Camp Barrett was a juvenile detention facility operated by the San Diego County Probation Department and located in Alpine, California. It was meant to serve as a rehabilitation program for boys placed in custody by the juvenile court system, many of whom were minors with no history of violence. But for some of the youth sent there, Camp Barrett became a site of profound trauma from physical and sexual abuse.
Camp Barrett sex abuse lawsuits involve allegations that staff members sexually abused boys in their custody, taking advantage of the facility’s isolation and lack of oversight. The reports describe a system that did not simply overlook warning signs but created the conditions that allowed abuse to occur. Officers had access to children in private spaces, complaints were ignored or never documented, and leadership failed to act despite indications of misconduct.
Instead of safety and rehabilitation, these boys were met with exploitation. And the very institution responsible for their care, the San Diego County Probation Department, now faces serious questions about how this abuse was allowed to continue unchecked for years.