LOUISIANA JUVENILE DETENTION AND RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS

Fighting for Survivors of Sexual Abuse in Juvenile Detention Centers or Residential Treatment Facilities in Louisiana

Louisiana youth facilities allegedly failed to protect youth from sexual abuse by staff, with allegations spanning decades across multiple facilities statewide.

Levy Konigsberg is investigating claims that children in Louisiana youth facilities were sexually abused while in custody or residential care.

Louisiana’s juvenile detention centers and youth residential treatment facilities, operated by both state and private entities, have faced decades of scrutiny over failures to protect youth from sexual abuse. A 1996 U.S. Department of Justice investigation found that conditions at four Louisiana juvenile correctional facilities violated the constitutional rights of minors confined there, noting that little attention had been paid to sexual activity between juveniles and between officers and juveniles. Multiple facilities across the state have since been linked to alleged incidents of staff-on-resident sexual abuse, resident-on-resident assault, chronic understaffing, and supervisory failures that allegedly enabled abusers to victimize youth and keep survivors silent.

If you or a loved one was harmed, contact us today.

History of Sexual Abuse at Louisiana Youth Facilities

In 1996, an investigation of conditions at juvenile correctional institutions that are owned by the state or operated on behalf of a state was carried out by the Civil Rights Department of the US Department of Justice. Findings revealed that many conditions in the four Louisiana correctional facilities for juveniles investigated violate the constitutional and statutory rights of the minors confined therein. 

Although the state responded with its Project Zero Tolerance initiative, further investigation revealed the unsafe environment in these centers. At all facilities, little attention has been paid to sexual activities between juveniles and sexual activities between officers and juveniles.

The following reports provide a glimpse into the extent of sexual abuse, and conditions likely to lead to sexual abuse, going on in Louisiana juvenile detention centers or residential treatment facilities.

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

Jetson Correctional Center for Youth

• In August 2026, a co-counsel of Levy Konigsberg filed 52 lawsuits on behalf of survivors who alleged they were sexually abused and raped by staff at the Louis Jetson Correctional Center for Youth in East Baton Rouge Parish between 1972 and 2005.
• A January 2010 report by the U.S. Department of Justice revealed that 8% of youth at Jetson Correctional Center were sexually abused by staff. 

• In 2014, the facility was shut down following allegations of unsafe conditions, physical abuse, sexual violence, frequent fights, and a harsh, prison-like environment. A former teen inmate shared his experience, claiming he was repeatedly beaten by guards and other youths, while also alleging that other youths were raped and fights were a common occurrence.

In July 2022, the state announced plans to reopen a renovated section of Jetson to temporarily house youth. However, residents and local leaders expressed concerns that reopening the facility could revive previous issues.

Brentwood Hospital

• In 2018, a news station obtained a large number of internal records that demonstrate Brentwood Hospital’s numerous problems, including patient escapes, assaults, and prescription errors. A former director attributed the problems to low human resource budget allocation. 

In October 2015, Jeffie Coleman, a hospital staff, was detained and subsequently entered a guilty plea to a charge of misdemeanor sexual battery for inappropriately touching a female patient who was fifteen years old. He was terminated from his job.

Acadiana Center for Youth

• In August 2025, former Juvenile Justice Specialist at the Acadiana Center for Youth, Regina Holmes, was arrested for allegedly engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a youth offender.  The Office of Juvenile Justice reportedly stated that an internal investigation revealed a questionable relationship on August 12, 2025 and that they reported their findings to the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office.

• In May 2025, Keyana Nash, a former Juvenile Justice Specialist who worked at the Acadiana Center for Youth in Bunkie, was arrested for allegedly engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a youth offender.  Nash was arrested on malfeasance in office-sexual misconduct charges after an investigation was opened into a questionable relationship. Nash had worked with the Office of Juvenile Justice since October of 2024.

• Less than a week prior, Khy Winbush, another former Juvenile Justice Specialist at the Acadiana Center for Youth in Bunkie, had been arrested for allegedly engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a youth offender. Winbush was arrested for malfeasance in office, sexual misconduct and drug charges.  An internal investigation revealed the relationship. Winbush had been with the Office of Juvenile Justice since July of 2024.

