Children sent to the Rhode Island Training School (RITS) are already in one of the most vulnerable positions imaginable. They are in state custody, often cut off from family, and living in a controlled environment where the adults around them hold enormous power. When staff at a facility like this commit sexual abuse, it is a profound betrayal of the state’s duty to protect them. If you or someone you love experienced sexual abuse at the Rhode Island Training School, you are not alone, and what happened was not your fault. Survivors have legal rights, and a new Rhode Island law signed in 2026 has opened a window that may allow you to pursue justice even if you believed your time had passed.

Table of Contents

• What the Rhode Island Training School Is and Who It Holds
• Why Sexual Abuse Happens Inside Juvenile Detention Facilities
• Rhode Island Law Governing Sexual Abuse of Children in State Custody
• Rhode Island’s 2026 Child Sexual Abuse Law Opens a New Window for RITS Survivors
• Who Can Be Held Liable for Sexual Abuse at the Rhode Island Training School
• FAQs About Rhode Island Training School Sexual Abuse

What the Rhode Island Training School Is and Who It Holds

The Rhode Island Training School (RITS) is a secure correctional program for male and female youth who are detained and/or sentenced to the facility by order of the Rhode Island Family Court. It sits at 57 Power Road in Cranston and is operated by the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF). DCYF has three major operational divisions: Children’s Behavioral Health Services, Child Welfare, and Juvenile Corrections, which includes the Rhode Island Training School and juvenile probation.

The young people held at RITS are not adults. They are children. Some are as young as 12 or 13. Youth placed there are not simply students or patients. They are children in state custody, living in a locked or highly controlled setting where the state has a direct duty to protect them from staff misconduct, peer abuse, retaliation, intimidation, and sexual exploitation.

That duty of protection is not optional. It is a legal obligation. When staff members, supervisors, or other adults within the facility violate that obligation by committing sexual abuse, or by covering it up, they expose both themselves and the state to serious civil liability. Youth in the juvenile justice system are more likely to have histories of trauma, including physical and sexual abuse, than their peers. In fact, 10% of girls who spent time at the Training School in 2023 had a history of neglect or abuse prior to entering the Training School. That pre-existing trauma makes the abuse of power inside these walls even more devastating.

Understanding what RITS is, and who it holds, matters for survivors who are considering a civil claim. The facility’s structure, its chain of command, and DCYF’s oversight role all factor into how legal liability is assessed when abuse occurs inside its walls.

Why Sexual Abuse Happens Inside Juvenile Detention Facilities

Institutional sexual abuse does not happen by accident. It happens because certain environments create conditions where predators can act with little fear of consequence. The Rhode Island Training School, like juvenile detention facilities across the country, has structural features that increase that risk.

These children are stuck. They cannot leave. They often have limited contact with family, limited ability to report safely, and very little control over where they sleep, shower, or receive discipline. That powerlessness is exactly what abusers count on.

Staff at RITS hold authority over nearly every aspect of a resident’s daily life. They control privileges, housing assignments, and access to family contact. A young person who reports abuse by a staff member risks retaliation, disbelief, or being labeled a troublemaker. That dynamic silences survivors. It is the same dynamic that allowed abuse to persist for decades in other Rhode Island institutions, including Catholic schools and diocesan programs where authority figures used their power to isolate and exploit children.

The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), a federal law, requires juvenile facilities to have policies in place to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse. The Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families regards compliance with the national Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Standards for Juvenile Facilities to be of critical importance and strives to maintain compliance in accordance with these standards. But written policies only protect children when institutions actually enforce them. When supervisors ignore complaints, fail to investigate reports, or actively conceal what staff members are doing, PREA compliance becomes meaningless on paper.

If you were abused at RITS and your report was ignored or dismissed, that failure may itself be evidence of institutional liability. A sexual assault attorney can help you understand whether the facility’s failure to act on complaints supports a civil claim against DCYF or other responsible parties.

Rhode Island Law Governing Sexual Abuse of Children in State Custody

Rhode Island law provides several layers of protection for children who are sexually abused, and those protections apply fully to youth held at the Training School. Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-37-8.1, first-degree child molestation sexual assault occurs when a person over 18 engages in sexual penetration with a person 14 years of age or under. Second-degree child molestation under R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-37-8.3 covers sexual contact, defined broadly as intentional touching of intimate parts for purposes of sexual arousal or gratification, with a child in the same age range.

Critically, Rhode Island’s child molestation statutes do not require proof of force or coercion. Proof of the victim’s age and the act itself is sufficient. This matters enormously for survivors of institutional abuse, where abusers often rely on their authority rather than physical force to gain compliance.

Beyond criminal statutes, civil law allows survivors to sue institutions directly. Under Rhode Island civil law, a facility like RITS can be held liable for negligent hiring, negligent supervision, and negligent retention of employees who commit sexual abuse. Institutions can also face liability for actively concealing abuse or failing to report it to law enforcement as required. R.I. Gen. Laws § 40-11-3 establishes Rhode Island’s mandatory child abuse reporting requirements, which apply broadly to anyone who has reasonable cause to know that a child has been abused.

Rhode Island also recognizes that intimidating a victim or witness of a crime is itself unlawful. Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-32-5, it is illegal to knowingly communicate with another person to intimidate a victim or witness regarding their participation in any criminal proceeding. If anyone at RITS discouraged you from reporting, threatened you, or told you to stay quiet, that conduct may carry its own legal weight.

