Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
More than 100 new lawsuits allege sexual abuse in NYC juvenile jails
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Jan 27, 2025
Modified Jan 28, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Jan 27, 2025
Modified Jan 28, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
More than 100 more New Yorkers sued the city on Monday alleging they were sexually abused by staffers at the city’s juvenile detention centers while they were held there as children — bringing the total number of such cases to 540.
The 115 new lawsuits filed against the city Administration for Children’s Services and the Department of Correction allege that guards, counselors and other staff members used their positions as employees to target, groom and sexually abuse children. The lawsuits were filed under a 2022 city law called the Gender Motivated Violence Act, which created a two-year window allowing people to sue over gender-motivated acts of violence from many years ago. The window ends March 1.
The hundreds of lawsuits — including others filed last year — describe incidents ranging from inappropriate strip searches to rape that they allege occurred from the 1960s through recent years at several facilities — at the now-closed Spofford Juvenile Center, the Horizon Juvenile Center, Crossroads Juvenile Center, Rikers Island and the Vernon C. Bain Correctional Center.
Jerome Block, a partner at Levy Konigsberg, the law firm representing the plaintiffs, said the widespread abuse alleged in the suits points to a larger culture of secrecy and misconduct at the city’s agencies.
“The perpetrators in all of these cases were adult staff members, so the very adults that were trusted with keeping our clients safe were the ones perpetrating this sexual abuse,” Block said. “This was systematic institutionalized sexual abuse that’s going on for decades.”
The city’s law department said the Gender Motivated Violence Act under which the lawsuits were filed doesn’t apply because incidents alleged in the lawsuits predate the act or an expansion of the law in 2022.
Stephanie Gendell, a spokesperson for the Administration for Children’s Services, said any sexual abuse or harassment is “abhorrent and unacceptable, and although many of these incidents predate this administration or ACS’s involvement with juvenile justice, we take these allegations very seriously.” She said the department would review individual cases once served.
ACS also stressed that its employees can be subject to discipline, termination and criminal consequences for sexual misconduct and that it has updated its training and oversight standards.
In addition to monetary damages, Block said the plaintiffs want the city to be held accountable and prevent the abuse they experienced from happening to others.
“Our clients want sexual abuse in juvenile detention centers to end, our clients filing these cases want justice, they want accountability and they want this cycle of sexual violence that is occurring in New York City juvenile detention centers to end,” he said.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct that, according to an attorney for the plaintiffs, they allege they were abused by city jail staffers but not by other detainees.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
Catalina Gonella
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC has a plan to stop homeless people from cycling between hospitals and the streets
The Bridge to Home program, which began last year, will officially expand to Brooklyn on Tuesday.
By
Karen Yi
Published Sep 29, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. ET
Early Addition: Billy Joel is auctioning off 70 of his motorcycles
Because he doesn't need that many bikes, here are your early links: NYC Ferry fares could be going up, Hell's Kitchen climbing gym closing, Jalen Brunson just wasn't that funny on SNL and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: Billy Joel is auctioning off 70 of his motorcycles
Because he doesn't need that many bikes, here are your early links: NYC Ferry fares could be going up, Hell's Kitchen climbing gym closing, Jalen Brunson just wasn't that funny on SNL and more.
By
James Ramsay
Man dragged to death by Subway in Brooklyn after getting caught on closing doors
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Upper East Side braces for affordable housing fast track, and backlash from residents
By
David Brand
Plan to modernize NYC's diesel-spewing produce market falls apart under Mamdani
By
Elizabeth Kim
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .