Juvenile Female Secure Care and Intake Facility Sex Abuse Lawsuit
The Juvenile Female Secure Care and Intake Facility is New Jersey’s only intake and care unit for female youth sentenced to incarceration. Recently, dozens of survivors of abuse by staff at the facility have accused the state of New Jersey and oversight agencies of allowing abuse to occur on their watch for decades. More than 350 sexual abuse lawsuits have now been filed against the Female Secure Care and Intake Facility and other state-run juvenile detention centers as survivors seek justice for the abuse they endured.
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Author: Kathryn Kosmides
Survivor Advocate
- The Juvenile Female Secure Care and Intake Facility in New Jersey has recently been hit with numerous allegations of staff misconduct.
- Hundreds of former detainees at the facility and other New Jersey state-run juvenile detention centers have filed lawsuits against the state for enabling a culture of abuse.
- If you or a loved one endured sexual abuse while detained at the Juvenile Female Secure Care and Intake Facility, you’re not alone, and Helping Survivors can help.
About the Juvenile Female Secure Care and Intake Facility in Bordentown, NJ
The Juvenile Female Secure Care and Intake Facility in Bordentown, New Jersey, serves as the state’s sole intake and secure care unit for all female youth sentenced to incarceration. It provides education, treatment, and custody for detained juvenile females, holding up to 48 at a time.
More than seven years ago, former New Jersey Governor Cris Christie announced plans to close the Female Secure Care and Intake Facility, also known as the “Hayes Building” or “Bordentown.”
Advocacy groups have recently pushed current Governor Phil Murphy and Attorney General Matt Platkin to expedite the facility’s closure and investigate the Juvenile Justice Commission, which operates New Jersey’s juvenile detention centers, in light of recent sexual abuse allegations. The Female Secure Care and Intake Facility is slated to close by 2028.
- About the Juvenile Female Secure Care and Intake Facility in Bordentown, NJ
- Sexual Abuse Allegations at Bordentown Juvenile Facility
- Legal Options for Survivors of Institutional Abuse in New Jersey
- New Jersey Resources for Reporting Sexual Abuse
- Learn More About Your Rights and Options
- Want To Speak With A Lawyer?
Sexual Abuse Allegations at Bordentown Juvenile Facility
In recent years, survivors of childhood sexual abuse by staff at facilities, including the Female Secure Care and Intake Facility, have sued the state for allowing abuse to occur at their facilities.
A recent lawsuit filed by eight survivors alleges that for decades, minors detained at Bordentown suffered sexual abuse by staff ranging from inappropriate strip searches to forceful sexual assaults. The lawsuits allege a culture of grooming and bribery in which detained children were offered special privileges in exchange for sexual acts.
Those eight cases aren’t the first to surface against the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission. In May 2025, the New Jersey Supreme Court approved multi-county litigation, consolidating hundreds of lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse at the state’s juvenile detention centers.
The facility is also at the center of criminal abuse charges. In late 2024, two former senior corrections officers from the Female Secure Care and Intake Facility were charged with sexually assaulting a teenage female resident at the facility. They are facing counts of sexual assault, criminal sexual conduct, and official misconduct.
Have You Been Abused at a Juvenile Detention Center?
If you or a loved one has suffered sexual abuse while in a juvenile detention center, you have the right to seek justice. Our team of experienced attorneys is here to provide you with the legal support and guidance you deserve.
Legal Options for Survivors of Institutional Abuse in New Jersey
Under state and federal laws, juvenile detention center detainees have legal rights that should protect them from abuse. The 14th Amendment of the Constitution provides equal protection under the law to all, and the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, or PREA, specifically protects detainees from sexual assault and harassment in correctional facilities. Despite these protections, sexual abuse of detainees has become commonplace in New Jersey’s juvenile justice system.
Survivors of juvenile detention center abuse at the Female Secure Care and Intake Facility and other facilities have multiple legal options for seeking justice, including reporting the abuse to law enforcement or filing a civil lawsuit to seek compensation for their losses. However, the state imposes time limits for some of these options. Under New Jersey’s statutes of limitations, civil childhood sexual abuse lawsuits must be filed by the victim’s 55th birthday. Adult sexual assault lawsuits must be filed within seven years of the incident. Meanwhile, New Jersey has not had a deadline for filing criminal charges over most sexual offenses since 1996.
Multi-County Litigation Against New Jersey’s Juvenile Justice System
In March 2025, a law firm representing 108 individual plaintiffs alleging sexual abuse at the state’s juvenile detention facilities submitted a request to consolidate the cases into a multicounty litigation. The cases were filed across three counties and involved numerous juvenile detention facilities owned and operated by the state, including the Juvenile Female Secure Care and Intake Facility in Bordentown. The firm sought consolidation in Middlesex County.
In May, the state Supreme Court granted that request, assigning Superior Court Judge Bruce J. Kaplan as the presiding judge. As of August 1, over 350 cases have been filed in the litigation.
New Jersey Resources for Reporting Sexual Abuse
For childhood sexual abuse survivors, reporting the abuse can seem daunting. However, it’s an important step to begin the process of filing a civil lawsuit or seeking a criminal investigation. In New Jersey, you can report child abuse to the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency’s Institutional Abuse Investigation Unit, which investigates allegations of abuse in detention centers and other out-of-home settings. The state hotline for child abuse reports is 1-877-NJ-ABUSE (1-877-652-2873).
You can also report abuse at New Jersey-run facilities such as the Juvenile Female Secure Care and Intake Facility by filing a complaint with the Juvenile Justice Commission’s Office of Investigations, a section of the New Jersey Attorney General’s office. If you’re unsure where to start, report the abuse to your local law enforcement agency.
Learn More About Your Rights and Options
At Helping Survivors, we’re on a mission to help heal, educate, and empower people impacted by sexual assault and abuse. We work to inform survivors of their rights and options, connect them to resources and educational content, and make legal introductions to partner law firms. Our legal partners can file civil lawsuits against the individuals and institutions that perpetrated and enabled the abuse, providing justice, closure, and compensation for victims.
Every survivor’s experience is unique; what you choose to do afterward is ultimately your choice. To learn more about your rights and options with a free, confidential consultation, contact Helping Survivors today.
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