San Francisco Juvenile Probation Camp Sexual Assault Lawyer

If you or your child was sexually abused in a San Francisco juvenile probation camp, you may be entitled to financial compensation. 

Nearly 60,000 youth under the age of 18 are currently incarcerated throughout the United States. Being put in a juvenile detention center or probation camp cuts youth off from their families and puts them at risk of sexual abuse, assault, violence, trauma, physical abuse, unnecessary use of force by police officers and mistreatment by staff members. 

In San Francisco County, the Juvenile Probation Department is responsible for dozens of youths who are detained in camps and juvenile halls in the area. While the number of youths in juvenile centers in California has dramatically decreased in recent years, children are still at risk of severe forms of mistreatment while incarcerated. 

At Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, our sexual assault and abuse attorneys are committed to seeking justice on behalf of survivors. We have gone up against multiple juvenile detention facilities and probation camps throughout California. We can help you hold one or more parties responsible for the physical and emotional trauma you suffered while detained at a juvenile facility in the San Francisco Bay Area

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Why Choose Us for This Case?

• We are America’s leading sexual abuse law firm. Our attorneys have proven their abilities with exceptional customer service and outstanding case results for past clients.
• Our attorneys have been practicing law for more than 25 years. We have the knowledge and experience to tackle any challenge that may arise during your case.
• We have gone up against major institutions for child sexual abuse and won. We are confident in our ability to fight against any detention facility or government agency.
• Our clients are our top priority. Your lawyer will listen to you and adapt to your needs throughout your case. We can keep your identity anonymous, if desired.

How a Juvenile Probation Camp Sexual Assault Lawyer Can Help

Hiring a lawyer to represent you as a survivor of San Francisco juvenile probation camp sexual assault can improve your legal experience during an extremely difficult time. You can trust your attorney to stand up for your rights and preserve your best interests while you focus on healing and moving forward from your traumatic experience. Manly, Stewart & Finaldi is a team of compassionate and knowledgeable attorneys with decades of experience specifically in sexual assault and abuse civil law. 

Our attorneys can help you in the following ways:

• Conduct a comprehensive investigation of the juvenile detention facility sexual abuse incident.
• Identify one or multiple parties who can be held accountable.
• Preserve and collect evidence to prove a defendant’s liability (financial responsibility).
• Answer your legal questions and address your concerns.
• Take over confusing legal processes on your behalf, including filing a claim before the deadline passes.
• Aggressively negotiate a fair settlement with an insurance corporation.
• Litigate your sexual assault claim during a court trial in San Francisco County, if necessary.

Throughout your sexual abuse or assault case, our attorneys will identify your goals and take steps to help you achieve them. We will put your safety and well-being first as our client and maintain frequent contact with you, so you are never left in the dark about the status of your case. You can trust us to provide the resources, information and legal support that you need to hold your assailant or a youth detention facility accountable.

What Is Juvenile Probation Camp Sexual Assault and Abuse?

Any sexual activity between a staff member and a detainee at a juvenile facility or probation camp is against the law. Minors under the age of 18 legally cannot give their consent to sexual activity under California law. In addition, the imbalance of power between detainees and guards or staff members can strip victims of their free will, making them unable to give their consent. Any type of sexual contact or romantic relationship involving a child at a juvenile youth camp can give the victim grounds to file a civil lawsuit in San Francisco.

Examples of Sexual Assault Against Juveniles in Probation Camps

According to the California Penal Code, sexual assault or battery means to touch the intimate part of another person against the individual’s will or without his or her consent for the purpose of sexual abuse, arousal or gratification. While a child or adolescent is detained at a camp or juvenile hall in San Francisco, he or she could be subjected to many examples of sexual assault or sexual violence.

Examples include:

• Attempted rape
• Fondling or groping of the private parts
• Forced or coerced oral copulation
• Inappropriate sexual touching
• Kissing a detainee
• Masturbation or exposure of sexual organs in front of detainees (exhibitionism)
• Pressuring or intimidating a detainee into performing sexual acts
• Rape of children by employees or police officers
• Sexual harassment, stalking or discrimination 
• Sodomy
• Statutory rape 
• Watching detainees undress or go to the bathroom (voyeurism)

Sexual abuse may also involve physical or emotional abuse. Sexual assault or abuse at a juvenile probation camp can be committed by a police officer, staff member, doctor or nurse, counselor, fellow inmate, janitor, or others at the facility. Sadly, these incidents are often covered up by probation camp employees who are more concerned with protecting the establishment than vulnerable youth.

California Juvenile Probation Camp Sexual Abuse Facts

Sexual abuse is rampant at juvenile detention centers in California and across the country. Probation camps and halls have been described as hunting grounds for child sexual predators, with little to no protection for vulnerable incarcerated youth. A 2020 report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that at least 5.8 percent of incarcerated youth experienced inappropriate sexual contact with staff or guards inside juvenile detention centers.

One example, as presented in a lawsuit recently filed by Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, is the 10 probation officers and staff members at Camp Joseph Scott in Santa Clarita who subjected 20 female youth to sexual harassment, sexual abuse and rape while they were confined at the camp from 1996 to 2001. In many of these cases, county officials and probation department staff members are aware of the sexual abuse yet ignore allegations.

Active Juvenile Probation Camps and Halls in and Around San Francisco

The main juvenile detention facility in San Francisco is the San Francisco Juvenile Hall, located at 2500 Fairmont Dr # A2024, San Leandro, CA 94578. Although the Board of Supervisors voted to close the San Francisco Juvenile Hall in 2019, it is still running, with 25 individuals incarcerated there as of May 2023. 

