Maryland Juvenile Detention Center Sex Abuse Lawsuit

Recent reports and investigations have shown that detainees at Maryland juvenile detention centers (the Hickey School, Cheltenham, and Waxter, in particular) were often subjected to sexual abuse and assault by staff and other inmates.

Thanks to a new law in Maryland, victims of child sexual abuse at Maryland juvenile detention schools can now bring civil lawsuits against the state and get financial compensation. This page will look at sex abuse lawsuits against juvenile facilities in Maryland.

News and Updates:

January 6, 2025:

The state of Maryland has retained an outside law firm as settlement lawyers to help resolve the detention center sex abuse lawsuits—a pivotal move in addressing the many claims brought by survivors of abuse in state-run juvenile facilities. One of the firm’s primary tasks will likely involve creating a detention center settlement framework, a structured settlement payout system to allocate compensation based on factors such as the severity of the abuse, its duration, and its impact on survivors.

This development may feel like progress for survivors looking for recognition and restitution, but let’s be honest—a settlement framework that has an allocation grid will be far from perfect. It is a rough justice tool, a system built for efficiency in handling a large number of claims. While it tries to ensure fairness by using standardized categories, the reality is that no spreadsheet or formula can truly capture the deeply personal and unique harm experienced by survivors of sexual abuse. Each person’s trauma is their own, and reducing it to a set of predefined tiers often leaves survivors feeling unheard and undervalued.

How Does a Settlement Allocation Grid Work

At its core, a settlement allocation grid is a way to process claims on a large scale. It typically divides cases into tiers based on key factors:

Severity of Abuse: The nature of the abuse—ranging from inappropriate contact to repeated sexual assault—plays a significant role in determining compensation. Survivors of more severe abuse are placed in higher tiers.
Duration and Frequency: Chronic abuse that occurred over months or years often leads to more profound and long-lasting harm, which the matrix aims to reflect through higher compensation levels.
Impact on the Survivor: The emotional, psychological, and financial toll of the abuse is critical. Survivors who have documented conditions like PTSD, depression, or anxiety, or who have faced difficulties maintaining relationships or employment, are likely to receive higher payouts.
Institutional Negligence: Cases where the detention center ignored complaints, failed to act on red flags, or actively covered up abuse are often seen as more egregious and may result in higher compensation.
Perpetrator’s Role: Abuse by individuals in positions of authority—such as guards, counselors, or administrators—carries an added layer of betrayal. Survivors often feel a greater sense of harm when their abuser was someone they were meant to trust.

On paper, this system makes sense. It is a way to bring some structure and consistency to what is otherwise an incredibly complex process. But when you look closer, the flaws become obvious.

The Problem with a One-Size-Fits-All System

A settlement matrix is designed for practicality, not empathy. It is a tool meant to allocate funds efficiently in cases involving many victims, but that efficiency comes at a cost. Trauma is not one-size-fits-all. Two survivors who experienced similar types of abuse may cope with it in entirely different ways. One may struggle with lifelong PTSD and difficulty trusting others, while another may bury their trauma and outwardly seem unaffected, only for the effects to manifest decades later. A rigid system like a settlement payout compensation grid just cannot capture these nuances.

For many survivors, it is deeply unsettling to see their pain quantified in this way. It’s not just about the money—it is about acknowledgment. Survivors want their experiences to be seen and understood, not reduced to a number in a spreadsheet. While the settlement payout grid might offer a starting point for restitution, it risks leaving survivors feeling like their voices have been silenced once again.

The Controversy Over Naming Abusers

One particularly contentious issue that is likely to arise during this process is the state’s emphasis on identifying the abuser. It is expected that the settlement grid will weigh claims more heavily if survivors can name their abuser or provide specific details about the abuse. At first glance, this might seem reasonable—after all, accountability often starts with identifying the perpetrator. But when you think about the nature of trauma, this expectation becomes absurd.

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse often dissociate or block out certain details as a coping mechanism. For example, a teenager abused at 14 might vividly recall the face of their abuser or the context of the abuse but may not remember the abuser’s full name—if they ever even knew it. To suggest that this survivor should receive less compensation, or none at all, because they can’t provide a name is not just incredibly unreasonable—it is cruel.

This issue is further compounded by the institutions themselves. Many detention centers failed to keep adequate records, ignored complaints, or actively covered up reports of abuse. These systemic failures make it even harder for survivors to identify their abusers. Penalizing survivors for the institution’s negligence only perpetuates the harm they’ve already endured.

