Three lawsuits filed against Oregon Youth Authority employees for sexual abuse

PORTLAND, Oregon (KOIN) — Three people who once lived in two Oregon Youth Authority Several correctional facilities (OYA) filed lawsuits this week against their staff, alleging that they were sexually abused and victims of civil rights violations while in custody.

These latest lawsuits join three others filed this year against OYA employees for past and ongoing abuse.

According to court documents, the plaintiffs in the recently filed cases, who were between the ages of 15 and 21 at the time of the reported abuse, were allegedly pressured and coerced into sexual relationships with OYA employees who worked at the MacLaren and Oak Creek juvenile correctional facilities.

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According to a statement from the law firm Levi Merrithew Horstwho represents the plaintiffs in these cases, two of the defendants named in the complaints were group coordinators who were responsible for overseeing the daily activities and care of the detained juveniles.

One of the plaintiffs, referred to as “AG” in the documents, was placed in Oak Creek Juvenile Detention Center at age 17. The complaint alleges that OYA employee and group life coordinator Travis Craft began working at her housing unit in 2021 when she was 20 years old and immediately began “grooming” her by “engaging her in inappropriate sexual conversations.” Over the course of four months, Craft allegedly coerced AG into a forced sexual relationship.

Craft currently faces seven criminal charges alleging abuse of the Attorney General, including charges of first-degree sexual misconduct in custody.

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Another plaintiff, known as “DH,” was 17 years old when he was sent to MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility. The lawsuit states that his sentence would have been dependent on his progress in OYA treatment. In 2022, when he was 21, group life coordinator Cherie MacDougall was assigned to his housing unit and – court documents say – over the course of four months, she groomed DH by giving him contraband such as marijuana dab pens. She then allegedly forced him into a sexual relationship and allegedly threatened him with “serious consequences” if he said anything.

The third plaintiff, “OG,” was 15 when MacDougall allegedly began manipulating him and supplying him with smuggled drugs, despite the fact that he had to prove his sobriety in order to be released on parole. The documents further state that MacDougall began a coercive sexual relationship with OG as he became more and more dependent on her for his drugs. Because of this, OG's time in the facility was extended.

However, when OG was transferred to another department, he reportedly made “rapid and significant progress in his substance abuse treatment.”

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Each of the lawsuits details that it was “widely known” that many MacLaren and Oak Creek employees allegedly sexually abused or inflicted sexual abuse on their incarcerated youth. As a result, the OYA director, the Oak Creek superintendent, the MacLaren superintendent and a department head were named as additional defendants.

“Sexual contact between staff and juveniles is abuse,” stressed attorney Norah Van Dusen of Levi Merrithew Horst. “Any staff member who has knowledge of abuse has a duty to speak up and intervene. Failure to do so is failing in their responsibility to these juveniles. And again, these juveniles are some of the most vulnerable members of our state. They are some of the most vulnerable members of our society. And the staff who abused these juveniles and stood by and did nothing really took advantage of that vulnerability.”

Van Dusen also pointed out that her investigation had shown that these were not isolated cases, but a systemic problem throughout OYA.

“We believe that the stories of these six plaintiffs are just the tip of the iceberg and that the problem is much more widespread,” she added. “We believe that it probably affects all of the facilities operated by the Oregon Youth Authority and that there are many more youth who have been abused in similar ways. We don't believe that these are six isolated cases, but just a few black sheep in the system.”

A spokesperson for OYA commented on the lawsuits, stating:

“The alleged conduct is in complete contradiction to our values ​​and commitments to our youth, as demonstrated by our 100 percent pass rate in independent PREA audits over the past two years. We will continue to provide our youth with multiple avenues to report violations and encourage them to report such violations. We will continue to investigate quickly and intervene decisively when individuals undermine our work.”

Van Dusen said cases are being processed through the federal court system, but it could take several years to reach a resolution. However, she expects more youths, currently and formerly incarcerated, will come forward during that time.

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