Hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse at New York City juvenile jails are at the center of 425 lawsuits filed under the Gender Motivated Violence Act (GMVA), enacted to allow victims of sexual abuse to attempt to hold those who violated their bodies accountable.
According to The Gothamist, in these lawsuits, former New York City juvenile jail detainees are detailing acts of sexual violence against them; some of the accusations go as far back as the 1960s, while others are more recent.
Jerome Block, an attorney with Levy Konigsberg, a law firm that filed close to 170 lawsuits alleging abuse at the city’s jails, said the abuse was upheld by a system, not individual bad actors.
“We’re seeing a pattern and practice of institutional sexual abuse,” Block told the outlet. “It’s very concerning that the city and local prosecutors had investigated Tony Simmons, had charged him with sexually abusing several victims, and that they did not uncover the full scope of his sexual abuse.”
Simmons, according to several lawsuits filed under the GMVA, allegedly sexually abused seven former detainees while working as a counselor for several city jails.
The former detainees accusing Simmons say that the counselor assaulted them wherever he found opportunity and license, including transport vans and parking garages or elevators located in New York City courthouses.
According to Amina Carter, one of Simmons’ accusers, part of the reason that Simmons was allowed to get away with his abuse for years was the identities and social positions of his alleged victims.
“It was so rampant,” Carter told the outlet. “You knew who he was touching because he brought them snacks. When you’re a Black or Spanish prostitute runaway, nobody cares about you. You don’t care about you. So why would they care about you? That’s the culture there.”
Stephanie Gendell, a New York City Administration for Children’s Services spokesperson, now oversees the juvenile jail system. However, the allegations predate the administration’s involvement; the alleged crimes are unacceptable.
“Sexual abuse and harassment is abhorrent and unacceptable,” Gendell told The Gothamist
in a written statement. “While these incidents predate this administration and ACS’s involvement with juvenile justice, we take these allegations very seriously.”RELATED CONTENT: City of Philadelphia And Juvenile Justice Services Center Play Blame Game Over Declining Juvenile Facility