsuit. The survivors alleged that the State of Illinois, the Illinois Department of Corrections, and the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice allowed rampant sexual abuse to occur at nine IYC locations across the state for decades. As of late 2025, nearly 1,000 former detainees at Illinois youth detention facilities have taken legal action against the state for failing to protect them from predatory staff.
According to the lawsuits filed so far, employees of the state’s Department of Corrections and Department of Juvenile Justice routinely sexually abused the plaintiffs when they were minors, and the state negligently failed to prevent sexual abuse from occurring in state custody.
Developments in Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles Sex Abuse Lawsuits
A joint lawsuit filed on behalf of 95 plaintiffs against the state last May alleges numerous incidents of abuse at IYC-St. Charles. One plaintiff was incarcerated at IYC-St. Charles between 2000 and 2004, when he was 13 to 17 years old. He alleges he was strip-searched, fondled, digitally penetrated, and forced to perform oral sex by staff at the facility. Another plaintiff said he was abused at St. Charles at age 14 between 1998 and 1999 when two abusers forced him to perform various sexual acts.
Many of the 95 plaintiffs alleged severe abuse by the same abusers, including a former Harrisburg supervisor who serves as mayor of a nearby town and a chaplain at the St. Charles facility.
Outside of civil lawsuits, several former employees of the St. Charles center have faced criminal charges for alleged sexual misconduct involving detained youth. In 2021, a former employee was sentenced to 30 months of probation over a sexual relationship with an 18-year-old inmate at IYC St. Charles. Additionally, in September 2025, a former employee of the new PEACE Center was charged with 15 felony counts of official misconduct after allegedly having a sexual relationship with a young man at the facility.
Legal Options for Juvenile Detention Survivors in Illinois
Survivors of juvenile detention center sexual abuse have the right to report to law enforcement and oversight agencies. Reporting the abuse to the authorities may trigger an investigation that could result in prosecutors filing criminal charges against the abuser.
Additionally, survivors may be able to file civil lawsuits against the state of Illinois for negligently allowing abuse to occur in state-run facilities.
You can also report the abuse to local law enforcement, the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice directly by calling 217-557-1030, or the state sexual abuse hotline at 1-800-252-2873. Survivors and their loved ones can also report childhood sexual abuse that occurred in state care to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services’ Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-722-9124.
Frequently Asked Questions about Juvenile Detention Sex Abuse in Illinois
Can I File a Lawsuit if the Abuse Occurred Years Ago?
Survivors of childhood sexual abuse in Illinois may be able to file civil lawsuits against the perpetrators and enablers of the abuse, even if it occurred years or decades ago. Under Illinois’ statute of limitations, survivors have until their 38th birthday or within 20 years of discovering the harm the abuse caused to file a lawsuit.
What Compensation Can Survivors Receive?
In a lawsuit over juvenile detention sexual abuse, survivors can pursue various compensation for a range of damages, including medical bills, therapy costs, pain, suffering, emotional distress, and more. In some cases, courts award survivors punitive damages if the defendant’s conduct was particularly egregious.
The amount of compensation you may be able to recover in a juvenile detention sex abuse lawsuit depends on various factors, including the nature, severity, and duration of the abuse, your age when the abuse occurred, and the long-term effects of the abuse.
Speak With an Experienced Sexual Abuse Attorney
If you or a loved one endured sexual abuse while detained at Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles or another Illinois juvenile detention facility, you have legal rights and options for holding the responsible parties accountable, and Helping Survivors can help.
At Helping Survivors, our advocates work to heal, educate, and empower survivors of sexual abuse by providing information and resources. We can also connect you with our legal partners.
The lawyers at our partner firms have years of experience litigating sexual abuse cases and work with survivors to file civil lawsuits against the individuals and institutions that perpetrated and enabled the abuse they endured. Additionally, they work on a contingency fee basis, meaning they charge no upfront costs and only receive payment if they successfully recover compensation for you.
To learn more about your legal rights and options after experiencing abuse, contact Helping Survivors today.
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