San Diego County Juvenile Court and Community Schools Lawsuit
Since California extended its statute of limitations for child sexual abuse lawsuits in 2019, multiple San Diego County juvenile detention facilities have been the subject of lawsuits and accusations of juvenile detention center sexual abuse. The lawsuits allege that negligence by the county in training, hiring, and supervision allowed sexual abuse to occur between residents and staff.
While the San Diego County Juvenile Court and Community Schools have not yet been named in these suits, related institutions and organizations have faced allegations. Survivors of abuse in such settings have legal rights and options.
Have you experienced sexual assault or abuse?
Helping Survivors can connect you with an attorney if you may have a case. While we cannot report a crime on your behalf, your safety is important. Please contact your local authorities for further assistance.
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Author: Kathryn Kosmides
Survivor Advocate
- San Diego County’s Juvenile Court and Community Schools provide educational programming for incarcerated and at-risk youth across the county.
- Over the past few years, several San Diego County juvenile detention centers and other facilities have faced serious allegations of sexual abuse of minor detainees by staff, and many former detainees are now filing lawsuits against the county for its negligence.
- Helping Survivors can help you understand your legal rights and options if you or someone you know has been affected by sexual abuse in juvenile detention.
San Diego County Juvenile Court and Community Schools Background
Run by the San Diego County Office of Education, the Juvenile Court and Community Schools provide educational programs for school-age youth who are wards of the court or have been referred by social services, probation, or a county school district. The JCCS provides services to incarcerated, pregnant or parenting, fostered, expelled, truant, in drug treatment and group homes, and homeless youth, providing programming in community schools and juvenile facilities.
The San Diego County Juvenile Court and Community Schools system is designed to educate and rehabilitate vulnerable youth, including those detained in county juvenile detention facilities. However, sometimes people entrusted with the care of vulnerable youth betray that trust by physically and sexually abusing them. Survivors of institutional abuse deserve justice.
Sexual Abuse Allegations Against San Diego County Juvenile Court and Community Schools
While no current allegations or lawsuits have been filed regarding abuse at the San Diego County Juvenile Court and Community Schools, the county is facing dozens of lawsuits from survivors who say they were sexually abused in county juvenile detention facilities. Most of these lawsuits allege abuse at the hands of Probation Department officers in San Diego’s juvenile detention centers.
The lawsuits filed so far accuse the San Diego County Probation Department of failing to adequately screen its officers before hiring them, failing to intervene and prevent the abuse, failing to properly investigate complaints of abuse, and failing to discipline abusive officers. With California’s recently extended statute of limitations for child sexual abuse lawsuits, more allegations and legal actions may surface in the future.
Legal Rights of Survivors of San Diego County Juvenile Court and Community Schools
Survivors of juvenile detention center sexual abuse in San Diego County Juvenile Court and Community Schools generally have the right to report abuse to the authorities, file a civil lawsuit, and access legal and mental health support services.
Report to Law Enforcement
The San Diego County Probation Department manages the county’s juvenile detention facilities. Thus, victims or their guardians can contact the department directly to report abuse.
Victims of sexual abuse at San Diego County Juvenile Court and Community Schools can also report incidents to the Office of Youth and Community Restoration by calling 1-844-402-1880 or submitting a complaint online. The California Bureau of Children’s Justice also protects children’s rights in the California juvenile justice system and encourages detainees to submit complaints about violations online.
California’s Victims’ Bill of Rights, also known as Marsy’s Law, grants survivors of sexual violence specific protections throughout the criminal or juvenile justice process. Additionally, the state’s Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights further protects victims from retaliation and ensures their rights, privacy, and well-being are maintained throughout the legal process.
If You Aren’t Sure Where to Turn, Rainn Can Help
If you need emotional support after experiencing harm, you can contact RAINN, a national advocacy organization that provides support to survivors of sexual abuse. While they do not directly investigate abuse, they can connect victims with local resources, including counseling for mental health needs. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) to talk confidentially with a trained professional from RAINN.
File a Civil Lawsuit
After experiencing sexual abuse in a California juvenile detention facility or program like JCCS, survivors and their loved ones may be eligible to file a civil lawsuit to hold the responsible parties accountable and recover compensation.
Unlike criminal charges, civil lawsuits do not result in jail time for the perpetrator. Instead, in civil lawsuits, survivors can seek monetary compensation for the harm they’ve suffered. It’s important to contact an experienced juvenile detention sex abuse attorney to better understand your legal rights and options after experiencing harm.
In California, the statute of limitations, or filing deadline, for childhood sexual abuse cases has changed multiple times in recent years. In 2019, Assembly Bill 218 significantly extended the statute of limitations and revived some previously time-barred claims. A.B. 218 gave survivors until their 40th birthday or within five years of discovering the harm resulted from abuse to file a lawsuit.
In 2024, lawmakers enacted a law that eliminated the statute of limitations for any child sexual abuse actions arising on or after January 1, 2024. This law is not retroactive, so if your abuse occurred before 2024, you must file suit by your 40th birthday or within five years of discovery of the abuse.
How a Juvenile Detention Sex Abuse Attorney Can Help Today
After experiencing sexual abuse at San Diego County Juvenile Court and Community Schools or another California juvenile detention facility or program, you may feel overwhelmed, scared, and unsure what to do next.
Speaking with an experienced juvenile detention center sex abuse attorney can illuminate all potential options you have for legal recourse. At Helping Survivors, we can connect you with our skilled legal partners who’ve handled these types of cases before to support you throughout the legal process.
Helping Survivors helps heal, educate, and empower those impacted by sexual assault and abuse. We inform individuals about their legal rights, provide them with resources for support and information, and connect them with our partner law firms. The law firms we work with have deep experience pursuing civil lawsuits on behalf of abuse survivors against the individuals, institutions, and organizations that perpetrated and enabled the abuse. Every law firm we work with provides free consultations and takes these types of cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no upfront costs for pursuing a claim.
To learn more about your legal options, contact Helping Survivors today.
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