Monroe County Children’s Detention Center Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

Financial Compensation for Victims of Sexual Abuse at New York Juvenile Detention Centers

Monroe County Children’s Detention Center sexual abuse has harmed the most vulnerable members of society, resulting in severe psychological trauma and lifelong suffering. Injury Lawyer Team will fight for your rights through New York youth detention facility sexual abuse lawsuits, ensuring that these powerful institutions are held accountable and protecting future generations from sex abuse. 

Contact us today for a free consultation about your legal rights. 

Allegations of Sexual Abuse at Monroe County Children’s Detention Center

Multiple young people have spoken out about the pervasive psychological harm being perpetrated by the Monroe County juvenile detention center. Allegations of rape, sodomy, and even physical violence have demonstrated how this center has failed to provide a safe environment for those attempting to turn their lives around. Some of their horrific stories include the following.

Young Girl Sexually Abused by a Former Guard

In 2020, former guard Alcindor Coleman was arrested for repeatedly raping and sodomizing a 13-year-old girl. The alleged abuse occurred in 1992 but was only pursued after the Child Victims Act became law.

According to reports, the girl informed social workers and other staff about what was happening to her, but no one followed up on her complaints or attempted to protect her. Coleman, who was a football and basketball star at the Aquinas Institute, was arrested three years later on rape and sodomy charges. 

The county fired Coleman after his arrest, but sadly, a grand jury declined to indict him, and the charges were dropped. Coleman, who was 24 at the time, alleged that the sex was consensual, despite the fact that the age of consent in New York is well above 13 years old. 

Staff Member Forces Girl into Prostitution 

Alonzo Fagan was accused of raping a girl at this New York juvenile detention center when she was only 15, back in 1980. According to reports, Fagan forced the girl into sex work during a weekend furlough and threatened to kill her if she reported the sex abuse. 

Around the time that the abuse occurred, the girl attempted to get help from the local police department, but they refused to believe her and did not charge Fagan with a crime. In 1981, Fagan was convicted of sexual assault, child endangerment, and promoting prostitution.

Multiple Staff Members Run a “Fight Club,” Encouraging Children to Assault One Another

In December 2022, disturbing allegations emerged of abuse occurring at the Monroe County detention center. Former employee John Kanu was charged with endangering a child’s welfare after he encouraged two minors to engage in slap boxing. He was also caught on camera striking a child in the face.

Another former staff member, Gregory Bodine, spoke out about the child endangerment after being fired for choking a child at the facility. He alleged that staff members encouraged children to fight one another in a clandestine “fight club.” According to his claims, other employees beat up children while their colleagues served as lookouts. 

State Agencies Uncover Concerning Trends at the Juvenile Center

Following these disturbing allegations, the Monroe County Office of Public Integrity conducted a risk assessment in 2023 that uncovered critical failures across multiple aspects of operation. Some of the insights gleaned from this report include the following.

• Negligent Hiring: Due to the center’s contract with its background check vendor, the Human Resources department can only send an email to the management team indicating whether a criminal background check results in an “OK” outcome. Key concerns may be overlooked by the Human Resources team that may impact child welfare. As such, sexual predators may gain access to vulnerable children. 
• Understaffing: The center is located in a remote area that requires employees to have their own private transportation, as it is not served by a bus route. These and other issues have led to mandatory overtime for staff, which can put children at risk. Other nearby detention facilities have twice as many staff, resulting in significantly less supervision at this location. This increases the risk of sexual violence or inappropriate contact between staff and detainees. 
• Inadequate Training: The assessment found that de-escalation techniques and reporting procedures were barely covered in staff training, meaning that employees may not know how to break up fights, how to identify signs of sexual abuse, or who to report concerns to. 
• Lack of Ongoing Training: Staff are not provided with additional training throughout their tenure at the facility, which may result in their being unaware of updates to laws or missing refreshers on their mandated reporting obligations. 
• Poor Policy Manual: The center’s procedure manual was poorly written and unclear. In some cases, special detention facility procedures were simply copied from other agencies, but there was no explanation on how to apply the policy or how it applied to Monroe County. This means that staff may not know how to respond to incidents, leading to precious time being wasted trying to figure out what to do. 
• No Clear Chain of Command for Incident Reporting: The investigation revealed that the facility does not have clear policies and procedures on how to report any serious incident, including sexual abuse. This means that a child may disclose they are being abused, but the staff member may not correctly report their concerns.

This investigation clearly demonstrates that the center has failed to protect those under its care, including providing transparent policies on how to respond to sex abuse allegations. 

What Laws Govern Child Sexual Abuse Cases in New York Juvenile Detention Centers?

Both federal and state laws protect children in juvenile detention centers. Firstly, the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) institutes a no-tolerance policy for sexual abuse in any detention center, including those for children. Prisons and state institutions must report any instances of sex abuse and implement policies meant to prevent harm to detainees. 

PREA recognizes the inherent power imbalance between detainees and guards, acknowledging that detainees can’t provide force-free consent to any sexual act. This is especially true for juvenile detainees, who legally cannot consent to any sexual act. 

Certain individuals, including juvenile detention center staff members, are defined as mandated reporters who must immediately report childhood sexual abuse to the proper authorities (Social Services Law §413). 

Once child protective services receives a report that sexual abuse occurred, they must submit a safety report and initiate an investigation, which can include interviewing the minor without their parents’ consent or taking the child into protective custody as necessary (18 NYCRR Part 432).