A Step Toward Justice, But an Imperfect One

Despite its flaws, a settlement grid is a necessary part of resolving systemic abuse cases involving this many victims. It provides a framework to allocate compensation while taking into account key factors like the severity and impact of the abuse. But it’s important to acknowledge what the settlement grid cannot do—it cannot truly capture the depth of harm survivors have experienced. It cannot undo the betrayal, the loss of trust, or the years of suffering. And it cannot replace the sense of justice that comes from seeing those responsible held fully accountable.

For survivors, this process can feel like a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the settlement offers a form of acknowledgment and the opportunity for restitution. On the other hand, it risks reducing their experiences to a checklist, leaving them feeling as though their pain has been quantified but not truly understood.

What This Means for Survivors

If you are a survivor, know that your experience matters, even if it doesn’t fit neatly into the categories of a settlement matrix. The system may not be perfect, but it is a step toward accountability and recognition. The state’s decision to hire settlement attorneys signals a commitment to resolving these claims, but survivors and advocates must remain vigilant to ensure that the process remains fair and compassionate.

It is also important to speak up about the limitations of the settlement process. Survivors have the power to influence how these systems are designed and implemented, ensuring that future cases are handled with greater sensitivity and understanding. While no amount of money can erase the pain, a well-constructed settlement process can provide validation, restitution, and, for some, a sense of closure.

At its best, this settlement process can be a pathway to healing. At its worst, it risks repeating the very failures that allowed the abuse to happen in the first place. The challenge now is to ensure that it leans toward justice, even in its imperfections.

About Maryland Juvenile Detention Centers

In Maryland, juvenile criminal offenders (anyone under the age of 18) are processed in a separate criminal justice system administered by both the courts and the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (“DJS”). For those juveniles who are charged with and/or convicted of serious offenses, DJS operates a number of juvenile detention facilities throughout the state. The list below shows all current DJS detention facilities and centers in Maryland:

Alfred D. Noyes Children’s Center (temporarily closed) (Capital South Region)
Backbone Mountain Youth Center (Western Region)
Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center (Baltimore City Region)
Charles H. Hickey, Jr. School (Central Region)
Charles H. Hickey, Jr. Structured Shelter Care Program (Central Region)
Cheltenham Youth Detention Center (Capital-South)
Garrett Children’s Center (temporarily closed) (Western Region)
Green Ridge Youth Center (Western Region)
Lower Eastern Shore Children’s Center (Eastern Shore)
Victor Cullen Center (Western Region)
Western Maryland Children’s Center (Western Region)

Abuse at Maryland Juvenile Detention Centers

Maryland’s juvenile detention facilities have a long and sad history of sexual abuse and mistreatment of their underage inmates. These problems have been well documented over the years as the facilities have been the subject of investigations and, more recently, major civil lawsuits.

The facts uncovered during these various investigations showed that juvenile detention facilities in Maryland were grossly negligent in allowing the regular sexual and physical abuse of inmates to occur with little or no oversight. The responsible parties, which include the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (as well as private contractors at some individual facilities, allowed staff-on-inmate violence and sexual abuse to occur over many years.

Below is a brief list of some of the current sexual abuse litigation involving specific juvenile detention facilities in Maryland.

Hickey School Sex Abuse Lawsuits

The Hickey School is one of the oldest and largest juvenile detention facilities in the state of Maryland. The Hickey School houses male juvenile offenders who are awaiting court dates and who have already been sentenced. It is currently operated directly by DJS, but between 1991 and 2004 the Charles Hickey School was operated by private contractors.

Recent reports and investigations have revealed that abuse of juvenile detainees, including sexual abuse and assault, at the Hickey School was widespread over the years. A growing number of former inmates at the Hickey School have joined in civil lawsuits against Hickey School and DJS recently brought under the new Maryland law.

Most of the calls our juvenile detention center sex abuse lawyers are getting are from the Charles Hickey School.

Waxter Detention Center Sex Abuse Lawsuits

The Thomas Waxter Children’s Center (“Waxter”) was a juvenile correctional and detention facility operated by DJS and located in Laurel. Waxter served as a detention facility for female juvenile offenders from the early 1950s until the facility was shut down in January 2022. Waxter was the biggest detention facility for female juvenile offenders in Maryland, with a capacity for over 160 inmates at its peak.

Waxter was notorious for rampant abuse of female juvenile offenders, including sexual abuse and assault. The facility was the subject of several investigations and reports by both the state and federal authorities. Recently, a large number of women who were sexually abused as inmates at Waxter have come forward and filed civil lawsuits against DJS.