Rhode Island’s 2026 Child Sexual Abuse Law Opens a New Window for RITS Survivors

For many survivors of Training School abuse, the biggest barrier to justice was not courage. It was time. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse often need years, sometimes decades, to process what happened and feel ready to come forward. Rhode Island’s old statute of limitations punished them for that delay.

That changed on June 11, 2026. Governor Dan McKee signed legislation amending the statute of limitations for child victim claims of sexual abuse and creating a two-year window for victims to bring otherwise time-barred claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse. The new law takes effect on July 1, 2026.

The legislation (2026-H 7200A, 2026-S 2616A) was sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Carol Hagan McEntee and Sen. Mark McKenney. The new law establishes a two-year civil revival window that opens from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2028. During this 24-month period, survivors can file civil suits even if the statute of limitations on their claims had previously expired.

This is a direct response to a problem Rhode Island courts had already identified. In 2023, the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled that a 2019 law only applied to suits against individual perpetrators, not the institutions or supervisors who enabled them. The 2026 law fixes that gap. It targets exactly the kind of institutional failure that allowed abuse at RITS and similar facilities to go unaddressed for so long.

Going forward, survivors now have 35 years from the date of the abuse, or 7 years from the time they first connected their injury to the abuse, whichever is later. The clock does not start running until a survivor turns 18. For survivors whose claims were already time-barred, the two-year revival window is the opportunity that matters most. Working with an experienced sexual abuse lawyer before June 30, 2028 is essential.

Who Can Be Held Liable for Sexual Abuse at the Rhode Island Training School

Civil liability for sexual abuse at RITS does not fall only on the individual who committed the abuse. Institutions and supervisors can be held responsible when they knew about misconduct and failed to stop it, or when their own failures created the conditions for abuse to occur.

DCYF, as the state agency that operates the Training School, owes a legal duty of care to every child in its custody. When DCYF employees abuse residents, or when DCYF supervisors ignore warning signs, fail to investigate reports, or allow known abusers to remain in contact with children, the agency itself may bear civil liability. Rhode Island’s 2026 law (H-7200A/S-2616A) specifically targets institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse, making it directly applicable to claims against DCYF and Training School leadership.

Potential defendants in a civil claim related to RITS abuse may include individual staff members who committed the abuse, supervisors who received complaints and did nothing, DCYF as the operating agency, and any private contractors who provided services at the facility. Placements may create civil claims when inadequate staffing, poor supervision, ignored complaints, or unsafe conditions allow sexual abuse to occur.

Proving institutional liability often requires evidence beyond the survivor’s own account. Documentation of prior complaints, internal incident reports, PREA investigation records, and staff disciplinary histories can all be relevant. An experienced sexual assault lawyer knows how to obtain this evidence through the civil discovery process and how to build a case that holds the right parties accountable.

You do not need a criminal conviction to pursue a civil claim. You do not need to have reported the abuse at the time it happened. And you do not need to have told anyone before now. What matters is that the abuse occurred, and that you are ready to explore your legal options.

FAQs About Rhode Island Training School Sexual Abuse

Can I still file a civil lawsuit if the abuse at the Rhode Island Training School happened years ago?

You may be able to file a claim even if the abuse happened decades ago. Rhode Island’s new law, H-7200A/S-2616A, signed by Governor McKee on June 11, 2026 and effective July 1, 2026, creates a two-year revival window running through June 30, 2028. During this period, survivors can file civil suits against institutions and supervisors even if the statute of limitations on their claims had previously expired. You should speak with an attorney as soon as possible to evaluate your specific situation before the window closes.

Do I need to have reported the abuse to DCYF or law enforcement to file a civil lawsuit?

No. You do not need to have made a prior report to any government agency, and you do not need a police report or a criminal conviction to pursue a civil claim. Many survivors never reported their abuse at the time it happened, often because they feared retaliation, disbelief, or consequences to their case at the Training School. Your account of what happened is a valid starting point for a civil claim, and an attorney can help gather additional supporting evidence.

Who can be sued in a civil claim involving sexual abuse at the Rhode Island Training School?

Civil claims can be filed against the individual staff member who committed the abuse, supervisors who knew or should have known about the abuse and failed to act, and DCYF as the state agency responsible for operating the facility. Rhode Island’s 2026 law specifically allows claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse, which means the state agency itself, not just the individual abuser, can be held accountable in civil court.

What if the person who abused me at the Training School no longer works there or has died?

Your civil claim is not limited to the individual abuser. Even if the person who harmed you is no longer employed, has left the state, or has died, you may still have a valid claim against the institution and supervisors who enabled the abuse. Civil claims against DCYF and Training School leadership focus on institutional failures, such as negligent supervision, failure to investigate complaints, or deliberate concealment of misconduct, rather than solely on the individual perpetrator.

How do I know if Sommers Schwartz can help me with a Training School abuse claim?

The attorneys at Sommers Schwartz represent survivors of sexual abuse in Rhode Island and across multiple states. If you were sexually abused while in the custody of the Rhode Island Training School, or any other Rhode Island juvenile detention or residential facility, you can contact Sommers Schwartz for a confidential, no-obligation consultation. The firm works on a contingency basis, meaning you pay nothing unless your case results in a recovery. Reaching out costs nothing, and speaking with an attorney is the only way to know for certain what your legal options are under Rhode Island’s current law.

More Resources About Juvenile Facility Abuse

• Sockanosset School for Boys (Historic Claims) *
• Rhode Island Juvenile Detention & Residential Facility Abuse