• In October 2021, a juvenile court in East Baton Rouge learned that a 15-year-old joyrider was held in solitary confinement at the Acadiana Center for Youth at St. Martinville. This facility, unbeknownst to the court, kept teens in round-the-clock isolation without education or counseling, violating state and federal laws. Teens, some mentally ill, were confined 23 hours a day, shackled for showers, and only received meals through door slots.

Jackson Parish Jail

• In 2024, a federal court document was filed alleging children moved from Louisiana State Penitentiary to Jackson Parish Jail faced more abusive conditions. They slept on floors, endured pepper ball shootings, and were housed with adults, contrary to federal rules. Reports detailed overcrowded cells, limited showers, and unsafe conditions, including fights and stabbings witnessed by young inmates.

Bridge City Center

• In October 2024, Reynard Cennett, former youth instructor at the Bridge City Center for Youth was arrested for alleged sex crimes. 

• In January 2015, juvenile justice specialist Monica Samuel was arrested for alleged sexual misconduct with a youth at the facility.

Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center

• In October 2024, it was reported that former guard Taylor Johnson was arrested for inappropriate and obscene communications with a 17-year-old detainee.

Ware Youth Center

• In February 2024, the Louisiana Office of State Inspector General announced that it was conducting an investigation into alleged abuse at the facility.

• In October 2022, an investigation revealed decades of abuse at Ware Youth center, including widespread staff-on-youth sexual abuse. 

Staff members were accused of bribing children with food to assault other children.

In one incident, a guard allegedly filmed a girl attempting to hang herself instead of intervening. 

Staff allegedly withheld sanitary pads as punishment. 

Guards allegedly beat and choked youths.

State Penitentiary at Angola

• On September 15, 2023, Louisiana removed several teenagers from the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola following months of public criticism. The notorious prison, usually for adults on death row, housed minors due to violence and escapes at juvenile centers. Despite a US Court of Appeals halting the removal on September 13, public pressure led to the teens’ relocation.

The situation highlights the severe issues in the state’s juvenile justice system. A federal judge found Angola’s conditions violated the teens’ rights, citing issues like handcuffing during meals, lack of medical care and restricted family visits.

Swanson Center for Youth 

• In 2020, Jumishia Baker, a staff member at the Swanson Center for Youth, was taken into custody after she confessed to having multiple sexual encounters with a 17-year-old prisoner. Baker was charged with one count of felony misconduct in office and was taken to the Ouachita Correctional Center. 

• According to a US Department of Justice study released January 2010, youth at the Swanson Center reported experiencing sexual abuse by staff at rates more than double the average for juvenile detention centers nationwide.

New Orleans Youth Study Center

• In 2015, police officer Terrance Saulny was accused of allegedly slamming a youth resident to the ground, striking her multiple times, and using vulgar language. 

• In February 2009, a lawsuit revealed alleged abuse and neglect at the facility, including unsanitary and unsafe environments, such as small, dark cells with poor ventilation, infestations of spiders and rodents, and a lack of basic hygiene supplies like clean clothing and personal care items.

Staff at the facility allegedly failed to protect youth from violence and abuse, both from other youths and from the staff themselves.

Youth were allegedly isolated for extended periods.

The center allegedly failed to meet the medical and mental health needs of the youth. 

Youth were allegedly not provided prompt medical care.

Education and rehabilitation programs were described as insufficient. 

Barriers to maintaining family connections were alleged, including restrictions on mail, phone calls, and visitation. 

Youth were allegedly denied meaningful access to legal counsel.

Grievances were allegedly ignored.

Christian Acres Youth Center

• In May 2014, poor conditions were reported at Christian Acres Youth Center, where children were allegedly housed in dorms surrounded by barbed wire, slept on old hospital beds in 12-room dormitories, and lacked vocational programs for children with special needs.

Terrebonne Parish Juvenile Detention Center

• In April 2014, a settlement was reached with one of the victims allegedly sexually abused by one of the former guards, Angelo Vickers.

• In 2009, a sex-for-favors scandal involving guards at the facility led to the arrests of eight correctional officers, including two supervisors.

