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The number of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse and other mistreatment at New Jersey’s state-run child treatment centers has risen to more than 150, with new cases filed earlier this month, the Associated Press reports.
Two lawsuits involving 16 survivors were filed in the beginning of April in Superior Court in Monmouth and Somerset counties, naming the former Arthur Brisbane Treatment Center and the Training School at Skillman, both long-shuttered facilities. Victims’ names have been withheld due to the sensitive nature of the allegations.
Attorneys said the addition of the latest suits brings the total number of cases to 150, with most previous claims focusing on currently operating facilities, including the New Jersey Training School. The governor previously announced plans to close the school following years of controversy, but the closure has been delayed.
The New Jersey attorney general’s office, which defends the state in these lawsuits, has not responded to requests for comment from the AP.
The surge in lawsuits follows New Jersey’s 2019 overhaul of its civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims. The revised law allows survivors to sue until they turn 55 or within seven years of discovering that the abuse caused them harm. Previously, survivors had only until age 20 or two years after discovering the abuse’s impact to file a claim.
Earlier lawsuits, including one filed last year by 50 men, described a deeply rooted “culture of abuse” at the New Jersey Training School, also known as Jamesburg. The men alleged that from the 1970s through the 2010s, they suffered sexual abuse at the hands of guards, counselors, and other staff, both on facility grounds and in nearby woods.
The lawsuit detailed how survivors who tried to report the abuse faced threats, indifference, or retaliation. One survivor told the parole board about his experiences but was ignored. Others who reported misconduct to staff members said no action was taken.
The New Jersey Training School, which has operated since 1867 under the state’s Juvenile Justice Commission, remains the state’s largest youth detention facility, housing about 200 individuals aged 12 to 23. Located southwest of New York City, the school has long faced criticism over both abuse allegations and racial disparities among its residents, with Black youths disproportionately represented.
Plans to close the New Jersey Training School were announced in 2018, following alarming U.S. Justice Department reports highlighting high rates of abuse. However, the shutdown has been delayed as officials seek alternatives for juvenile detention.
A plaintiff’s attorney said the lawsuits are not only about securing justice for individual survivors but also about pushing for meaningful reforms in New Jersey’s juvenile justice system. “We hope these people will not only get justice in their individual cases but this will lead to reform of the system,” the attorney said.
The latest lawsuits, like the ones before them, were made possible by the 2019 changes to New Jersey law, which created new opportunities for survivors who had previously been barred by the old statute of limitations.
The ongoing litigation mirrors scandals in other states, including New Hampshire, where more than 1,000 former residents of a state-run youth detention center alleged they were physically or sexually abused.
For Survivors Of Sexual Abuse At State-Run NJ Youth Facilities: Justice Is Possible
If you are a survivor of abuse in a state-run institution or juvenile facility, you are not alone.
Help is available.
Visit SurvivorsRights.com’s Institutional Abuse Resource Page to learn about your rights and request a free, confidential case review or fill out the contact form below.
