A Lawsuit Accuses a Vermont Juvenile Detention Center of ‘Obscene Abuse’
Seven young people who were detained at Vermont’s now-closed juvenile detention center and another facility are suing state officials and staff alleging “obscene abuse” at both facilities that they say state officials ignored.
Vermont closed the Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center in Essex last year after a drop in the number of kids housed there and a lawsuit accusing the 30-bed center of housing children with disabilities in dangerous conditions, including the use of restraints, unsupervised seclusion and long-term isolation.
The latest lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court against 22 Vermont Department for Children and Families employees, including the former commissioner and Woodside staff. It alleges the abuse occurred regularly between 2016 and 2020.