River Oaks Hospital

• In November 2013, former River Oaks Hospital employee John H. Williams Jr. was convicted of rape for allegedly sexually assaulting a patient who was sedated.

Williams was sentenced to 15 years in prison. 

The victim had filed a civil lawsuit against Williams and River Oaks in 2010, alleging the facility was negligent in failing to properly supervise and train its staff.

Johnny Gray Jones Youth Shelter

• In April 2013, Jermario Tywhunn Jefferson, shift supervisor at the Johnny Gray Jones Youth Shelter was arrested for allegedly engaging in inappropriate sexual contact with a 16-year-old resident at the facility.

Hope Haven

• In 2009, the Catholic Church paid $5.2 million to 18 survivors of physical and sexual abuse by seven nuns and male predators at from the 1940s through the 1970s at Hope Haven and its sister facility, Madonna Manor.

• In the 1970s, Fr. Sean Leo Rooney and Sister Alvin Marie Hagan allegedly repeatedly sexually abused a youth at Hope Haven starting when he was 14. 

St. Bernard Parish Juvenile Detention Center

• In 2008, a 16-year-old boy, who according to his parents has mental impairments, was allegedly sexually assaulted at the St. Bernard Parish Juvenile Detention Center. 

St. James Youth Center

• In December 2004, a 16-year-old detainee died by suicide less than eight hours after being admitted to the St. James Youth Center. 

The youth had psychological issues and a prior suicide attempt, but the nurse was allegedly indifferent, failing to place him on suicide watch or complete the required mental health form.

Louisiana Bernard Parish Prison

• In 2000, a civil rights action claiming that Eddie Williams, 69, a guard at St. Bernard Parish Jail, who repeatedly sexually abused a 15-year-old detainee from June 2015 to January 2016 was settled for $200,000. 

Tallulah Correctional Center for Youth

• A 1998 news report exposed dire conditions at the Tallulah Correctional Center for Youth, where teen inmates endured overcrowding, sweltering barracks, frequent physical altercations, inadequate meals and clothing, and minimal educational and mental health support. These harsh conditions, detailed in public records and firsthand accounts, highlight Louisiana’s troubled prison system and raise concerns about potential sexual abuse amidst such neglect.

• In October 1995, a report alleged severe abuse, including staff-on-youth sexual abuse, youth-on-youth sexual abuse, and physical abuse by guards. 

Guards were accused of allegedly beating, kicking, punching, and strangling youths.

Investigating Sexual Abuse at Louisiana Juvenile Detention or Youth Residential Treatment Facilities

Levy Konigsberg is actively investigating claims from current and former youth inmates who were sexually abused by staff at youth detention or residential treatment facilities across Louisiana. The list of facilities, including those already mentioned in a prior section of this page, is extensive but not exhaustive and includes:

• Acadiana Center for Youth
• Brentwood Hospital
• Brentwood Residential Treatment Center
• Bridge City Center for Youth
• Christian Acres Youth Center
• Covington Behavioral Health Hospital
• Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center
• Hope Haven
• Jackson Parish Correctional Center
• Jetson Correctional Center for Youth
• Johnny Gray Jones Youth Shelter
• Longleaf Hospital
• New Orleans Youth Study Center
• River Place Behavioral Health
• River Oaks Hospital
• St. Bernard Parish Juvenile Detention Center
• St. James Youth Center
• Swanson Correctional Center for Youth
• Tallulah Youth Prison
• Terrebonne Parish Juvenile Detention Center
• Vermilion Behavioral Health Systems
• Ware Youth Center

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

Louisiana Sexual Abuse Attorneys

A statute of limitations is a legal time limit for starting legal proceedings after an alleged offense. In Louisiana, victims of child sex abuse could previously only file claims against their abusers and those who enabled the abuse before they turned 28 years old.

In 2021, Louisiana lawmakers passed a “lookback window” bill allowing abuse survivors to file civil lawsuits against their abusers regardless of when the abuse occurred, within three years (ending June 2024). Recently, they extended this period until June 14, 2027.

Levy Konigsberg is actively investigating allegations of sexual abuse at Louisiana juvenile detention and youth residential treatment centers.

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.