Delco juvenile detention center sued for alleged sexual abuse

From Delco to Chesco and Montco to Bucks, what about suburban Philadelphia life do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

Three former residents of the Delaware County Juvenile Detention Center (DCJDC) sued the county Wednesday night, alleging that DCJDC staff sexually abused them.

Anna Kull, a New York-based survivors' rights attorney representing the three individuals, said the problems were systemic.

“The county needs to be held accountable for what happened here, because without accountability we won’t see real change,” said Kull, a partner at Levy Konigsberg.

A county spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The complaint filed in Delaware County Common Pleas Court seeks to hold the county accountable for wrongdoing at the troubled facility.

“The civil system allows these victims to come forward, file a lawsuit and seek financial compensation for the pain and suffering they will endure for a lifetime as a result of sexual abuse while were minors,” Kull said.

DCJDC was a juvenile pretrial detention center located in Lima, Pennsylvania, for children and youth ages 10-18. The county court system ran the facility — until it was forced to empty its rooms several years ago.

Delaware County Judge Kevin Kelly closed the center in March 2021 after the public defender's office sent an urgent letter to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

The letter details allegations of “physical, sexual and psychological abuse by staff.” Those complaints brought increased scrutiny of the state's juvenile justice system, which had been marred by a series of abuse scandals across the Commonwealth.

“You really have to think about why this happened for so long — why and how it was so prevalent,” Kull said.

In the latest legal filing, Kull and his colleagues focused on the county's disregard and inaction regarding complaints against the facility and staff before 2021.

A grand jury subsequently investigated the conduct of the DCJDC. However, despite revealing a culture of violence, silence and “sexually inappropriate conduct” by staff, jury members decided not to recommend criminal charges.

“Despite numerous publicly documented incidents of abuse by DCJDC staff dating back decades and reported to county and state agencies and employees, no meaningful action has been taken to protect DCJDC youth,” the complaint states.