Executive Law Article 20 established the Justice Center, which protects vulnerable individuals, including those in state-operated or licensed facilities. The Justice Center exercises oversight over juvenile detention centers and other facilities to ensure that children are protected from abuse, including childhood sexual abuse. 

Upon receiving an allegation of abuse, the Justice Center must promptly intervene, transferring the case to the criminal section as necessary. Should an institution refuse to cooperate with an investigation, it may be subject to penalties or have its license revoked. 

Sexually abused children or adults can take legal action through either criminal cases or civil lawsuits. New York Penal Law Article 130 defines sexual offenses, which include sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, rape, and sexual contact with a minor. 

While it is not necessary to press charges in order to file a personal injury case, a charge or conviction for one of these offenses can provide valuable evidence. 

Who Can Be Held Liable for Child Sexual Abuse at Juvenile Detention Facilities?

Our firm will seek justice from all potential defendants, ensuring that these powerful institutions are held accountable for failing to protect you. Potential parties can include the following.

• Individual Perpetrator: The specific offender can be held liable in criminal or civil lawsuits and is typically the first defendant. If the offender is deceased, then the case can proceed against other defendants. 
• Other Staff Members: Facility employees are often mandated reporters, tasked with reporting potential abuse to the Justice Center or the Office of Children and Family Services as necessary so that the abuse can be properly investigated.
• Monroe County Detention Center: Administrators and other officials may be held accountable for negligent hiring, training, or supervision. 
• Bureau of Juvenile Detention Services: This department of the Office of Children and Family Services operates juvenile justice centers throughout the state of New York except in New York City, where the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) is responsible for detention facilities. The bureau can be liable if it received reports of sexual abuse and failed to intervene.

What Damages Can Sexual Abuse Survivors Recover in Civil Lawsuits?

Our attorneys will push for maximum compensation in every youth detention center sexual abuse lawsuit. Potential damages that you may receive for childhood sexual abuse include:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Loss of future income
• Psychological treatment
• Physical pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of normal life
• Disability or disfigurement

How much you receive depends on factors such as the available evidence, the center’s liability, your age at the time of the abuse, and the frequency of the abuse. 

How Long Do Victims Have to Take Legal Action in New York?

Civil sexual abuse lawsuits in New York that involve a minor can be pursued until the victim is 55 (§208(b)). It is essential to note that this statute of limitations applies only to cases that occurred after the Child Victims Act was enacted, as the lookback window for prior allegations closed in 2021.

Adult survivors of sexual abuse have 20 years after the abuse occurred to file for incidents after September 18, 2019 (§213-c). 

How Injury Lawyer Team Can Help

Seeking justice for children who were sexually abused while detained can be challenging for several reasons. Firstly, if the abuse happened years prior, then vital records may have been lost or destroyed. Witnesses may be more difficult to find and interview. 

Tragically, victim-blaming is a common occurrence for sexually abused teenagers, particularly if the abuse happened on multiple occasions or they had a challenging past. 

For example, attorneys for the defense may claim that the victim had a history of sexual behavior and therefore consented to the abuse, or that they failed to report the first instance of sexual abuse and therefore must have consented.

Our firm takes a trauma-informed approach to legal advocacy, ensuring that victims feel empowered to share their story. We will shield you from these character attacks, handle third-party communications on your behalf, and push for maximum compensation from all defendants in your case. You can expect the following services when you work with our compassionate attorneys.

• Case Evaluation: Each sex abuse case is unique, and there is no standard settlement amount. Factors such as the victim’s age, the severity and duration of the abuse, available evidence, and overall liability will determine the amount you may receive. Drawing on our two decades of experience, we will carefully assess your potential settlement to craft a strong demand letter. 
• Investigation: Investigating sexual abuse is particularly challenging for detention facilities because the staff may be frequently moved, and records may be lost. We will gather all available evidence, such as medical records, police reports, employment records, and psychological evaluations. 
• Interviewing Witnesses: Sexually abused teens may be afraid to come forward, while other employees may refuse to divulge important details. Through our sensitive approach, we can collect information that provides a powerful personal narrative.
• Expert Testimony: Our team has strong connections with child psychologists, therapists, and law enforcement officers who can share their professional opinions on what occurred.
• Negotiation: We will craft a comprehensive demand letter that includes all your economic and non-economic damages, then push for maximum compensation based on the facts of the case. This ensures that you have the necessary funds to recover in comfort. 
• Trial Representation: Although not every case goes to trial, we prepare each case to be ready for argument in front of a judge and jury. This way, you have the best possible chance of a positive verdict. 

Settlements Recovered by Our Law Firm

As Million Dollar Advocates, we have secured over $450 million in settlements and verdicts for our clients. These are just a few of the many sexual abuse lawsuits that we have handled with compassion and tact.

• $6,000,000: A young child was molested over the course of several years at a care facility for at-risk youth. We demonstrated that the facility failed to perform an adequate background check on the employee and did not follow up on previous complaints about the employee. 
• $5,000,000: Two men were groomed and abused by a therapist, who used his position of authority and the information they divulged to force their silence. 
• $1,160,000: A teenager was repeatedly raped by a guard at a detention facility. The guard threatened to take away his privileges and advocate for a longer session if he ever disclosed what was happening to him. We demonstrated that the facility was aware of what was happening, but never reassigned or punished the guard.

Book a Free Consultation

No child should ever fear being assaulted, including when they are detained in the juvenile justice system. Our caring attorneys work on a contingency fee basis: no fees unless we win. Contact us today to take the first step toward justice with a free consultation. 

All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.