Former residents of the Cresson youth center file a lawsuit

Two former residents of a youth care center, located in Cresson until it closed in 2015, have filed a lawsuit against the Massachusetts-based company that operated the facility. They claim they were victims of rampant sexual abuse committed by agency personnel.

The lawsuit, filed by Pittsburgh attorney Jason E. Luckasevic, was on behalf of individuals who are now adults but who stayed at the facility that housed up to 52 at-risk youth between 2008 and 2015.

The State of Pennsylvania contracted with the Justice Resource Institute of Needham Heights, Massachusetts, to operate the facility at 251 Correction Road, Cresson, not far from the former Cresson State Correctional Institution, which itself was closed following an investigation by the U.S. ministry. of Justice.

DOJ concluded that the state prison violated the rights of inmates with serious mental health conditions and disabilities by keeping them in isolation for “months, even years at a time.”

The Cresson SCI was closed under the administration of former Governor Tom Corbett.

That investigation by the DOJ was completed in 2013.

Two years later, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Human Services ended contact with the Juvenile Resource Institute, closing the Cresson center.

The current lawsuit was initially filed in the Allegheny Court of Common Pleas.

It includes two plaintiffs seeking damages of more than $50,000 on each of six counts accusing JRI of negligence in operating the center, negligence in hiring staff and negligence in supervising staff.

The plaintiffs are not named, but are referred to by their initials.

The lawsuit revealed that the use of initials is intended to protect the victims’ identities.

The names of the suspected perpetrators are also not mentioned.

One of the victims claims he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a supervisor at the facility.

The other victim stated that a woman on staff abused him on a daily basis.

She would expose herself to him, force him to touch her and perform sexual acts on him.

These incidents are said to have taken place in various locations, including a cleaning closet and his own room.

A second female employee is also charged with sexually assaulting the victim.

“Defendants knew or should have known” that the children at the Cresson facility were victims of sexual abuse, the lawsuit states.

But there was also speculation about why the victims themselves were hesitant to report what happened.

For example, one victim noted that he was physically threatened if he disclosed the abuse.

Also, “the perpetrators used their position of authority over the plaintiffs, as agents of the defendants (JRI), to calculatedly manipulate and groom the plaintiffs during the plaintiffs’ time as juvenile detainees in Cresson,” it was alleged.

The petition filed by the plaintiffs went on to report the alleged abuse at the Cresson facility caused the victims to suffer long-term consequences including emotional distress, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Children who are sexually abused in juvenile detention facilities like Cresson rarely file complaints against staff for fear of retaliation or because they know they will not be believed,” the lawsuit continued.

It was also noted that employees who learn about incidents tend to ‘look the other way and let it continue’.

The lawsuit concluded: “According to a 2010 report from the U.S. Department of Justice, 13 percent of youth in juvenile facilities are sexually abused, most often by facility staff.”

The same report stated: “The Cresson Secure Treatment Unit had one of the highest rates of sexual victimization reported by juvenile inmates, three times the national average.”

The case was transferred from Allegheny County to Federal Court at the request of the Justice Resource Center.

The defendant (JRI) is represented by attorney Nancy R. Winschel of the Pittsburgh law firm Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote.

Originally assigned to Judge Kim R. Gibson, who presides in Johnstown, the case was reassigned Thursday to Western District Chief Judge Mark R. Hornak.

The Justice Resource Institute has agreed to file its response to the charges by December 13.

Neither attorney could be reached for comment Friday.

According to its website, JRI is a nonprofit organization that provides services to high-risk adults and youth.