CONNECTICUT YOUTH RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT AND JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS

Fighting for Survivors Sexually Abused in CT Youth Residential Treatment and Juvenile Detention Centers

Youth residential treatment and juvenile detention centers across Connecticut have faced years of scrutiny over failures to protect youth from sexual abuse. This includes the state’s two primary juvenile detention centers, the Juvenile Residential Center at Bridgeport and the Juvenile Residential Center at Hartford, which were subject to sweeping state investigation following incidents of staff-on-youth sexual abuse.

Now, a growing number of survivors are stepping forward to file civil lawsuits against the Connecticut Department of Correction and other responsible entities that failed to protect them during their stay in state juvenile detention facilities, residential treatment centers, and other facilities that housed youths.

If you or someone you love were sexually abused at a youth residential treatment or juvenile detention center in Connecticut, Levy Konigsberg wants to help.

History of Sexual Abuse in Connecticut Youth Residential Treatment and Juvenile Detention Centers

Connecticut’s problematic history of sexual abuse and violence within youth residential treatment and juvenile detention centers has been documented by high-profile cases, facility closures, and sweeping investigations.

These records detail a systemic abuse problem in youth residential treatment and juvenile detention centers  statewide and show that the operators of these facilities—including the Connecticut Department of Correction and the Court Support Services Division (CSSD) Juvenile Residential Services (JRS)—enabled a culture of unprofessionalism, secrecy, and cover-ups that allowed staff-on-youth abuse and misconduct to persist for years.

In June 2024, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee released a sweeping report detailing abuse at residential treatment facilities operated by private companies across the country. The report revealed systemic sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, unsafe conditions, inhumane confinement practices, and neglect throughout these facilities.

Examples of alleged abuse, and of conditions likely to lead to abuse, include the following:

Waterford Country School

• In 1997, three former students filed lawsuits accusing the school of overlooking reports of abuse by a teacher, Jeffrey Rubenstein, who allegedly abused boys entrusted into his care during the 1970s. Legal documents allege that the school’s administrators ignored warnings from staff, thus permitting Rubenstein’s repeated incidents of abuse. Rubenstein passed away before criminal charges could be brought.
• In 2019, Nicole Souza, an ex-Waterford Country School supervisor, pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct with one of her 15-year-old students who previously attended her life-skills program. Souza reportedly engaged in an inappropriate relationship with the boy, providing him with alcohol and engaging in sexual behavior with him outside of school grounds. 

Bridge Family Center

• In March 2024, a lawsuit was filed against The Bridge Family Center, alleging an instance of sexual assault by an employee at their now-closed group home for girls in Harwinton. The  filing concerned a 14-year-old resident, who was allegedly raped and assaulted between March and May 2023. 
• In February 2024, a woman filed a lawsuit against the Bridge Family Center in Harwinton, alleging that her 14-year-old granddaughter had been repeatedly sexually assaulted by an employee during her stay in February 2021. The girl had been placed at the group home by the state’s Department of Children and Families.  The lawsuit alleges that negligence, inadequate supervision, and poor employee training enabled the abuse.
• In November 2023, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) shut down The Bridge Family Center in Harwinton, CT, due to allegations of child sexual abuse involving staff-on-youth, and youth-on-youth incidents from 2021 to 2023. As a result, the center ceased its Short-Term Assessment and Respite (STAR) program, which provided emergency temporary housing for youth. The closure came as officials continued to investigate the serious allegations. 
• In September 2023, a civil lawsuit was filed against the Bridge Family Center in Harwinton, Connecticut, alleging a 14-year-old girl was physically abused and exposed to sexual assault while living there from April 25 to June 26, 2023. The girl’s mother claims the center failed to provide proper care and supervision, resulting in physical injuries, emotional distress, and exposure to illegal activities. The center allegedly failed to provide proper care and supervision, allowing the teenager to leave freely and face potential dangers. 

This incident led to a joint investigation by state police and the Connecticut Department of Children and Families into child maltreatment allegations. 

