TULSA, Okla. — Attorneys are demanding their clients be removed from the Tulsa County juvenile detention center and temporarily placed under house arrest, pending their civil rights lawsuit.
The attorneys are representing 30 alleged victims in the lawsuit that alleges widespread sexual abuse at the facility, the Tulsa County Family Center for Juvenile Justice (FCJJ).
It also claims conditions and treatment of inmates were inhumane and that multiple officials in charge knew and did not do enough to make improvements.
In April, former detention officer Jonathan Hines was arrested and charged on several counts related to sexually abusing a minor inside the FCJJ.
In June, another former detention officer, Dquan Doyle, was also arrested on sexual abuse-related charges. Both were accused of obtaining contraband for juvenile inmates in exchange for sexual favors from them.
The original lawsuit filed earlier this year indicated 20 victims. An amended complaint filed in late May added 10 more alleged child victims.
So, what has happened since the arrests and lawsuit surfaced?
Other than citing pending litigation, officials involved in the facility have refused to comment publicly.
2 News has made multiple attempts through emails, calls, and texts to find someone who would discuss the facility's current operations. However, new documents and open records are shedding some light.
First, several employees listed in the lawsuit still supervise the children accusing them of abuse or who witnessed the abuse.
While it is often common for a government employee to be placed on administrative leave after accusations, lawsuits or charges, that is not the case with FCJJ.
Attorneys for the children said one of those employees has threatened the inmates in an attempt to keep them silent about the accusations against Jonathan Hines.
In an affidavit, “Child Doe One” claims on June 18, Sparkle Johnson, a detention officer, told residents the children were “responsible for what happened to Hines” and that they “got what they asked for,” referring to contraband in exchange for sexual favors.
Attorneys claim Johnson of witness tampering and intimidation.
2 News obtained a current employee list, and as of last week, Johnson still works there. Several other employees and administrators listed in the lawsuit are still employed as well, accused of knowing and failing to intervene in abuse.
Attorneys filed a preliminary injunction to move their clients who are still housed inside the FCJJ to house arrest to prevent further bullying.
Documents allege “no publicly available corrective action has occurred to protect the children” since the arrests and other allegations.
They go on to state that the Board of County Commissioners, the Juvenile Bureau, the Oklahoma Juvenile Authority, as well as multiple current and former employees, “did nothing to change policies, procedures or culture.”
2 News reached out to each attorney representing the defendants (Juvenile Bureau, Office of Juvenile Affairs, Board of County Commissioners of Tulsa County) and did not receive a response.
As 2 News mentioned in previous reports, the way the juvenile detention system is set up in Oklahoma has seemed to have allowed for no specific entity to take responsibility into what has happened inside the facility. As a result, to date, no documented or publicly notable changes have taken place.
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