MARYLAND - Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services alleging rampant sexual abuse at the Department’s detention facilities.
A lawsuit brought against the Department today, February 8th, now brings the total number of accusers to 200.
At least 10 other complaints against the Department have been filed since a Maryland law change in October that allows victims of childhood sex abuse to sue no matter their age or how much time has passed since the incident. That removal of the statute of limitations for child sex abuse in Maryland followed a scathing investigation into the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The Department of Juvenile Services now finds itself under the same scrutiny.
In another class-action lawsuit filed earlier in January, multiple Baltimore City residents came forward against the Department of Juvenile Services. Those plaintiffs were all listed under pseudonyms due to “the extremely personal and sensitive nature of the conduct involved” and the injuries suffered.
“The State has repeatedly chosen not to take meaningful corrective action and preventative measures to protect these children,” that lawsuit reads. “Its conduct betrays an utter disregard for even the most basic humanity of these vulnerable children.”
Currently, the Department of Juvenile Services lists 12 facilities across Maryland, including the Lower Eastern Shore Children’s Center (LESCC) in Wicomico County. The lawsuit filed in January names the Lower Eastern Shore Children’s Center as a facility run by the Department but does not include any specific allegations of sexual abuse at the detention center in Salisbury.
“Lower Eastern Shore Children’s Center (“LESCC”) opened in Wicomico County in 2002 as a ‘hardware secure’ detention center,” the suit reads.
