A new federal report finds what we already know – children experience unhealthy environments in residential placements. Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008 – 2009 reports on results from a survey of youth in juvenile justice facilities across the nation, including in Pennsylvania. The survey, the first such survey ever conducted for juvenile justice facilities in the nation, asked volunteer youth about their experiences with sexual victimization during placement.

Youth residing at Cresson Secure Treatment Unit in Cambria County, PA, reported a significant rate of sexual victimization. Cresson Secure Treatment Unit is operated by the Commonwealth and serves youth sentenced by the Pennsylvania’s juvenile courts to secure settings. The PA Department of Welfare, Office of Children, Youth, and Families (OCYF), Bureau of Juvenile Justice is responsible for overseeing all of the Commonwealth’s youth development centers and youth forestry camps.

Upon receipt of the report, the Bureau of Juvenile Justice, Office of Children and Youth staff interviewed all current Cresson residents about conditions and safety. No current residents reported problems with sexual victimization. The Bureau will continue to visit all state run juvenile justice facilities to interview youth residing there, and to monitor whether all youth are safe and free from victimization. The Bureau also funds the External Youth Advocate Program, which serves youth and their families as an independent, outside grievance resource. External advocates visit all facilities weekly to speak with youth.

The survey raises serious questions about the reality of sexual victimization at our state run juvenile justice facilities. How accurate are the findings? The survey was not a formal investigation but a report of what the youth answered in a computer generated anonymous survey. Only about a third of the youth residing at Cresson participated in the survey. Would the percentage of victimization been higher or lower if all youth had been interviewed? Did youth report sexual abuse/ victimization that occurred before they came to the facility? The questions asked about activity for the last 12 months, and not all the youth had been at Cresson that long. Now that the Office of Children, Youth and Families has interviewed the residents, are we sure that there is no sexual victimization or are youth afraid to report when it is not anonymous? While we will never be able to fully validate the survey, the findings are both serious and consistent with personal reports and studies collected about the entirety of children’s residential facilities to date. Clearly we need to continue to push to eliminate the practice of institutionalizing children, and while residential facilities exist, we need to increase the children’s and their families’ access to reporting resources.

Families and youth who have concerns about present or past conditions in residential facilities can read about how to report concerns in Reporting Abuse in Residential Facilities.