Other camps and facilities designed to house convicted juveniles in the area include:

• Camp Sweeney: 2600 Fairmont Dr, San Leandro, CA 94578
• Contra Costa Juvenile Hall: 202 Glacier Dr, Martinez, CA 94553
• Marin County Juvenile Hall: 16 Jeannette Prandi Way, San Rafael, CA 94903
• Napa County Juvenile Hall: 212 Walnut St, Napa, CA 94559
• San Joaquin Juvenile Hall: 575 W Mathews Rd, French Camp, CA 95231
• Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall: 840 Guadalupe Pkwy, San Jose, CA 95110
• Solano County Juvenile Detention Facility: 740 Beck Ave, Fairfield, CA 94533
• Sonoma County Probation Camp: 7400 Steve Olson Ln, Forestville, CA 95436
• Stanislaus County Juvenile Hall: 2215 Blue Gum Ave, Modesto, CA 95358
• West County Detention Facility: 5555 Giant Hwy, Richmond, CA 94806
• William F. James Boys Ranch: 19050 Malaguerra Ave, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

If you or your child was sent to any of these facilities or camps and suffered sexual assault while confined there, you may be eligible for financial compensation from one or more parties. This is a heinous violation of the youth’s rights that can subject the abuser as well as the government to liability for the victim’s related damages.

Closed Juvenile Criminal Facilities in California

Since 2020, California has been shutting down its youth prison system in a shift away from punishment and toward rehabilitation. Juvenile criminal halls will be replaced by a variety of programs created by probation departments to provide education and support to youth who are convicted of criminal offenses. The closed juvenile detention centers and camps throughout California include:

• Barley Flats Camp in La Canada
• Camp David Gonzales in Calabasas
• Camp Fred Miller in Malibu
• Camp John Munz in Lake Hughes
• Camp Joseph Scott in Santa Clarita
• Camp Karl Holton in Sylmar
• Camp Kenyon Scudder in Santa Clarita
• Camp Louis Routh in Tujunga
• Camp William Mendenhall in Lake Hughes
• Central Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles County
• Challenger Memorial Youth Center camps in Lancaster
• Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey
• N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton
• Ventura Youth Correctional Facility in Camarillo

Even if the camp or correctional facility where you were sexually assaulted is now closed, you can still bring a lawsuit against the county or state with assistance from our attorneys. We can conduct a full investigation to obtain any available evidence from a closed facility, which may include records or surveillance footage that are still being stored. 

Why Does Child Sexual Abuse Occur in Juvenile Criminal Facilities?

Children who enter juvenile probation camps in San Francisco are highly vulnerable to mistreatment. They are cut off from their families and the outside world, with nowhere to turn for help or protection. If they report sexual abuse or assault, they may not be believed or faculty at the probation camp may ignore the complaint. 

Many victims do not come forward with reports of sexual abuse for fear of retaliation from the abuser, such as solitary confinement, physical harm or longer probation sentences. Furthermore, authorities at a juvenile probation camp may cover up known incidents of inmate sexual abuse to protect themselves, enable sexual predators and/or protect the facility from liability.

What Types of Damages Are Available to Survivors of Juvenile Probation Camp Sexual Assault?

Suffering from sexual assault, abuse or battery while detained in a juvenile detention center in San Francisco can lead to a wide variety of losses for the victim, otherwise known as damages. In law, “damages” also refers to the financial compensation that may be available to a plaintiff that files a civil lawsuit. 

The types of damages available can include:

• All related medical and health care costs
• Therapy, counseling or rehabilitation
• Prescription medications
• Physical pain and suffering
• Emotional distress and psychological trauma
• Mental anguish
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Reduced enjoyment or quality of life
• Lost wages for missed time at work due to mental health conditions
• Legal fees and out-of-pocket costs
• Wrongful death damages, in cases involving suicide

Bringing a sexual assault claim in California could lead to compensation being awarded for the physical, emotional, mental and financial damages suffered by a victim. At Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, our attorneys know how to fight for maximum financial compensation on a client’s behalf. We can provide justice to a survivor by holding the abuser, facility or government entity accountable for its actions.

How Long Do You Have to File a Sexual Assault Lawsuit in California?

Victims of juvenile probation camp sexual abuse often need time to cope with what happened. It may take many years for a survivor to come forward and report sexual abuse at a juvenile hall. Luckily, the law in California was recently changed to extend the deadline to file child sexual abuse and assault cases. The statute of limitations on a sexual assault case involving a child is the victim’s 40th birthday or 5 years from the date that the victim discovers a connection between mental harm and sexual abuse – whichever comes later.

How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Sexual Abuse Lawyer?

Manly, Stewart & Finaldi operates on a contingency fee basis. This means our law firm does not charge clients any attorney’s fees unless we are successful in securing financial compensation for the client. If your juvenile probation camp sexual assault lawsuit does not result in a financial settlement or positive jury verdict, you will not pay us a cent for our legal services. 

If we succeed in recovering financial compensation for your losses, we will deduct our fee from the overall amount won on your behalf. The amount of our fee percentage will depend on the case. Our sexual abuse plaintiff’s attorneys are always transparent about costs. You will pay $0 upfront for us to take your case, as we front all of the costs of litigation.

Seek Justice by Contacting Our Juvenile Probation Camp Sexual Assault Attorneys in San Francisco

If you or someone you love is a survivor of sexual assault, abuse or misconduct at any juvenile probation camp or detention center in San Francisco County or the surrounding area, do not hesitate to contact us for a free and confidential consultation. Our San Francisco sexual abuse attorneys will provide high-quality legal services to help you pursue the justice and case results that you deserve. Call (800) 700-8450 today. We will believe you.