Cheltenham Sex Abuse Lawsuits

Cheltenham is a juvenile detention center in P.G. County that houses male and some female juvenile offenders from the DC suburbs and southern Maryland: Prince George’s, Montgomery, Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s Counties. Formerly known as Boys Village, Cheltenham has been around since 1870.

The facility has earned a terrible reputation for abuse and mistreatment, leading to investigations by both the state of Maryland and the DOJ. The DOJ issued a formal report identifying a variety of abuses and shortcomings at the facility. Cheltenham was also targeted in a recent investigation by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.

After the Hickey School, our detention center sex abuse lawyers are getting more calls involving Cheltenham than any other detention center.

Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center Sex Abuse Lawsuits

Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center (BCJJC) is a relatively new juvenile detention facility in Maryland. BCJJC was opened in 2003 and is located on Gay Street in Baltimore City. BCJJC is operated by DJS and it primarily houses juvenile offenders from Baltimore who have been charged or convicted with violent crimes. BCJJC does not have a long and well-documented history of abuse and mistreatment similar to other facilities, but this juvenile hall certainly has its fair share of issues.

New Law Eliminates Time Limits On Abuse Lawsuits

Anyone who was the victim of childhood sexual abuse at a juvenile detention or correctional facility in Maryland can now file a civil lawsuit against the state and DJS and get financial compensation, regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred. Under the new Maryland Child Victims Act (“CVA”) which took effect in October 2023, civil lawsuits based on sexual abuse that occurred when the victim was a child (under age 18) are no longer subject to any statute of limitations. This means that child sex abuse victims can file lawsuits even for incidents that occurred decades ago.

The enactment of the CVA has led to a growing wave of sexual abuse civil lawsuits being brought by former juvenile offenders who were victimized at DJS facilities in Maryland. Learn more about the new Maryland statute of limitations law for sex abuse cases.

What Qualifies as “Sexual Abuse or Assault”?

For legal purposes, sexual abuse or sexual assault is defined as any type of unwanted and non-consensual sexual contact or touching. The two essential elements that define sexual assault are (1) lack of consent and (2) sexual intent. Children cannot legally consent to sexual contact, so any case involving a child satisfies the first element. As for sexual intent, this element requires that the touching involve sexual parts of the body and be done with the purpose of sexual gratification.

Holding Juvenile Detention Centers Liable for Sexual Abuse

Victims of sexual abuse or sexual assault at a Maryland juvenile facility or juvenile detention center like Waxter can get financial compensation by bringing a civil lawsuit against the Department of Juvenile Services. DJS can be held liable in a civil lawsuit for negligently failing to protect the victim or prevent the abuse from happening.

In most cases, the sexual abuse occurred at the facility and was committed by staff members. In that situation, DJS will have clear liability for the incident. Even when another inmate or juvenile commits the abuse or assault, DJS can still be held liable for failing to provide adequate protection.

Settlement Value of Juvenile Detention Center Sex Abuse Cases

The amount of money you can get from suing DJS for sexual abuse at a juvenile facility in Maryland depends on a few things. Here are the main things that make the money you might get more or less:

Strength of Evidence: In many cases, the only evidence is the victim’s testimony. That is often enough to establish that the abuse happened. However, if there is additional evidence to substantiate the victim’s testimony it will significantly boost the settlment value of the case. You also need evidence that the detention center or its staff were negligent in preventing the abuse. It really helps when there are failures in the institution’s policies and procedures – and these happened over and over in so many of these cases – that allowed the abuse to occur.
Severity of Abuse: The severity of the sexual abuse inflicted on a victim also makes a major difference in the value of the case. Settlement amounts are using higher with a diagnosis of injury, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. But, to be clear, there are many detention center sex abuse lawsuits without an objective injury that are very strong claims. Expert testimony from psychologists or psychiatrists might be used to assess the impact.
Age of the Victim: The age at which the victim experienced abuse. Younger victims may receive higher settlements due to the long-term impact on their development and life trajectory.
Your Lawyer: Having a good lawyer can make a big difference in how much money you end up getting. The best sex abuse lawyers get the best settlements.

There is a limit to how much money you can get. In Maryland, there is a maximum amount you can be awarded in these cases. If you’re suing a place like the Hickey School, the most you can get is $850,000.

Contact Us About Maryland Juvenile Detention Center Sex Abuse Lawsuits

If you are thinking about bringing a sexual abuse lawsuit against a juvenile detention facility, contact our sex abuse lawyers today for free consultation. Contact us online or call us at 800-553-8082.