About IYC Chicago
Illinois Youth Center Chicago is one of six secure juvenile detention facilities operated by the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ). The facility houses male youth offenders and provides educational, vocational, and mental health services.
A federal survey conducted by the DOJ's Bureau of Justice Statistics — the 2012 National Survey of Youth in Custody, published in June 2013 — examined conditions at seven Illinois Youth Center facilities. BJS identified Illinois as one of four states with high rates of reported sexual victimization in juvenile facilities.
The survey found that 15.4% of youth in Illinois state custody reported experiencing sexual victimization — about 60% above the 9.5% national average — with staff sexual misconduct reported by 13.7% of Illinois youth versus 7.7% nationally. Following the report, the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice commissioned an independent assessment of its facilities by Kinsale Management Consulting.
U.S. Department of Justice - Bureau of Justice Statistics (2013)
The DOJ's National Survey of Youth in Custody (2012 survey, published June 2013) examined conditions at seven Illinois Youth Center facilities, including IYC Chicago. BJS identified Illinois as one of four states with high rates of reported sexual victimization in juvenile facilities: 15.4% of youth in Illinois state custody reported sexual victimization, versus a 9.5% national average — about 60% above the national rate.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics
WBEZ Chicago (July 2025)
More than 900 people now say they were abused at Illinois youth prisons. Plaintiffs claim they were raped, groped and threatened—all while in the custody of an Illinois Youth Center or the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center.
Source: WBEZ Chicago
Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (official statement, 2013)
Following the BJS report, IDJJ announced that the department had commissioned an independent assessment of its facilities by Kinsale Management Consulting.
