Juvenile Medium Security Facility Sex Abuse Lawsuit
The Juvenile Medium Security Facility is a Bordentown, New Jersey, government-run youth detention facility that holds juvenile offenders serving sentences for serious crimes. The facility is managed by the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission, or JJC, which has faced repeated criticism in recent years for failing to protect state juvenile detention center inmates from abuse.
Now, hundreds of survivors of physical and sexual abuse at the Juvenile Medium Security Facility and other state juvenile detention facilities have filed lawsuits against the JJC for negligently allowing the abuse to occur uninterrupted for years.
Have you experienced sexual assault or abuse?
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Author: Kathryn Kosmides
Survivor Advocate
- The Juvenile Medium Security Facility is a New Jersey youth detention center for male offenders between 14 and 20.
- Hundreds of former detainees at the Juvenile Medium Security Facility and other New Jersey state-run juvenile detention centers have sued the state for enabling a culture of abuse.
- If you or a loved one endured sexual abuse while detained at the Juvenile Medium Security Facility, Helping Survivors can help you understand your legal rights and options.
About the Juvenile Medium Security Facility in Bordentown, NJ
Operated by the JJC, the Juvenile Medium Security Facility in Bordentown is designed to hold up to 262 offenders between its two compounds on the Johnstone Campus. The campus holds the JJC’s most secure facilities, including the Juvenile Medium Security compounds and the Female Secure Care and Intake Facility. While the facilities serve youth ages 14 through 20, most residents are 16 to 17 years old.
Abuse and Misconduct Allegations Against Juvenile Medium Security Facility
Former Juvenile Medium Security Facility inmates have reported enduring sexual assault, physical abuse, prolonged isolation, and neglect at the facility. Some inmates also allege that their 8th and 14th Amendment rights were violated during their time there. In 2024, eight survivors of abuse at the Juvenile Medium Security Facility and several other facilities filed a lawsuit against the state of New Jersey over child sexual abuse perpetrated by staff at the facilities.
The lawsuit alleges that the inmates suffered sexual abuse by staff for years on end while the state looked the other way. According to the suit, the purported abuse ranged from inappropriate strip searches to forceful sexual assaults. Children also were often groomed or bribed with special privileges or contraband to comply with sexual requests, the suit alleges.
- About the Juvenile Medium Security Facility in Bordentown, NJ
- Abuse and Misconduct Allegations Against Juvenile Medium Security Facility
- Abuse Survivor Rights and Legal Options in New Jersey
- How to File a Lawsuit for Juvenile Medium Security Facility Abuse
- How New Jersey Juvenile Detention Center Abuse Lawyers Can Help
- Want To Speak With A Lawyer?
Multi-County Litigation for New Jersey Juvenile Detention Sexual Abuse
In March 2025, a law firm representing 108 individual plaintiffs requested that all juvenile detention sexual abuse cases be consolidated into a multicounty litigation. Each of the plaintiffs alleges they were sexually abused while confined as children at state-operated juvenile detention facilities, including the Juvenile Medium Security Facility. The firm requested that the court centralize the cases in Middlesex County, where most have been filed.
The New Jersey Supreme Court granted the request in May, and as of August 1, over 350 cases have been filed in the litigation.
Abuse Survivor Rights and Legal Options in New Jersey
Juvenile detention center abuse survivors 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 these options. Under New Jersey’s statutes of limitations, civil childhood sexual abuse lawsuits must be filed by the victim’s 55th birthday, and adult sexual assault lawsuits must be filed within seven years of the act. New Jersey does not have a deadline for filing criminal charges over severe sexual offenses.
When you report child sexual abuse to law enforcement, it’s difficult to know whether the investigation will result in criminal charges against the perpetrator. Additionally, those charges don’t hold the institutions that enabled the abuse responsible for their role. By filing a civil sexual abuse lawsuit, you can seek to hold both the perpetrator and the institution that negligently allowed the abuse to occur accountable, as well as receive monetary compensation for your suffering.
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.
How to File a Lawsuit for Juvenile Medium Security Facility Abuse
Sexual abuse lawsuits can provide compensation for pain, suffering, medical bills, therapy costs, and more. In certain circumstances, courts also may award additional punitive damages to punish a defendant for particularly egregious conduct and deter them and others from similar future misconduct.
Filing a lawsuit for abuse you endured at the Juvenile Medium Security Facility starts with contacting an experienced trauma-informed attorney to listen to your story and evaluate your options.
For childhood sexual abuse survivors, reporting the abuse is an important step in the process of filing a civil lawsuit or starting 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, or 1-877-652-2873.
You can also report abuse at New Jersey-run facilities by filing a complaint with the Juvenile Justice Commission’s Office of Investigations.
How New Jersey Juvenile Detention Center Abuse Lawyers Can Help
As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse at a juvenile detention center, such as the Juvenile Medium Security Facility in Bordentown, it takes immense courage to speak up and make your voice heard. It’s important to know that the justice you seek is possible, even if the abuse occurred years or decades ago.
At Helping Survivors, our mission is to help heal, educate, and empower people impacted by sexual assault and abuse. We work to inform survivors of their rights, connect them to resources, and make introductions to our partner law firms who can file civil suits on their behalf.
To learn more about your options as a juvenile detention center abuse survivor, contact us today.
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