NEW JERSEY JUVENILE DETENTION AND YOUTH RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS

Fighting for Survivors Sexually Abused in Juvenile Detention and Youth Residential Treatment Facilities in New Jersey

Findings from a U.S. Department of Justice report have revealed that juvenile detention centers in New Jersey have some of the highest rates of sexual abuse in the nation. These findings indicate that the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission and other facility operators failed to protect youth inmates from sexual abuse, and that they may be liable for damages suffered by survivors. 

Reports also identify private treatment centers, some run by national healthcare organizations, as sites of widespread abuse of young, vulnerable patients.

If you were sexually abused while incarcerated at a juvenile detention or residential treatment center in New Jersey, you may have grounds to pursue legal action and a financial recovery of your damages.

Levy Konigsberg is an award-winning trial practice known nationally for litigating sexual abuse lawsuits against powerful institutions, municipalities, and public and private prison systems. If you were sexually abused while housed at any juvenile detention or residential treatment center in New Jersey, we want to help.

History of Child Sexual Abuse in Juvenile Detention and Residential Treatment Centers in New Jersey

Various investigations, lawsuits, and high-profile payouts over the years have documented sexual abuse against minors in New Jersey juvenile detention and residential treatment centers.

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

Public School 38 or James F. Murray School

• In July 2026, Levy Konigsberg filed a lawsuit on behalf of a former student alleging he was repeatedly sexually assaulted in 1999 by Philip Murray, then-principal of Public School 38 in Jersey City.

Murray allegedly sexually assaulted the student on three separate occasions in his office.

The lawsuit also named the Jersey City Board of Education, the Jersey City School District, and the New Jersey State Board of Education.

According to the lawsuit, Murray also abused another minor at the time.

Marianist Family Retreat Center

• In July 2026, a Cape May County jury awarded $3 million to a woman who alleged she was sexually abused by Father John Sheehan and Brother Albert Koch while volunteering at the Marianist Family Retreat Center as a 14-year-old in 1974.
• Between 2021 and 2026, the retreat center was named in five lawsuits filed by women alleging they were sexually abused as children by Father Sheehan and Brother Koch during the 1970s and early 1980s. The alleged victims ranged in age from 4 to 14 at the time of the abuse.

Female Secure Care and Intake Facility (Bordentown)

• In 2024, two senior corrections officers at the Juvenile Female Secure Care and Intake Facility in Bordentown were arrested and charged with sexually assaulting an 18-year-old inmate.

• Gary Nieves, 53, of Burlington City, and William Young, 35, of Marlton, allegedly committed the assaults under the guise of performing their duties, specifically supervising clean-up. Nieves is accused of assaulting the teen in a bathroom while Young is charged with assaulting her in her cell.

• The incidents came to light on August 14th, and the victim confirmed the details to investigators. Both officers face multiple charges, including sexual assault, criminal sexual conduct, official misconduct, and witness tampering.

New Jersey Training School for Boys (Jamesburg)

• In June 2017, a former inmate filed a civil lawsuit against the NJ Juvenile Justice System after he was sexually assaulted by supervisor Karen Selmon while incarcerated at the New Jersey Training School for Boys in June 2015. According to the suit, Selmon, who had a history of mental illness and sexual misconduct and later pled guilty to criminal sexual conduct, offered to provide the then 19-year-old inmate with contraband in exchange for favors before engaging in sex with him in an isolated area of the detention center. The lawsuit also claimed that the facility’s superintendent, Lionel Henderson, knowingly ignored a culture of improper sexual behavior within the Commission’s largest housing complex.

• In January 2010, a report released by the U.S. Department of Justice found high rates of sexual abuse within New Jersey juvenile detention centers. The report also found that one facility in particular, the New Jersey Training School detention center in Monroe, was among 13 facilities nationwide with the highest rate of juveniles subjected to sexual abuse. According to the report, nearly one in every three juveniles at the facility reported some type of sexual victimization.

Union County Juvenile Detention Center

• In April 2015, a former Union County guard who sexually assaulted a young male inmate at the Union County Juvenile Detention Center in Linden was sentenced to two years of probation after pleading guilty to a lesser charge of fourth-degree sexual contact. The youth accused the former guard of nine months of abuse, which began shortly after his admission to the detention center at the age of 17. According to the lawsuit, when the inmate resisted, the abuser allegedly threatened him with beatings. Other guards knew of the assaults but allowed them to continue, according to the lawsuit.

Arthur Brisbane Child Treatment Center

• In October 2003, a news report stated that the newly established Office of the Child Advocate would look into accusations of mistreatment at the Arthur Brisbane Child Treatment Center, a state-run psychiatric facility in Monmouth County. Over the past 15 years, Brisbane has faced complaints about staff using excessive force and inadequate supervision of residents. 

According to the news report, some mental health advocates called for the Center’s closure due to the severity of the problems. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s office also announced an investigation into allegations that a hospital staff member had sexual relations with two female patients.

The complaints and investigations ultimately led to the facility’s closure in 2005.

• In August 1984, 25-year-old Thomas E. Grisard, who worked at the Arthur Brisbane Child Treatment Center, was arrested for sexually abusing children at the facility. Grisard faced nine charges related to the abuse of three boys, ages 13 to 15. The State Commissioner of Human Services revealed that three staff members at the Brisbane Center had been suspended for not investigating the children’s complaints.

In 2024, one of Grisard’s victims was awarded $750,000 in a settlement with the State.

