This page will look at lawsuits involving sexual abuse of juvenile inmates at Wolverine Secure Treatment Center (“WSTC”) in Saginaw County, Michigan. Recent evidence suggests that countless juvenile inmates at WSTC may have been victims of sexual abuse committed by staff members at the facility.
WSTC abuse victims are now bringing civil sex abuse lawsuits against the private company that operated WSTC. If you have a potential sex abuse lawsuit against the Wolverine Secure Treatment Center, call our sex abuse lawyers today at 800-553-8082 or get a free online consultation. Our attorneys will fight to get you the overdue settlement compensation that you deserve.
About Wolverine Secure Treatment Center
The Wolverine Secure Treatment Center is located in Buena Vista Township in Saginaw County, Michigan. WSTC is owned and operated by a private company, Wolverine Human Services, although it was licensed by the State of Michigan. WSTC began operation in 1997, at which time it was the first private detention facility for juvenile inmates in Michigan.
WSTC was a secure detention facility for male juvenile inmates between the ages of 12 and 21. The facility offered a full range of treatment and educational services to inmates, including counseling, psychiatric services, sex offender treatment, and drug addiction treatment. It also offered educational services through its Wolverine Academy.
WSTC was a very large facility that looked very much like a prison from the outside. The 62,000 square foot building was surrounded by a 16-foot perimeter security fence. Inside, inmates are houses either in cells or secure group dormitories which host up to 10 inmates each. WSTC also had a recreational area with a basketball court.
Michigan Moves to Revoke WSTC License
In early 2021, Michigan began the process of shutting down Wolverine Secure Treatment Center (WSTC) after repeated reports of abuse and misconduct surfaced. By February 8, 2021, the facility’s license was downgraded to a second provisional status because of serious violations of state regulations. These violations had been detailed in investigative reports from late 2020 and continued to surface in early 2021.
On January 17, 2021, an alarming incident occurred at Wolverine Secure Treatment Center involving the use of unsafe and unauthorized restraint techniques on a juvenile resident. Surveillance footage captured staff using methods that violated Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) standards, resulting in the resident sustaining a black eye and visible injuries, including broken blood vessels. Despite the obvious harm, the staff failed to provide immediate medical attention, treating the situation as if it were inconsequential.
That same day, another resident was similarly mistreated. Improper restraints caused the individual to strike their head, leading to swelling and pain. Yet again, medical care was delayed, reflecting a pattern of indifference to the well-being of those in their care.
Adding to the troubling nature of these incidents, staff neglected to report the abuse to Children’s Protective Services, as required by law. This failure to act not only violated mandatory reporting obligations but also highlighted a broader culture of negligence at the facility. These incidents were not isolated; they were symptomatic of a systemic disregard for safety and accountability.
The leadership and staff at WSTC demonstrated an appalling lack of concern for the vulnerable youth they were tasked with protecting, fostering an environment where harm was allowed to occur unchecked. What our juvenile detention center lawyers have seen over and over is when you have a poorly run juvenile hall, you have a receipe for sex abuse.
WSTC Shuts Down in 2021
In 2021, the Wolverine Secure Treatment Center permanently shut its doors for good. This was no surprise. It was the inevitable result of years of physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and failure. WSTC became a place where safety was promised but suffering was delivered.
State officials finally acted after years of complaints. They waited too long. Allegations of physical abuse, emotional trauma, and neglect had been piling up for years. And yet … WSTC leadership did nothing. Staff were poorly screened. Training was an afterthought. Complaints were ignored. Warnings were brushed aside.
The financial side also a mess. Lawsuits exposed the depth of the problem. State funding vanished. The facility was no longer sustainable, morally or financially. The state revoked its license, and the doors finally closed.
Lawsuits Allege Sexual Abuse of Juveniles at Wolverine Secure Treatment Center
Statute of Limitation for Michigan Sex Abuse Lawsuits
Under the current statute of limitations law in Michigan, victims of child sexual abuse have until their 28th birthday to file a civil lawsuit, or 3 years after discovering that they were sexually abused, whichever is later. There is currently a case under consideration in the Michigan Supreme Court, however, that could significantly extend the SOL for sex abuse victims. [Update: that failed but there will be a legislative push to eliminate the statute of limitations in 2025.]
Abuse Victims Can Get Financial Compensation
Juvenile inmates at WSTC (or any other juvenile detention center in Michigan) can file civil lawsuits and get financial compensation for the emotional damage caused by the abuse. Facilities like WSTC have a legal duty to ensure that juvenile offenders at the facility are reasonably safe and not the victim of sexual abuse by staff, or by other detainees. WSTC habitually breached this duty by failing to adequately protect detainees. This means that the company that owned and operated WSTC can be held liable for negligence in a sex abuse civil lawsuit.
How Much Money You Can Get from WSTC Sex Abuse Cases
In 2024, the first of what is expected to be many civil lawsuits was filed against the Wolverine Secure Treatment Center (WSTC) on behalf of a group of former juvenile inmates. These lawsuits allege that WSTC failed to protect vulnerable juveniles from rampant sexual abuse perpetrated by its staff—individuals entrusted with their care and rehabilitation. WSTC had a legal and moral duty to ensure the safety of every child in its custody.
For victims seeking justice, the amount of settlement compensation they can recover in a lawsuit against WSTC or similar facilities depends on several factors:
- Strength of Evidence: Cases with solid evidence—such as corroborating witnesses, prior complaints, or documentation—are typically worth more than those based solely on the victim’s testimony.
- Severity of the Abuse: Prolonged, repeated, or particularly heinous acts of abuse often result in higher settlements or trial verdicts. Most of the settlements in these cases use a point system to calculate severity of the injury based largely on how serious the abuse was.
- Impact on the Victim: The psychological toll, such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, and physical injuries, plays a significant role in determining the settlement value.
- Age of the Victim: Younger victims are often awarded higher compensation due to the profound and long-term effects on their development and life trajectory.
- Statute of Limitations: Survivors of sexual abuse have historically faced strict deadlines to file lawsuits, forcing many to remain silent until it was too late. However, in 2025, a new law is expected to either eliminate or significantly extend these time limits. We got really close in 2024 but the bill did not pass the House. This might make the question of the statute of limitations obsolete.
Will this long-overdue reform finally ensure that survivors of WSTC’s negligence receive the justice they deserve, or will systemic failures continue to protect the institution from accountability? The path forward is critical for every victim who was betrayed by those meant to protect them.
Contact Us About Wolverine Secure Treatment Center Sex Abuse Lawsuits
If you are thinking about bringing a sexual abuse lawsuit against a juvenile detention facility like the Wolverine Secure Treatment Center, we can help you. Contact our sex abuse lawyers today for free consultation. Contact us online or call us at 800-553-8082.