Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility Lawsuit
People who were sexually abused while held at Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility in Albany may have the ability to bring a civil claim against the State of Oregon and the Oregon Youth Authority. Civil juvenile detention sexual abuse lawsuits give survivors the chance to hold the parties responsible for the abuse accountable, and potentially seek compensation for the harm it caused.
The Oak Creek facility is still open today, though lawsuits against the facility and its oversight agencies may involve events that are recent or decades old. Someone still at the facility can ask about their legal options.
- The Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility is open and operating in Albany, Oregon. An Oregon Youth Authority girls’ facility abuse lawsuit can involve recent conduct, not only decades-old harm.
- A federal survey found a sexual victimization rate at Oak Creek more than twice the national average; the agency disputes that finding.
- Helping Survivors can help you understand your legal rights and options.
What is the Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility?
Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility operates at 4400 Lochner Road SE in Albany, Oregon. The facility opened in 2008 and is the Oregon Youth Authority’s only facility for girls and young women, housing up to 42 youth across two living units. The agency can hold people committed as young as 12 until they turn 24. Recently, several former detainees at Oak Creek have alleged that they experienced sexual abuse by staff at the facility, part of the broader picture of juvenile detention abuse in Oregon.
If you or a loved one experienced sexual abuse at Oak Creek, you can choose to report the abuse to the Oregon Youth Authority or to law enforcement, or speak with a lawyer about a potential civil lawsuit. A civil claim generally does not require a prior police report or a completed internal investigation.
There may be ways to protect a survivor’s identity in a filing, and speaking to a lawyer does not commit anyone to filing. For mental health support, RAINN maintains a national hotline.
What Former Youth Have Alleged at the Albany Facility
Two matters involving former Oak Creek staff have reached the public record. One remains a pending civil allegation that no court has yet decided. The other went to trial and ended in an acquittal.
The 2025 Civil Suit Involving Alex Blevins
A woman filed a lawsuit in July 2025 alleging abuse between 2009 and 2011 by Alex Blevins, then an Oregon Youth Authority group life coordinator at Oak Creek, beginning when she was 16. The survivor’s complaint says she reported Blevins to the Oregon State Police in 2011, and the OYA fired him in 2014.
The Criminal Case That Ended in an Acquittal
A Linn County grand jury indicted former Oak Creek staff member Travis Craft on seven counts in 2024. The case later went to trial. In November 2025, a Linn County jury found him not guilty on all counts. He testified at trial and denied any wrongdoing.
Table of Contents
- Oak Creek Is Still Open, and What That Means for You
- What Former Youth Have Alleged at the Albany Facility
- What a Federal Survey Found at Oregon’s Only Girls’ Facility
- Who Can Be Held Responsible for Harm in State Custody
- How Long Do You Have to File in Oregon?
- Want To Speak With A Lawyer?
- Frequently Asked Questions
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What a Federal Survey Found at Oregon's Only Girls' Facility
In the Bureau of Justice Statistics 2018 National Survey of Youth in Custody, more than 14% of the 42 girls and young women surveyed at Oak Creek reported sexual victimization that year, compared to a 7% national average. That put Oak Creek at more than double the national rate. The survey does not break out staff-on-youth from youth-on-youth conduct at the facility level.
The Oregon Youth Authority published a response calling the federal survey results inconsistent with its own data.
The 2025 Audit
An independent audit under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, released in March 2026, found Oak Creek met all 43 standards for 2025. A compliance audit typically measures whether required policies, staffing, and procedures are in place. It is generally not a finding that no one was harmed, and it usually cannot speak to what any individual experienced.
Who Can Be Held Responsible for Harm in State Custody?
Responsibility for abuse in a custodial setting may rarely rest with one person. A lawyer may consider several potential liable parties:
- The State of Oregon and the Oregon Youth Authority: the agency that operated the facility and reportedly employed the staff involved.
- Individual staff members: where they may be identified in filings or records.
- Supervisors and administrators: whose decisions allegedly allowed the conduct to continue after concerns were reportedly raised.
What often makes these claims concrete is institutional detail: how a complaint may have been handled, whether a staff member reportedly kept working with youth afterward, and how supervision and camera blind spots were typically managed. Those details frequently emerge from agency records rather than memory. Suing the Oregon Youth Authority over abuse in custody differs from suing a private institution.
How Long Do You Have to File a Child Sexual Abuse Lawsuit in Oregon?
Under Oregon state law, a civil lawsuit based on child sexual abuse may be commenced at any time. However, claims based on conduct allowing, permitting, or encouraging child sexual abuse that arose before June 26, 2025, may be filed before the person turns 40, or five years from discovering the causal connection, whichever is longer. This can include institutional abuse claims.
Oregon also sets a two-year deadline for claims against a public body, which may be applied depending on the specifics of your case. An attorney can help you determine what filing deadline applies to you.
The 180-Day Notice Requirement
In some cases, claims against an Oregon public body must be filed within 180 days with the Oregon Department of Administrative Services. Missing that window can often end a case. However, state law removes that requirement when the claimant was under 18 at the time of the conduct, the claim is against the Oregon Youth Authority or the Department of Human Services, and the claimant was in that agency’s custody. All three conditions must be met, and someone already 18 at the time of conduct may not qualify for the exception.
Want To Speak With A Lawyer?
If you were held at Oak Creek and something happened there, you may ask questions without committing to anything, whether you left years ago or remain inside. Reach out to discuss your options when ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Bring a Claim While Still in Oregon Youth Authority Custody?
Being in custody does not, by itself, start or end a deadline, and a claim may be discussed while a person is still in custody. The specifics depend on age, dates, and framing.
A Staff Member Was Found Not Guilty. Does That End a Civil Case?
No. A criminal trial and a civil case are separate proceedings with different parties and standards of proof. An acquittal means the criminal case did not meet its burden of proof, which differs from a finding that nothing happened.
What About Other Oregon Youth Authority Facilities?
Other facilities have their own histories. MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility is the agency’s largest site, and the allegations there differ from those at Oak Creek.