Kern County Juvenile Hall Sex Abuse Lawsuit

On this page, our national sex abuse lawyers will . Juveniles held in detention at Kern County Juvenile Hall have frequently been subjected to sexual abuse and assault committed by staff and by other inmates. Victims of abuse at Kern County Juvenile Hall can file civil lawsuits against the state for negligently failing to protect them.

If you have a potential sex abuse lawsuit involving Kern County Juvenile Hall, call our California sex abuse lawyers, today at 800-553-8082 or get a free online consultation.

About Kern County Juvenile Hall

The Kern County Juvenile Detention Center (officially known as “James G. Bowles Juvenile Hall”) is a juvenile detention facility operated at the county level by the Kern County Probation Department. Kern County Juvenile Hall is located in Bakersfield, California and it accommodates both male and female juvenile offenders. The facility is primarily a short-term detention center that holds juveniles who have been charged and are awaiting adjudication.

Kern County Juvenile Hall is one of California’s oldest juvenile detention facilities still in operation. The facility was originally opened in 1952. Today, the facility can house up to 108 juvenile inmates. The average time of commitment is 42 days.

Juvenile inmates at Kern County Juvenile Hall are provided with all living necessities, including food, clothing, medical care, and educational services. Inmates are required to participate in structured programming at the facility, which includes educational instruction and outdoor activities and exercise.

Sexual Abuse of Inmates at Kern County Juvenile Hall

New reports and investigations have recently revealed that sexual abuse of inmates at juvenile detention facilities in California has been a major systemic problem for a long time. Kern County Juvenile Hall is one of the detention centers at which juvenile inmates were frequently subjected to sexual assault and abuse, primarily at the hands of adult staff members who were supposed to protect them.

What Qualifies as Sexual Abuse?

For purposes of filing a civil lawsuit, sexual abuse is generally defined as any form of “sexual contact” or touching that is done without consent. Sexual touching means contact with a person’s private areas done for the purpose of sexual arousal or gratification. This can range from groping breasts to penetration.

The second element of the definition of sexual abuse is lack of consent. If the victim consents to the contact, it is not abuse. In the case of juvenile inmates, however, consent is usually not an issue. Under California law, minors under the age of 18 lack the legal capacity to consent to sexual contact with an adult. This means that ANY sexual contact between an adult and a minor is without consent.

Holding Kern County Liable for Sexual Abuse of Juvenile Inmates

The Kern County Probation Department (“KCPD”) has full operational control and responsibility for Kern County Juvenile Hall. This includes screening, hiring, training, and properly supervising and monitoring staff members at the facility. KCPD was also legally obligated to take all reasonable measures to ensure the safety and well-being of juvenile inmates at the facility.

KCPD has a clear legal duty to ensure the safety of juvenile inmates at Kern County Juvenile Hall. This means that KCPD can be held liable in a civil lawsuit if it negligently failed to ensure the safety of inmates, resulting in acts of sexual assault or abuse. There is a growing body of evidence establishing systemic negligence on the part of KCPD in protecting its juvenile inmates from sexual abuse, particularly abuse by predatory staff members.

Many former correctional officers and/or staff members at Kern County Juvenile Hall have been credibly accused and/or prosecuted for sexual abuse of juvenile inmates under their control. There is evidence that KCPD’s negligence enabled this abuse to occurred in a number of ways. Most significantly, KCPD repeatedly ignored and failed to investigate complaints from juvenile inmates about abuse or inappropriate conduct by staff members.

Abuse by Officer George Anderson

A number of former female juvenile inmates at Kern County Juvenile Hall have come forward with allegations that they were sexually abused by a former correctional officer named George Anderson. Some of these women have filed lawsuits against KCPD that resulted in financial settlements.

Between 2005 and 2015, George Anderson worked at Kern County Juvenile Hall as a correctional officer. In civil lawsuit brought by 3 different female inmates, Officer Anderson was accused of very similar acts of sexual abuse. Officer Anderson would watch the girls in the shower, then start grooming his victims. Anderson would make sexually explicit comments about the girls and eventually solicit sex from them.

The lawsuits alleged that Anderson’s abuse of these female inmates was the result of KCPD’s negligence. The lawsuits claimed that KCPD had received numerous prior complaints about Anderson watching female inmates while they showered, but did nothing about it. They also accused KCPD of negligence in failing to exercise proper oversight and training.

California’s Statute of Limitations for Juvenile Detention Center Sexual Abuse Claims

California’s statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse cases is complicated, and recent changes to the law have made it even more so. Survivors may hear that there is “no statute of limitations” for filing lawsuits, but that only applies in certain situations. The time limits depend on when the abuse happened, and not all survivors benefit from the new rules. Here’s how the deadline to sue works in these cases:

For survivors whose abuse happened on or after January 1, 2024, there is no time limit to file a lawsuit. That means a survivor can sue their abuser or any responsible institution at any time, even decades later.

For survivors whose abuse happened on or before December 31, 2023, different rules apply. California previously allowed survivors to file lawsuits until age 40 or within five years of realizing the abuse caused them harm, whichever was later. That law is still in effect for older cases. If a survivor had already missed that deadline before 2024, they do not get unlimited time under the new law.

There is one other major change that affects survivors who were abused in government-run facilities like juvenile detention centers. Normally, lawsuits against government entities require filing a special claim first, often within a very short window. But under this law, survivors of childhood sexual abuse do not have to go through that process and can sue the state or county directly.

This law also includes extra protections for survivors seeking damages against institutions that covered up the abuse. If a survivor can prove a cover-up, they may be entitled to three times the compensation payout that the jury awards to further punish them for what they did.

Settlement Value of Kern County Juvenile Hall Sex Abuse Lawsuits

The settlement value of sex abuse lawsuits brought by former juvenile inmates at Kern County Juvenile hall will generally depend on a the severity and duration of the abuse, and the extent of KCPD’s negligence. Cases involving more severe acts of abuse (e.g., penetration) occurring over a long time period will have a high settlement value. Those in which there is clear evidence of obvious negligence on the part of KCPD, such as prior complaints of misconduct about the abuser, will also have a high settlement value.

In the case of Kern County Juvenile Hall, we have a very good idea of the potential settlement compensation payout of sex abuse cases because there have been at least three reported settlements. The 3 settlements came in the abuse cases involving Officer George Anderson. The lawsuits brought by the 3 alleged victims of Anderson eventually settled for $200,000, $250,000, and $400,000. What was unique about those 3 cases is that the abuse did not involve any significant sexual contact involved by Anderson. The allegations of abuse involved Anderson watching the girls in the shower (a privacy violation) and then sexually soliciting them.

This means that the potential settlement amounts of a sexual abuse case involving more significant physical contact, such as actual penetration, or even just groping, will likely have an even higher settlement value. In fact, we think an abuse case in which the juvenile inmate was sexually assaulted could have a potential settlement value of $500,000 to $1 million.

Contact Us About Kern County Juvenile Hall Sex Abuse Cases

If you were sexually abused as an inmate at Kern County Juvenile Hall, you may be able to file a lawsuit and get compensation. Reach out to us online or call 800-553-8082.