Daytop Village

• In October 2016, a former art teacher at Daytop Village, Donna D. Peirce-Faley, pleaded guilty to sex crime charges for sexual abuse she perpetrated against residents of Daytop. Peirce-Faley, who taught at Daytop Village until November 2014, was accused of sexual misconduct involving at least two male residents. She was charged with showing explicit photos to a 17-year-old resident and sexually touching another resident. She faced multiple charges, including sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, and child abuse.

• In 2005, former Roman Catholic Priest, Richard J. Mieliwocki, was indicted on charges of sexual misconduct for sexually abusing four male teenagers he counseled at Daytop Village in Mendham. Under the guise of conducting purported counseling sessions at Daytop, Mieliwocki asked the teenagers about the size of their genitals and whether they masturbated and then fondled the teenagers. One of these teens died of a drug overdose shortly after Mieliwocki was arrested.

Holley Center

• In 2022, two staff members from the Holley Center, a residential treatment facility for children dealing with abuse, neglect, or psychiatric issues, were arrested for sexually abusing teens at the center. Authorities were particularly concerned that one of the accused might have transmitted HIV to a 13-year-old boy.

Terrell Wilson, a cook at the facility, faced charges of sexual assault while knowingly carrying HIV. Another staff member, Garry Rucker, a resident assistant, was arrested in June on similar charges for sexually assaulting another boy at the same group home. Although their arrests happened months apart, court hearings in Bergen County revealed that both cases involved abuse at the same facility.

Essex County Juvenile Detention Center

• In August 2024, Disability Rights New Jersey filed a lawsuit against the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center for not allowing proper access to investigate allegations against it, including misuse of isolation, inadequate medical treatment, denial of education services, and youth-on-youth assaults.

• By October 2024, a federal judge allowed Disability Rights New Jersey to continue its investigation into claims of abuse and neglect at the facility. 

They were granted unrestricted and unannounced access to the facility and all its records.

New Lisbon Developmental Center

• In June 2025, reports revealed that a victim alleged he was sexually assaulted as a minor in 1950 by four male employees and two male residents at the New Lisbon Developmental Center. He was awarded  $3.5 million in a settlement with the State.

Another victim, who alleged he was sexually abused as a minor at the facility in 1987, received a $99,000 settlement.

New Jersey Training School – Skillman (McCorkle)

• In April 2025, two lawsuits were filed on behalf of 16 people who said they were allegedly abused at the Arthur Brisbane Treatment Center and the Training School at Skillman.

In April 2024, Levy Konigsberg filed a lawsuit on behalf of five men who were allegedly raped as children at the New Jersey Training School in Montgomery.

LK Investigating Juvenile Detention and Youth Residential Treatment Centers Sex Abuse Across New Jersey

Our attorneys at Levy Konigsberg are now investigating cases of sexual abuse and assault that occurred at any juvenile detention facility or youth residential treatment center in New Jersey. This includes all secure facilities, residential community homes (RCH), transitional, substance abuse, and special needs programs currently in operation, as well as facilities and programs that are now closed.

You may have a potential claim if you were sexually abused while housed in these or any other juvenile detention centers, youth residential treatment centers, and programs:

• Arthur Brisbane Child Treatment Center
• Bergen County Juvenile Detention Center
• Burlington County Juvenile Detention Center
• Daytop Village
• Camden County Juvenile Detention Center
• Children’s Home
• Crossroad Programs, Inc.
• Cumberland Juvenile Detention Center
• Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health
• Essex County Juvenile Detention Center
• Female Secure Care Facility (Bordentown)
• Hampton Behavioral Health Center
• Harborfields Juvenile Detention Center (Atlantic County)
• Holley Center
• Hudson County Juvenile Detention Center
• Juvenile Medium Security Facility (JMSF)
• Marianist Retreat Center
• Mercer Juvenile Detention Center
• Middlesex County Juvenile Detention Center
• Monmouth County Juvenile Detention Center
• Morris County Juvenile Detention Center
• New Lisbon Developmental Center
• New Jersey Training School (Skillman / McCorkle)
• New Jersey Training School for Boys (Jamesburg)
• Passaic County Juvenile Detention Center
• Ranch Hope
• Summit Oaks Hospital
• Union County Juvenile Center
• VisionQuest New Jersey
• Youth Consultation Services

Residential Community Homes

• Albert Elias RCH
• D.O.V.E.S. RCH
• Essex RCH & Transitional Program
• Green RCH
• Ocean RCH
• Southern RCH & Transitional Program
• Vineland Preparatory Academy
• Voorhees RCH
• Warren RCH

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

New Jersey Sexual Abuse Attorneys

In New Jersey, the statute of limitations previously imposed a strict deadline for victims of sexual abuse to file claims or seek compensation. However, recognizing the lasting impact of sexual abuse and the obstacles survivors face in pursuing justice, the state enacted the Child Victims Act in 2019. This landmark legislation significantly extended the statute of limitations for civil sexual abuse cases. The law provides more opportunities for victims to seek justice and compensation, acknowledging the complexities and challenges associated with reporting and prosecuting sexual abuse.

Under New Jersey law, specifically NJ Stat. § 2A:14-2a, survivors of sexual abuse now have an extended timeframe to pursue legal action.  Childhood sexual abuse victims can file civil claims until age 55 or seven years after recognizing the trauma, whichever is later. This allows survivors to seek justice against their abusers and any liable institutions. For those sexually abused as adults (age 18 or older), the deadline to file a civil lawsuit is seven years from the incident of abuse.

Seeking legal guidance is crucial when navigating the complexities of the statute of limitations. Your attorney can review your case, explain the statute of limitations to you, and assist you in determining if you are eligible to file a lawsuit.

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.