Children’s Center of Hamden

• In April 2013, Donald Morris, 25, a former Children’s Center of Hamden employee, was arrested by a U.S. Marshal Service Task Force. He was wanted for allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old resident, and faced charges of second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor, with bail set at $15,000.
• In September 2024, a report revealed that state officials repeatedly froze admissions to the Children’s Center of Hamden from 2020 to 2022 due to ongoing abuse at the facility. Allegations included staff kicking and spitting on a child. These freezes, lasting months, were triggered by failures in monitoring, physical abuse by staff, misuse of restraints, and improper incident reporting.  In March, the DCF also cited the facility for inadequate supervision that resulted in inappropriate sexual contact between a resident and a day school staff member.

Village for Children and Families

• In November 2022, a lawsuit alleged that the Village for Children and Families negligently failed to protect an 11-year-old girl, a child in DCF custody, from sexual assault by a teenager. The facility was accused of inadequate monitoring despite knowing the girl’s history of prior sexual abuse and emotional issues. The lawsuit sought over $15,000 in damages.

Touchstone Residential Treatment Center

• In August 2017, Ulyses Alvarez, 24, a staff member at Touchstone Residential Treatment Center, was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl at the facility, which treats teen girls aged 12–18 in DCF custody. Alvarez faced charges including fourth-degree sexual assault and possession of child pornography.

Connecticut Juvenile Training School

• In April 2018, former Governor Dannel Malloy announced the closure of the Connecticut Juvenile Training School in Middletown following the facility’s dark history of abuse and neglect. Built in 2001 under then Gov. John Rowland, the CT Juvenile Training School had been sharply criticized for failing to provide youth inmates with rehabilitative services, overusing restraints, and having a harsh “prison-like atmosphere” that enabled abuse and misconduct.

Hartford Juvenile Detention Center 

• In January 2018, lawmakers from Connecticut’s Committee on Children launched an investigative hearing to probe for answers into allegations of sexual abuse at the state’s two Juvenile Residential Centers. The inquiry followed the arrest of a Hartford Juvenile Detention Center Guard who was charged with sexual assault of a minor. An external review conducted as part of the probe identified abusive staff and the need for more cameras, female staff, and supervisory tours during various shifts, while other investigations noted concerns about the ability of detention center staff to access female detainees and their confidential information, and failures to report multiple incidents to the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

• In November 2017, 40-year-old Marquis Marquez was arrested and charged with sexual assault related to an alleged inappropriate sexual relationship with a 17-year-old female housed at the Hartford Juvenile Detention Center. Marquez had worked as an Officer at the Hartford facility at the time of the allegations and arrest.

Bridgeport Juvenile Residential Center 

• In April 2010, Connecticut State Police launched an investigation into a sexual assault committed by an older youth against a younger boy at the Juvenile Residential Center in Bridgeport. According to authorities, the two boys had been sharing a room when the assault took place.

Natchaug Hospital

• In November 2017, police were alerted by the Department of Children and Families about an alleged sexual relationship between staff member Roy Ricks and an 18-year-old patient at Natchaug Hospital. 

Ricks was accused of allegedly entering the victim’s room, performing oral sex on her, and groping her.

• In August 2013, allegations surfaced claiming that Natchaug Hospital neglected patient safety and failed to provide adequate care.

Connecticut Junior Republic

• In November 2013, former therapist Amanda Schneider was sentenced to prison and required to register as a sex offender for allegedly having sex with an 18-year-old court-mandated client at the Connecticut Junior Republic in August 2011.

• In August 2004, youth counselor Stacy Mikolajczyk was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a minor at the facility. 

• In March 2000, three patients at Connecticut Junior Republic allegedly threatened and sexually assaulted a 15-year-old youth at the facility.

Lake Grove at Durham

• In October 2008, a state investigation into Lake Grove at Durham revealed that the facility allegedly hired staff with felony records, including convictions for sexual assault and child abuse. According to the investigation, 20 of its 200 employees as of 2006 had criminal charges filed against them.

Reports of abuse and neglect were frequent. 

