Michigan Juvenile Detention Facility Sexual Abuse Attorney

Experienced Michigan Attorneys Fight to Protect Survivors of Sexual Abuse in Michigan’s Juvenile Centers

“The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Juvenile Justice Program’s policy establishes zero tolerance for sexual abuse and sexual harassment of residents” in juvenile justice facilities, says the state of Michigan. Those who have suffered sexual harassment or abuse while in a juvenile program know, however, that the state’s intentions don’t always line up with reality. 

Dozens of lawsuits have been filed nationwide in recent years, as those who experienced sexual abuse or harassment while in a juvenile detention program speak out against the harm they endured. If you suffered sexual abuse, speak to an experienced Michigan juvenile detention abuse lawyer today. The team at Sommers Schwartz, P.C. can help you understand your options and pursue justice. 

Recognizing Sexual Abuse and Harassment

Being placed in juvenile detention is a stressful time. You may enter a juvenile program feeling scared, upset, embarrassed, or angry. With so much going on, sexual harassment or abuse can take you by surprise – and leave you feeling completely uncertain about what happened, let alone how to talk about it. 

The Michigan Department of Education provides definitions of harassment and abuse. Their definitions and examples make it easier to understand what happened and put it in context.

Harassment includes unwanted sexual remarks or behaviors. Harassment comes in many different forms:

• Verbal harassment includes sexual jokes, comments, or rumors. These may range from inappropriate “jokes” to comments about one’s sexuality or gender. The comments can be spoken, written, or typed.
• Physical harassment usually involves inappropriate touching in some way. Pulling or touching someone’s clothing inappropriately, groping or grabbing, and body contact all fall in this category.
• Visual harassment can range from showing someone an inappropriate picture to pressuring them to take a nude photos or taking nude photos or videos of them in secret.

Assault is a sexual act one person does to another. It is assault if one person doesn’t or can’t consent to the act. Often, physical force, pressure, or threats are used to get the second person to comply – but compliance is not consent. Examples of sexual assault include:

• Touching someone’s private areas without their consent – over or under clothing
• Kissing someone without their consent
• Forcing, threatening, or pressuring someone to do any sexual act
• Penetrating someone else’s mouth or private parts with a body part or object

These definitions can help you put words to what happened, so you can share your story and start down the path towards holding the abuser accountable. 

Michigan’s Juvenile Facilities and Their Responsibilities to Protect Those in Their Care

Michigan has both state-run juvenile justice facilities and facilities run by private companies contracting with the state. Both types of facilities are required to comply with state and federal law. These requirements include protecting the children in their care from sexual harassment and assault – whether it’s from other youths at the facility or from staff members. 

Juvenile detention facilities have a duty to:

• Give youth in their care multiple ways to report sexual assault or harassment, including both spoken and written options,
• Investigate claims of sexual assault or harassment,
• Report their findings to the State of Michigan; and
• Take necessary steps to stop any abuse and to prevent abuse in the future. 

In practice, however, juvenile detention facilities in Michigan and other states can and do fail to meet their responsibilities to keep the kids in their care safe. Recent news headlines, unfortunately, illustrate this:

• Muskegon River Youth Home resident sues, alleging sexual and physical abuse: In 2025, a former resident at the Muskegon River Youth Home (now the Osceola Youth Center) filed a lawsuit, saying he suffered sexual and physical abuse at the home as a fifteen-year-old living there in 2019.
• Abuse among private companies operating youth treatment centers: A 2024 Senate Finance Committee report named four major private companies that operate juvenile centers, noting that “children in these facilities are regularly subjected to physical, sexual, and verbal abuse,” among other mistreatment. The report included three companies that run facilities in Michigan.
• Wayne County suspended seven employees at a juvenile detention center in 2023, after information arose that a 12-year-old boy had been physically and sexually assaulted there.
• A former resident of a youth facility pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in 2023 for sexual contact with another resident while at the Wolverine Secure Treatment Center in Saginaw. The facility is now closed.
• The Detroit Behavioral Institute was ordered to close in 2022 after the state received several reports that the institute failed to protect its residents from abuse.
• The Michigan Department of Corrections agreed to pay an $80 million settlement in 2020, after former youth inmates sued, alleging sexual abuse. The case involved twelve children and incidents that occurred from 2010 to 2020. 

Every person who steps forward to tell their story sheds light on the problem and can help prevent it from happening to a new generation of kids and teens who need a safe place and a second chance. 

Determining Who is at Fault in a Juvenile Detention Facility Sexual Abuse Case

The person who abused you is responsible for their behavior – and how it harmed you. However, they may not be the only party responsible for what happened. A sexual assault or abuse case against a juvenile detention facility may also include:

• The company or organization responsible for running the facility,
• Any third-party employer that provided staff to do day-to-day work at the facility,
• An outside therapist, teacher, or volunteer, if this person harmed a facility resident,
• The owner of the property, if they could have taken reasonable steps to prevent the abuse but failed, or
• A government agency or entity, if the harm occurred in a state-run facility. 

Every case is unique, and figuring out who is at fault can be challenging. You don’t have to do it alone. An experienced attorney can help you gather evidence, figure out who is at fault, and fight for the compensation you deserve. 

Compensation in a Juvenile Detention Facility Sexual Abuse Case

Sexual abuse is a crime in Michigan. Those who commit this crime may face incarceration, fines, and other penalties. 

Seeing the person who hurt you face criminal justice for what they did can provide closure. However, a criminal case may not fully compensate you for the harm you suffered. Worse, a criminal case may not hold every responsible party accountable for what happened. While a criminal court can put away an individual proven to have assaulted you, a criminal court cannot typically lock up an entire corporation – or an entire township, county, or department of the State of Michigan. To hold these parties accountable and get compensation, a civil lawsuit may be needed.

Compensation in a sexual abuse lawsuit can help you pay bills and recover losses. Common items covered by these claims include:

• Medical expenses related to the abuse, including mental health treatment.
• Costs of future care and treatment.
• Lost wages, if you’ve had to miss work for medical or mental health appointments, or if your symptoms keep you from working. 
• Compensation for physical pain and suffering, mental and emotional trauma, and other deeply felt personal losses as a result of what happened to you. 

In some cases, you may also be able to pursue punitive damages. Punitive damages are a little different from other compensation. Most compensation seeks to restore your losses. Punitive damages, however, seek to send a message. They’re a way for a jury to say that particularly outrageous behavior – like allowing or encouraging juvenile justice staff to abuse youth in their care – will not be tolerated in a civilized society. An attorney can provide more information on how punitive damages work. 

In early 2025, Michigan passed a law extending the time a sexual abuse victim has to seek criminal charges against the perpetrator. The state legislature has also worked on laws that would extend the time a person has to file a civil lawsuit after abuse occurs – including abuse in juvenile detention facilities. These laws are constantly changing. An attorney can help you understand your options, so you can take the best steps available to seek justice and hold wrongdoers accountable. 

Speak to an Experienced Michigan Sexual Abuse Civil Lawsuit Attorney Today

Abuse thrives on isolation and silence. Abusers often take steps to make their victims feel alone, helpless, and out of options because they know that they can only continue their horrible acts if nobody knows what is happening. 

You are not alone, and you are not helpless. The experienced Michigan sexual abuse attorneys at Sommers Schwartz, P.C. are here to help. We’ll listen to your story. We’ll gather the evidence we need to understand precisely what happened. And we’ll fight for the compensation you deserve. 

To learn more, reach out to us today to schedule a free, confidential consultation. One of our attorneys will listen to your story and answer your questions.