Lawsuits Investigating Child Sex Abuse Within Oregon State Youth Detention Centers.
New information has surfaced alongside a series of lawsuits investigating child sexual abuse within multiple Oregon state youth detention centers.
Three former Oregon Youth Authority staff members have been accused of sexually abusing incarcerated children at either the Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility in Salem or Oak Creek Youth Correction Facility in Albany over a decade ago.
Attorney Peter Janci states that multiple alleged victims had reported the abuse but were “ignored or actively silenced.”
Three women who were teenagers between 1999 and 2008 allege that Scott J. Scrabeck, a former Hillcrest corrections officer, severely abused them. According to reports, he masturbated while the girls showered and forced them to touch his genitals.
The women, identified in the suits by acronyms, are now 33, 39 and 35. Each stated that this abuse occurred numerous times, and Janci says that Scrabeck’s violence was an “open secret” in Hillcrest.
Scrabeck, now 59 and living in Salem, denied the allegations. “I’m not that kind of person,” he said.
Another suit involves claims against a former Oak Creek group life coordinator Alex Blevins, alleging he sexually abused a teenage girl “10 times between 2009 and 2011,” starting when she was 16.
Now 32, the woman states that she reported Blevins to Oregon State Police in 2011, but was unclear if authorities took any action against him. The suit says Blevins, now 66, was fired in 2014 from his job after complaints by female staff about his “sexually inappropriate comments and conduct.”
A third suit alleges that Robert L. Blacksmith abused a teenager between 2001 and 2002 while he was employed at Hillcrest. A supervisor allegedly threatened to withhold family visits, causing the child to fear making a report against Blacksmith.
The plaintiff is now 38 and identifies as non-binary. They presented as male during their time in youth custody, when they were abused beginning at age 15.
Blacksmith routinely escorted the child to one of Hillcrest’s isolation rooms and “aggressively grabbed and groped the [plaintiff’s] genitals.” He did so in an area where security cameras could not pick up any footage, and would repeat, “You deserve this.”
The suit states Blacksmith was fired in 2006 after he was caught utilizing the state computer system to search for information “about a boy he was trying to find and contact.” Around this time, he was arrested for posessing child sexual abuse material.
The latest lawsuits against these youth facilities allege sexual battery, negligence, and civil rights violations, seeking more than a total of $25 million in damages. It has also been revealed that there was a significant backlog of complaints that were not followed up on, including reports from youth in custody.
Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) operates as part of the state’s juvenile justice system. It supervises five youth correctional facilities and four transitional facilities.
Will Howell, OYA spokesperson, did not respond to specific allegations. In a statement, he said: “In the last six years alone, over 2,000 trusted adults have worked with the nearly 3,000 youth who have spent time in OYA facilities. The conduct alleged is abhorrent, and Oregonians can count on OYA to act swiftly and decisively when individuals undermine our work. Youth safety is paramount.”
Authors: Andy Goldwasser and Alexis Kabat