In one incident detailed in the investigation’s report, a child had been allegedly severely beaten. Another child had been allegedly forced to live in a laundry room without air conditioning during extreme summer heat. 

The facility also allegedly used improper isolation as punishment.

• In May 2007, the Department of Children and Families announced it would remove all children from the facility due to alleged negligence that reportedly posed serious risks of injury or death.

LK is Investigating Sexual Abuse Claims Involving All Connecticut Youth Residential Treatment Facilities and Juvenile Detention Centers

Our award-winning attorneys at Levy Konigsberg have helped hundreds of sexual abuse survivors fight for justice in civil claims brought against city-operated jails, state and federal prisons, youth residential treatment centers, and juvenile detention centers across the country.

Now, we’re leveraging our experience to help survivors who were sexually abused while housed at youth residential treatment and juvenile detention centers in Connecticut, including those that are no longer in operation.

Sexual abuse may have occurred at several residential treatment and youth detention centers including the following:

• Waterford Country School
• Bridge Family Center
• Children’s Center of Hamden
• The Village for Children and Families
• Silver Hill Hospital
• Touchstone Residential Treatment Center
• Bridgeport Juvenile Residential Center 
• Hartford Juvenile Detention Center 
• Connecticut Juvenile Training School
• Connecticut Junior Republic
• Natchaug Hospital
• Lake Grove at Durham

Do I Have a Case?

You may have grounds to file a civil legal action if:

• You were sexually abused by a guard, counselor, nurse, or other youth residential treatment or juvenile detention center staff member.
• The abuse occurred at any youth residential treatment or juvenile detention facility.

Levy Konigsberg represents survivors in civil lawsuits that aim to hold youth residential treatment facilities,  juvenile detention centers, private healthcare companies, and other facility operators accountable for their failures to stop abusive staff members and protect young residents.

As civil claims, these cases are separate from any criminal proceedings that may arise from abuse and focus instead on holding institutions liable for damages. This means you may still have a claim even if:

• Your abuser is no longer alive.
• Your abuser was never charged with or convicted of a crime.

Recoverable Damages in Sexual Abuse Claims

In addition to providing accountability and a sense of justice, civil sex abuse lawsuits allow survivors to recover financial compensation for their damages, which may include:

• Past medical and mental health expenses
• Future mental health expenses, including therapy, medications, etc.
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional anguish and psychological harm
• Lost income
• Other economic and non-economic damages

Connecticut Sexual Abuse Attorneys

Connecticut has been a leader in revising the civil statute of limitations—or the deadline by which Plaintiffs must file suit to be eligible for a recovery of damages—in cases involving sexual abuse.

The statute of limitations for bringing a sexual abuse lawsuit in Connecticut will depend on the specific facts of a case, including the age of the victim and even the criminal guilt of the alleged abuser.

• Claims involving convicted abusers. Thanks to an amendment made effective in 2022, Connecticut has no statute of limitations for civil actions brought against alleged abusers who have been convicted of 1st-degree sexual assault or 1st-degree aggravated sexual assault. (Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 926 § 52-577e).
• Abuse claims involving victims 21 or younger. In Connecticut, victims who were sexually abused under 21 years of age can file civil claims within 30 years from the date they turn 21. This means child sexual abuse survivors and survivors abused between the ages of 18 and 20 have until the age of 51 to file civil lawsuits. (Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 926 § 52-577d).
• Abuse claims involving adult victims. Connecticut does not have a specific statute of limitations for sexual abuse lawsuits filed by victims who were abused or assaulted as adults. Instead, adult survivors are subject to the statute of limitations applicable to torts like personal injury. In Connecticut, this is three years from the date of the alleged abuse (Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 926 § 52-577).

Levy Konigsberg is actively investigating allegations of sexual abuse at any Connecticut youth residential treatment facility and juvenile detention center.

We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society and seeking justice for survivors of sexual abuse in juvenile detention centers and youth residential treatment facilities. Our experienced team is dedicated to providing legal representation and support to survivors, and we are actively investigating allegations of abuse. We are working tirelessly to ensure that survivors have access to justice and that future generations of young people are safe from harm within these institutions.