Law
Report points to high rate of abuse at juvenile centers
In the first study of its kind, the Department of Justice said 12 percent of incarcerated juveniles have been raped or sexually abused at juvenile centers in the past year.

Thirteen facilities were singled out for having a "high rate" of incidents. Six had victimization rates of 30 percent or more.

The report did not provide victimization rates for American Indian and Alaska Native juveniles. But it said 8.3 percent of "other, non-Hispanic" juveniles were raped or sexually abused, a figure that includes American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians, along with Asians and Pacific Islanders.

The report was based on data from 166 state-owned or operated facilities and 29 locally or privately operate facilities. It did not include data from Indian Country juvenile centers.

The report was required by an act of Congress.

Get the Story:
Justice study tracks rape, sexual abuse of juvenile inmates (The Washington Post 1/8)
1 in 7 kids report sex abuse at McLaughlin (The Anchorage Daily News 1/8)

Relevant Documents:
Press Release | Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008-09 | Fact Sheet