For many Chicago-area survivors, the place they were held was not a state youth center. It was the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, long known as the Audy Home. Claims from that facility follow a different path than claims against state youth centers, and understanding the difference is the first step.
If a staff member sexually abused you while you were held there as a child, or in any Illinois youth center or county detention center, a civil claim may be possible against the institution that was supposed to keep you safe. You do not need to have reported it, and nobody needs to have been charged.
Attorney Ervin Nevitt, a partner at Coplan + Crane, reviews these cases. He is registered with the Illinois bar (6319808) and was admitted in 2014.
A county facility, not a state one
The Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice states plainly that Illinois county juvenile detention centers are outside its jurisdiction. The Cook County center is a county facility, which makes it a separate defendant with a separate analysis.
Since 2008, the center has been run by the Office of the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Because of that history, a claim can involve Cook County, the State, or both. Which one depends on when and how the abuse happened.
How that compares to the state youth centers
IDJJ runs the state youth centers, and claims against the State go to the Illinois Court of Claims. That court has its own filing requirements and damages limits. It is the first thing to examine, and it is why a general personal injury practice can get these cases wrong.
Many young people moved between county and state custody. The state facilities include IYC St. Charles, at 3825 Campton Hills Road in Kane County, which was historically the main intake site for youth committed from the Chicago area. That site now runs the PEACE Center, a separate program launched in January 2024 for ages 17 to 20, and claims concern the earlier facility.
IYC Warrenville, at 30W200 Ferry Road, has a Naperville address in DuPage County. It opened in 1973, holds 70, and is the only IDJJ facility housing girls and boys. IYC Harrisburg, at 1201 West Poplar in Saline County, opened in July 1983 with a rated capacity of 319. IYC Pere Marquette, at 17808 State Highway 100W in Grafton, Jersey County, opened in March 1963. It is the oldest still operating as a youth center and the smallest, at 40, run as an open-campus, step-down site. IYC Kewanee in Henry County closed to youth in 2016 and became an adult Department of Corrections center, but that does not end claims from its earlier years.
If you were held somewhere not named here, tell us where. That does not mean there is no claim.
The records tell the story
Detention facilities generate paperwork constantly. Shift rosters, incident reports, grievance forms, transfer records, movement logs, and personnel files exist whether or not anyone believed you, and whether or not a report was ever taken seriously.
These cases turn on what the facility knew and what it did about it. The common failures are negligent hiring, negligent supervision, negligent retention, and failure to report. Negligent supervision comes up most in custody, where staff control movement, meals, showers, and sleep, and a staff member can end up alone with a child in circumstances that never should have been allowed.
A facility that logged a grievance and filed it, moved a staff member to another wing, or transferred a child instead of investigating left a record of that decision. That record is often what the case turns on.
You are not alone
Hundreds of people have come forward about the same facilities, the same shifts, and in some cases the same staff. Many first tell us that nobody believed them then. You have not changed. The pattern is documented now, other survivors have spoken, and institutions have to answer for it.
Many children were placed in detention because adults had already failed to handle problems in their lives. Being harmed again by people paid to protect you is a particular betrayal. In law, it is the institution's failure, not yours. You were a child in custody. You could not leave, choose your supervisors, or report safely, and courts understand that.
Why the Audy Home years matter
The Cook County center has held children under different arrangements over the decades, and that history matters to a claim. Who was responsible for the facility in the year you were held there can shape who the defendant is and which rules apply. Because the Office of the Chief Judge took over in 2008, abuse before and after that point may call for different analysis, and some claims may involve both the county and the State.
You do not need to work any of that out yourself. Many survivors cannot say exactly which year they were held, how long they stayed, or which unit they were on. They were children, often frightened, and often moved without explanation. The center's own records can establish those details.
What helps most is simply telling us that you were held at the Cook County center and roughly when. From there, we can look at who was responsible, what records exist, and what those records show about what staff and supervisors knew.
Common Questions Around Audy Home and County Claims
I never reported it. That does not end anything. Reporting meant going to the abuser's colleagues and returning to the same wing. Not reporting is close to universal in these cases.
Nobody was ever charged. That does not matter. Criminal cases require proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Civil claims use a lower standard, usually against the institution, and proceed regularly without charges.
I do not remember dates or names. That is normal and not a barrier. The facility knows who worked each shift, where you were housed, and when you were moved.
Is it too late? It depends on your age at the time, which body was responsible, and the facts. Claims against public bodies have their own requirements, which is exactly why it is worth asking. Many people assume they are out of time and are not. Asking costs nothing.
Will my family find out? Not from us. Everything is confidential from the first conversation. If you file, steps can protect your identity in the court record, and we explain them before filing.
I am asking for someone else. That is fine and common. We can explain how this works so you can pass it on, with no obligation on the person involved.
What happens when you contact us
Nothing is set in motion by asking. You speak with a person, not a form or script, and you do not have to describe what happened. We look into which institution had a duty, what it knew, what records exist, and whether a claim can still be brought, at no cost to you.
We tell you plainly what is possible. If you decide not to go ahead, it ends there, and what you told us stays confidential. If you go ahead, we carry the filings, deadlines, records, and insurers. Steps can be taken to protect your identity in the court record.
Call (708) 671-6858 for a free, confidential case review.
